The Effect of Fragmentation and Packaging of Dried Parsley Leaves on Selected Chemical and Microbiological Parameters

Abstract Parsley leaves (Petroselinum crispum) have long been known for their organoleptic properties. They are widely used in cuisine all over the world in fresh and dried form and also as pharmaceutical raw material. The presented work assessed if the storage of parsley leaves (as whole leaves or leave pieces) and packaging with PE or Xtend® foils influence the content of selected chemical compounds and the microbiological quality of the product. For this purpose, the leaves were dried, packaged and analyzed after 3 weeks’ storage under room temperature. Neither the degree of fragmentation nor the type of packaging foil affected the content of vit. C and total sugars. Higher content of reducing sugars was obtained in the samples packed in PE foil. Number of detected bacteria did not exceed the safety border. Less bacterial colonies were detected in the material packed as fragmented in the PE foil. No fungal colonies were detected in the leaves packed in the Xtend® foil.