Preharvest and Postharvest Techniques That Optimize the Shelf Life of Fresh Basil ( L.): a Review

Overview

Journal Front Plant Sci

Date 2023 Sep 25

PMID 37745993

Authors

Lara J Brindisi

James E Simon

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Basil ( L.) is a popular specialty crop known for its use as a culinary herb and medicinal plant around the world. However, its profitability and availability are limited by a short postharvest shelf life due to poor handling, cold sensitivity and microbial contamination. Here, we comprehensively review the research on pre- and postharvest techniques that extend the shelf life of basil to serve as a practical tool for growers, distributors, retailers and scientists. Modifications to postharvest storage conditions, pre- and postharvest treatments, harvest time and preharvest production methods have been found to directly impact the quality of basil and its shelf life. The most effective strategies for extending the shelf life and improving the quality of basil are discussed and promising strategies that research and industry employ are identified.

Citing Articles

Genetic linkage mapping and quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) to identify genomic regions associated with cold tolerance and major volatiles.

Brindisi L, Mattera 3rd R, Mudiyala S, Honig J, Simon J PLoS One. 2024; 19(4):e0299825.

PMID: 38593174 PMC: 11003626. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299825.

References

Fratianni F, Cefola M, Pace B, Cozzolino R, De Giulio B, Cozzolino A . Changes in visual quality, physiological and biochemical parameters assessed during the postharvest storage at chilling or non-chilling temperatures of three sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) cultivars. Food Chem. 2017; 229:752-760. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.02.137. View

Singh-Sangwan N, Abad Farooqi A, Singh Sangwan R . Effect of drought stress on growth and essential oil metabolism in lemongrasses. New Phytol. 2021; 128(1):173-179. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1994.tb04000.x. View

Grundy J, Stoker C, Carre I . Circadian regulation of abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Front Plant Sci. 2015; 6:648. PMC: 4550785. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00648. View

Larsen D, Li H, Shrestha S, Verdonk J, Nicole C, Marcelis L . Lack of Blue Light Regulation of Antioxidants and Chilling Tolerance in Basil. Front Plant Sci. 2022; 13:852654. PMC: 9021895. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.852654. View

Iqbal N, Khan N, Ferrante A, Trivellini A, Francini A, Khan M . Ethylene Role in Plant Growth, Development and Senescence: Interaction with Other Phytohormones. Front Plant Sci. 2017; 8:475. PMC: 5378820. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00475. View

Sharma P, Sharma N, Deswal R . The molecular biology of the low-temperature response in plants. Bioessays. 2005; 27(10):1048-59. DOI: 10.1002/bies.20307. View

Rodeo A, Mitcham E . Chilling temperatures and controlled atmospheres alter key volatile compounds implicated in basil aroma and flavor. Front Plant Sci. 2023; 14:1218734. PMC: 10352081. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1218734. View

Johnson A, Meyerson E, de la Parra J, Savas T, Miikkulainen R, Harper C . Flavor-cyber-agriculture: Optimization of plant metabolites in an open-source control environment through surrogate modeling. PLoS One. 2019; 14(4):e0213918. PMC: 6447188. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0213918. View

Ciriello M, Cirillo V, Formisano L, El-Nakhel C, Pannico A, De Pascale S . Productive, Morpho-Physiological, and Postharvest Performance of Six Basil Types Grown in a Floating Raft System: A Comparative Study. Plants (Basel). 2023; 12(3). PMC: 9919531. DOI: 10.3390/plants12030486. View

10.

Ashrafi M, Azimi-Moqadam M, Moradi P, MohseniFard E, Shekari F, Kompany-Zareh M . Effect of drought stress on metabolite adjustments in drought tolerant and sensitive thyme. Plant Physiol Biochem. 2018; 132:391-399. DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2018.09.009. View

11.

Patel M, Lee R, Merchant E, Juliani H, Simon J, Tepper B . Descriptive aroma profiles of fresh sweet basil cultivars (Ocimum spp.): Relationship to volatile chemical composition. J Food Sci. 2021; 86(7):3228-3239. DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.15797. View

12.

Liu J, Goodspeed D, Sheng Z, Li B, Yang Y, Kliebenstein D . Keeping the rhythm: light/dark cycles during postharvest storage preserve the tissue integrity and nutritional content of leafy plants. BMC Plant Biol. 2015; 15:92. PMC: 4396971. DOI: 10.1186/s12870-015-0474-9. View

13.

Cozzolino R, Pace B, Cefola M, Martignetti A, Stocchero M, Fratianni F . Assessment of volatile profile as potential marker of chilling injury of basil leaves during postharvest storage. Food Chem. 2016; 213:361-368. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.06.109. View

14.

Hassan F, Ali E, Mostafa N, Mazrou R . Shelf-life extension of sweet basil leaves by edible coating with thyme volatile oil encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles. Int J Biol Macromol. 2021; 177:517-525. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.02.159. View

15.

Valiolahi M, Najafi M, Alipour Eskandani M, Rahnama M . Effects of organic acid alone and in combination with HO and NaCl on Escherichia coli O157:H7: An evaluation of antioxidant retention and overall acceptability in Basil leaves (Ocimum basilicum). Int J Food Microbiol. 2018; 292:56-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.12.010. View

16.

Delbeke S, Ceuppens S, Jacxsens L, Uyttendaele M . Survival of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on strawberries, basil, and other leafy greens during storage. J Food Prot. 2015; 78(4):652-60. DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-354. View

17.

Smith H, McAusland L, Murchie E . Don't ignore the green light: exploring diverse roles in plant processes. J Exp Bot. 2017; 68(9):2099-2110. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erx098. View

18.

Paton A, Springate D, Suddee S, Otieno D, Grayer R, Harley M . Phylogeny and evolution of basils and allies (Ocimeae, Labiatae) based on three plastid DNA regions. Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2004; 31(1):277-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2003.08.002. View

19.

Byun Y, Koo M, Joo H, Ha-Lee Y, Lee D . Comparative analysis of gene expression under cold acclimation, deacclimation and reacclimation in Arabidopsis. Physiol Plant. 2014; 152(2):256-74. DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12163. View

20.

Larsen D, Li H, van de Peppel A, Nicole C, Marcelis L, Woltering E . High light intensity at End-Of-Production improves the nutritional value of basil but does not affect postharvest chilling tolerance. Food Chem. 2021; 369:130913. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130913. View