Comparative analysis of shelf life and quality attributes of basil (Ocimum basilicum) cultivated using nutrient film technique (NFT) and substrate-based hydroponic systems
Main Article Content
Keywords
Basil; Hydroponic; NFT; Substrate-Based Systems; Postharvest Quality; Shelf Life; Precision Agriculture
Abstract
This study presents, for the first time, a comprehensive comparison between two hydroponic cultivation systems Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) and substrate-based culture regarding the postharvest quality and shelf life of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) stored for 21 days at 5 ± 1 °C. Physical (weight loss, color, firmness), chemical (essential oils, total phenolics, antioxidant activity, chlorophyll content), and microbial (total plate counts, yeast, and mold) attributes were systematically evaluated. NFT-grown basil exhibited superior physical stability, with significantly lower weight loss (7.5 % vs. 11.2 %) and higher firmness at Day 21 (p < 0.05). In contrast, substrate-grown basil accumulated higher levels of essential oils and total phenolics (by 21 % and 18 %, respectively), reflecting enhanced secondary metabolism. Microbial results showed that NFT basil maintained total plate counts below 5.1 log CFU g⁻¹, whereas substrate basil reached 6.2 log CFU g⁻¹, exceeding the international safety threshold (10⁶ CFU g⁻¹; ISO 4833-1:2013; FDA, 2023). Overall, the comparative assessment established clear relationships among physical, chemical, and microbial quality indices, confirming that NFT basil retained acceptable sensory and microbial quality for up to 21 days. These findings highlight system-dependent trade-offs between postharvest stability and phytochemical enrichment, offering new insights for optimizing hydroponic basil production to meet targeted quality and market requirements.
References
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Balázs, L., & Kovács, G. P. (2025). Effects of Light Quantity and Quality on Horticultural Crops. Horticulturae, 11(5), 512. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11050512
Bonasia, A., Lazzizera, C., Elia, A., & Conversa, G. (2025). Pre-harvest strategy for improving harvest and post-harvest performance of kale and chicory baby leaves. Plants, 14(6), 863. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060863
Brindisi, C., & Simon, J. E. (2023). Preharvest and postharvest techniques that optimize the shelf life of fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum L.): A review. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1237577. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1237577
Bugbee, B. (2004). Nutrient management in recirculating hydroponic culture. Acta Horticulturae, 648, 99–112. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2004.648.12
Chakraborty, A. P. (2020). Carrier Based Bioformulations of PGPR: Characteristics, Shelf Life and Application in Improving Health Status of Crop Plants – A Mini Review. International Journal of Research and Review, 7(4).
Cheruiyot, R. K., & Mechesso, A. F. (2025). Microbial quality of leafy greens grown under soilless production systems. Pathogens, 14(9), 943. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14090943
Ciriello, M., Carillo, P., Lentini, M., & Rouphael, Y. (2025). Influence of pre-harvest factors on the storage of fresh basil (Ocimum basilicum L.): A review. Horticulturae, 11(3), 326. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11030326
Ciriello, M., El-Nakhel, C., Pannico, A., Kyriacou, M. C., Soteriou, G. A., Giordano, M., ... & De Pascale, S. (2021). Morpho-physiological responses and secondary metabolites modulation by preharvest factors of three hydroponically grown Genovese basil cultivars. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 671026. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.671026
Ciriello, M., Formisano, L., El-Nakhel, C., Kyriacou, M. C., Soteriou, G. A., Pannico, A., ... & De Pascale, S. (2023). Productive, morpho-physiological, and postharvest performance of six basil types grown in a floating raft system: A comparative study. Plants, 12(3), 486. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030486
Ciriello, M., Formisano, L., Kyriacou, M. C., Soteriou, G. A., Graziani, G., De Pascale, S., & Rouphael, Y. (2022). Zinc biofortification of hydroponically grown basil: Stress physiological responses and impact on antioxidant secondary metabolites of genotypic variants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1049004. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1049004
Corrado, G., Vitaglione, P., Chiaiese, P., & Rouphael, Y. (2021). Unraveling the modulation of controlled salinity stress on morphometric traits, mineral profile, and bioactive metabolome equilibrium in hydroponic basil. Horticulturae, 7(9), 273. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7090273
El-Nakhel, C., Pannico, A., Graziani, G., Kyriacou, M. C., Gaspari, A., Ritieni, A., & Rouphael, Y. (2021). Nutrient supplementation configures the bioactive profile and production characteristics of three Brassica L. microgreens species grown in peat-based media. Agronomy, 11(2), 346. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020346
Ilić, Z. S., Milenković, L., Stanojević, L., Cvetković, D., & Šunić, L. (2021). Efficiency of basil essential oil antimicrobial agents under different shading treatments and harvest times. Agronomy, 11(8), 1574. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081574
Ilić, Z. S., Milenković, L., Šunić, L., Tmušić, N., Mastilović, J., Kevrešan, Ž., Stanojević, L., Danilović, B., & Stanojević, J. (2021). Efficiency of basil essential oil antimicrobial agents under different shading treatments and harvest times. Agronomy, 11(8), 1574. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11081574
Indira, D., & Sabitha Rani, A. (2024). Comparative analysis of growth parameters in hydroponic and soil-grown systems of Ocimum basilicum L. (basil). Plant Science Archives, 9(2), Article 26. https://doi.org/10.51470/PSA.2024.9.2.26
Jensen, M. H., & Malter, A. J. (1995). Hydroponics Worldwide: A Technical Guide to Commercial Hydroponic Systems. Woodbridge Press.
