head trimming was completed by further removal of external greener and tougher bracts (inedible fraction) so as to retain just the inner most tender bracts. The upper portion of the artichokes was removed and the hearts were then cut into quarters. Initially, 16 quarters were analyzed upon cutting (time 0), and another 16 were stored at 5 ◦C for 3 days before analysis (post-cutting storage evaluation at day 0 + 3).