Shelf-life of four Philippine indigenous leafy vegetables influenced by banana leaf wrapping and evaporative cooling

Bayogan E.V.; Sampiano K.F.S.; Urquiola M.A.J.; and Secretaria L.B. 2023. Shelf-life of four Philippine indigenous leafy vegetables influenced by banana leaf wrapping and evaporative cooling. FRESH Initiative Report December 2023. CGIAR.

Green leafy vegetables are considered important in the human diet due to their vitamin and mineral contents. While a number of green leafy indigenous vegetables easily grow under Philippine tropical conditions, its consumption is generally low among Filipinos. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge on the proper postharvest management contributing to the high losses, which in turn reduces the availability of these vegetables for consumption. This study evaluated the quality of some indigenous green leafy vegetables [fiddlehead fern or pako (Diplazium esculentum), Green sweet potato tops or tinangkong (Ipomoea batatas ‘Green Variety’), Malabar spinach or alugbati (Basella alba ‘Green Variety’), and moringa or malunggay (Moringa oleifera) using banana leaf as wrapping material under a brick-walled evaporative cooler (BEC) storage system. The shelf life of pako, alugbati, and malunggay was 2 days while tinangkong was acceptable for 3 days regardless of intervention used. Weight loss, however, was reduced by 14.38% in pako to 35.47% in malunggay when packed with banana leaves under BEC storage. Differences in visual quality, wilting, and decay were noted until 2 d for pako, alugbati, and malunggay and up to 3 d for tinangkong. The intervention used has also a slight influence on the marketability of the vegetables.