Jones, J. B. (2016). Hydroponics: A practical guide for the soilless grower (2nd ed.). CRC Press.
Kamble, A. B., & Kadam, A. S. (2020). Hydroponics: A novel technique for soil-less cultivation. Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, 9(6), 915–918. https://www.phytojournal.com/archives/2020/vol9issue6/PartAD/9-6-235-915.pdf
Kamble, A. B., & Kadam, A. S. (2021). Hydroponics: A novel technique for soil-less cultivation. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 10(6), 395–398. https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2021/vol10issue6/PartI/10-6-46-395.pdf
Khan, M. M., et al. (2024). Hydroponic systems for cultivation of horticultural crops. In N. Kumar (Ed.), Hydroponics. Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3993-1_8
Kumar, N. (2024). Introduction to hydroponics. In Hydroponics (pp. 1–15). Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3993-1_2
Kumar, V., Bains, S., & Singh, K. K. (2022). Effect of different concentration of nutrients on growth, yield and quality of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum) in hydroponics system. The Pharma Innovation Journal, 11(7S), 2440–2442. https://www.thepharmajournal.com/archives/2022/vol11issue7S/PartAD/S-11-7-151-729.pdf
Lange, D. D., & Cameron, A. C. (1994). Postharvest shelf life of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum). HortScience, 29(2), 102–103. https://doi.org/10.21273/hortsci.29.2.102
Liu, H., Son, J. E., Niu, G., & Li, Q. (2024). Growth and quality formation regulated by light in horticulture plants. Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, Article 1392783. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1392783
Lv, Y., Ren, X., & Ding, Y. (2024). Recent advancements in postharvest fruit quality and physiological mechanisms. Horticulturae, 10(10), 1085. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10101085
Mditshwa, A., Khaliq, G., Hussein, Z., & Ejaz, S. (2023). Editorial: Sustainable postharvest management practices for fresh produce. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7, 1143759. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1143759
Ngcobo, B. L., Phungula, N., Ngcobo, P., & Maninjwa, Z. (2024). An overview of hydroponic cultivation for sustainable food production. In Hydroponics (Perspective chapter). IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.1008345
Noguchi, A., & Ichimura, M. (2013). Changes in the flavor components of fresh sweet basil during storage. Food Preservation Science, 39(1), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.5891/jafps.39.13
Palermo, J. S., Palermo, T. B., Cappellari, L. del R., Balcke, G. U., Tissier, A., Giordano, W., & Banchio, E. (2025). Influence of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) inoculation on phenolic content and key biosynthesis-related processes in Ocimum basilicum under Spodoptera frugiperda herbivory. Plants, 14(6), 857. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14060857
Palumbo, M., Attolico, G., Capozzi, V., Cozzolino, R., Corvino, A., de Chiara, M. L. V., Pace, B., Pelosi, S., Ricci, I., Romaniello, R., & Cefola, M. (2022). Emerging postharvest technologies to enhance the shelf-life of fruit and vegetables: An overview. Foods, 11(23), 3925. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233925
Paradiso, R., Proietti, S. Light-Quality Manipulation to Control Plant Growth and Photomorphogenesis in Greenhouse Horticulture: The State of the Art and the Opportunities of Modern LED Systems. J Plant Growth Regul 41, 742–780 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-021-10337-y
Profico, C. M., Hassanpour, M., Hazrati, S., Ertani, A., Mollaei, S., & Nicola, S. (2025). Sodium selenate biofortification of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) and peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.) plants grown in a floating system under salinity stress. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 21, 101842. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2025.101842
Rajendran, S., Domalachenpa, T., Arora, H., Li, P., Sharma, A., & Rajauria, G. (2024). Hydroponics: Exploring innovative sustainable technologies and applications across crop production, with emphasis on potato mini-tuber cultivation. Heliyon, 10(1), e26823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26823
Raviv, M., & Leith, J. H. (2007). Soilless Culture: Theory and Practice. Elsevier. ISBN: 978-0-444-63696-6
Resh, H. M. (2022). Hydroponic food production: A definitive guidebook for the advanced home gardener and the commercial hydroponic grower (8th ed.). CRC Press.
Rodeo, A. J. D. (2023). Basil postharvest chilling sensitivity and the impact of storage temperature and atmosphere on sensory quality (Master’s thesis, University of California, Davis). UC eScholarship. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/0nk968m0
Rodeo, A. J. D., & Mitcham, E. J. (2023). Chilling temperatures and controlled atmospheres alter key volatile compounds implicated in basil aroma and flavor. Frontiers in Plant Science, 14, 1218734. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1218734
Rouphael, Y., & Kyriacou, M. C. (2018). Enhancing quality of fresh vegetables through salinity eustress and biofortification applications facilitated by soilless cultivation. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 1254. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2018.01254
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