Análisis de las características del culantro de monte fresco (Eryngium foetidum) de tres lugares distintos de producción

Abstract

This research aimed to characterize sawtooth coriander (Eryngium foetidum) from three production locations. This spice was acquired from three different markets in Riobamba (La Condamine, San Alfonso, and Santa Rosa), each with a different origin: Esmeraldas, Yaguachi, and El Tena, respectively. This research methodology included a characterization with five repetitions for each sector, with an experimental unit size of 500 g per repetition. Microbiological and physicochemical analyses were performed based on the Standard (NTE INEN Spices and Condiments, 2010). Regarding sensory analysis, the results were subjected to Kruskal-Wallis statistical analysis using a hedonic scale. The physicochemical analyses obtained from the different sectors were as follows: a pH of 5.90 for sawtooth coriander from Esmeraldas, 6.08 for Yaguachi, and 5.98 for El Tena; a titratable acidity of 0.01% for all three sectors; and 15.0%, 14.50%, 14.70% total solids for sawtooth coriander from Esmeraldas, Yaguachi, and El Tena, respectively. Microbiological results reported the absence of Salmonella in each sample at both 12 and 24 hours, unlike the samples of E. coli, which reported 3 CFU/g for those from Esmeraldas, 4 CFU/g for those from Yaguachi, and 6 CFU/g for those from El Tena after 24 hours. The sensory analysis determined that these types of sawtooth coriander had a coarse texture, a non-bitter taste, a light odor, and a bright and dark green coloration. Finally, La Condamine sells 500g of sawtooth coriander for 0.50 cents, compared with the Santa Rosa and San Alfonso markets that sell the same quantity for 0.25 cents.