Textural quality of green and white asparagus

A textural comparison between green and white asparagus was conducted on th ree cultivars ('Jersey Gem,' 'Jersey General: and 'Jersey Giant') harvested during spring and summer of 1990. Spears were analyzed for fibrousness and sensory characteristics at three different sections: tip, middle and base. Fibrousness of both green and white asparagus was greater in the spring. O n the other hand, white spears were more fibrous than green ones. Sensory a ssessment of spear hardness revealed that tip and middle sections of white spears were harder than equivalent sections of green spears. Concurrently, sensory fibrousness was greater in white than in green spears and decreased from tip to base. No measurement of texture was affected by cultivar. Ligh t microscopy did not reveal differences between green and white asparagus. However, regardless of type, the number of lignified tracheal elements with in vascular bundles increased basipetally along the stem, explaining the di fference among sections of spear.