The respiration rate of baby spinach has been reported to
be higher than other fresh leafy vegetables, ranged from 4.6 to
23.0 L CO2 g−1 h−1 (Cantwell et al., 1998). Izumi et al. (1997)
reported that when spinach leaves where held in low O2 atmospheres, CO2 production was not reduced but little to no off-odours
were detected. The accumulation of volatiles was not a consequence of carbohydrates consumed by respiration during storage
as no variation in individual and total sugars were observed in
baby spinach held in different MAP conditions. The effect low O2
and high CO2 at low temperatures on microorganisms of freshcut spinach leaves has been studied.