Physical parameters kinetics during the drying process of quarters and halves cut tomatoes

Received: January 27th, 2023 ; Accepted: May 8th, 2023 ; Published: May 19th, 2023 ; Correspondence: [email protected] drying is a time-consuming industrial process. Moreover, the prolonged use of high temperatures decreases the quality of tomatoes and increases the environmental footprint of the process. In most cases, drying is performed on halved tomatoes. Alternatively, the use of quarter tomatoes could guarantee a drying times reduction without compromising the final product quality. This work aimed at modelling changes in physical characteristics of half and quarter tomatoes. The drying tests were conducted at 50 and 60 °C. The kinetics of weight loss, colour change, and volume reduction were determined. Colour change was monitored through image analysis, while volume reduction using RGB-D reconstructions. Based on the results, an increase in the drying temperature and the use of quartered tomatoes allow a significant reduction in drying times. The loss of water kinetic allowed the determination of critical moisture. Between initial and critical moisture, loss of water occurred at constant rate (zero-order kinetic), while after that the rate decreased exponentially (first-order kinetic). The colour kinetics showed an initial constant rate followed by a linear increase for brown pixels. The variation of red pixels did not have a clear trend. Increasing the temperature there was no significant reduction in colour quality while quarter tomatoes showed a greater loss of redness than halved tomatoes. Furthermore, the temperature increase does not affect the volume reduction of the tomatoes. Increasing the temperature and the use of quartered tomatoes are simple solutions to reduce drying times. However, quartered tomatoes are less visually appreciable than halved tomatoes

ACADEMIC LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS IN CLIL DISCOURSE: A CLASSROOM BASED RESEARCH

David Marsh (1994) refers to content and language integrated learning (CLIL) as \u201csituations where subjects, or parts of subjects, are taught through a foreign language with dual-focused aims, namely the learning of content, and the simultaneous learning of a foreign language\u201d. Nowadays, CLIL is implemented in a wide variety of educational contexts all over Europe, thus becoming the approach that best provides opportunities for effective second language learning (Lyster 2007). In this new CLIL scenario Italy represents a vanguard. The Reform of the Italian secondary school system (2010) made the implementation of CLIL teaching in at least one foreign language compulsory from the third year of upper secondary language schools and in the last year of schooling. Given its potential for the improvement of learners\u2019 language competences, CLIL discourse is viewed as an interesting area of investigation. It is from these premises that this classroom-based research aims to investigate the extent to which the teaching of scientific school subjects through English can foster the use of the micro academic language function (ALF) of hypothesising as a tool for the process of constructing meaning. The study, which is the first attempt to analyse teacher discourse in the recent Italian context, reports on data collected in 45 lessons in 5 different scientific subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics, and Physics, taught in three upper-secondary language schools in Milan from February 2015 to January 2016. The analysis aims to investigate in particular how much hypothesising there is in scientific-subject CLIL lessons, how the function of hypothesising occurs and how it is linguistically realized across the lessons. Data have been analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively and compared among the subjects and the CLIL teachers, when possible. Insights from this study aim to contribute to highlighting some issues related to the incidence of hypotheses and their use across different scientific-subject CLIL lessons. In particular, the findings could encourage the CLIL teachers to strengthen their language awareness and efficacy in the second language acquisition process in CLIL lessons, at least with regards to the verbalization of hypotheses. In addition, since findings have to do with the first generation of officially trained CLIL teachers in Italy, this study might well be taken into account by academics and researchers involved in designing language and methodology training for CLIL teachers where there is also an interest in directing the trainee\u2019s attention to the use of ALFs in the CLIL context

Oil accumulation in intact olive fruits measured by near infrared spectroscopy-acousto-optically tunable filter

A field experiment was conducted to test the reliability of the near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) method to measure mesocarp oil content in vivo against nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) determinations using three different olive cultivars at different stages of ripening. RESULTS: In PLS model carried out for the cultivar Arbequina the R2c (coefficients of determination in calibration) obtained was of 0.991, while the R2cv (coefficients of determination in cross-validation) of 0.979; for the cultivar Frantoio the indexes were respectively of 0.982 and 0.971, for the cultivar Leccino of 0.977 for R2c and 0.965 for R2cv. Finally, for the combined model (sum of the three varieties) those indexes were respectively equal to 0.921 and 0.903. The RPD ratio was insufficient for predictive model of cultivar Leccino only (1.98), whereas in other cases RPD ratios were completely sufficient, within the estimation range over 2.5 - 3 (2.61 in global model, and 4.23 in cultivar Frantoio), or describing a great capacity with values greater than 5 as in the case of the cultivar Arbequina (9.58). CONCLUSION: The NIR proved a novel, rapid, reliable method to monitor the oil accumulation process in intact olive fruits in the field. The innovative approach of coupling NIR and NMR technologies opens new scenarios for determining the optimal time for harvesting olive trees to obtain maximum oil production

Free and glycosylated green leaf volatiles, lipoxygenase and alcohol dehydrogenase in defoliated Nebbiolo grapes during postharvest dehydration

none7noBackground and Aims: Nebbiolo grapes are used to produce Sfursat wine, following partial dehydration. This research aimed to clarify the influence of fruit exposure to light and postharvest water loss on the concentration of green leaf volatiles (GLVs) and lipoxygenase (LOX) and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity of grapes. Methods and Results: Nebbiolo grapes from Control vines (no defoliation) (ND) and from vines defoliated at fruitset (DFS) or defoliated post-veraison (DPV) were harvested at about 23°Brix and dehydrated at 10 and 20°C, 60% RH and air flow of 1.5 m/s. Berries were sampled at 10 and 20% mass loss (ML). Significant differences in crop yield, bunch mass and berry mass were observed. As expected, the higher the dehydration temperature, the faster the dehydration process: 20% ML at 20°C occurred between 18 and 25 days, the shortest time corresponding to ND and the longest to DFS; at 10°C, the dehydration lasted between 27 and 32 days. At 10°C, the ADH activity was almost double that at 20°C, and in DFS was much higher than in other samples. At harvest, LOX did not show any difference among the samples, while at 10°C and 10% ML, the enzyme activity increased significantly and then declined at 20% ML, especially in defoliated samples. At harvest, the total free GLVs associated with the metabolism of lipid oxidation were 9434, 7212 and 11 656 μg/kg dry weight (DW) in ND, DFS and DPV samples, respectively; the total bound GLVs lipid-derived were 7599, 18 486 and 15 409 μg/kg DW in ND, DFS and DPV samples, respectively. During dehydration at 10°C, the ML induced ADH + LOX activity, especially in defoliated samples, but the bound GLVs, produced by defoliation, greatly decreased. Conclusions: Defoliation affected the response of Nebbiolo grapes to dehydration temperature: postharvest cold stress (10°C) and ML induced glycosylation of GLVs, alcohol formation (via ADH) and membrane oxidation (via LOX); a further stress effect was observed with leaf removal, regardless of the time of application. Significance of the Study: The timing of defoliation and postharvest dehydration temperature are significant factors to mitigate the postharvest stress response of Nebbiolo grapes.openPiombino P.; Genovese A.; Rustioni L.; Moio L.; Failla O.; Bellincontro A.; Mencarelli F.Piombino, P.; Genovese, A.; Rustioni, L.; Moio, L.; Failla, O.; Bellincontro, A.; Mencarelli, F

Porencephaly in an Italian neonate with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a complex malformative disease caused by the teratogenic effect of alcohol consumed during pregnancy. Mothers are frequently reluctant to admit alcohol consumption during pregnancy. During infancy and particularly during neonatal period, differential diagnosis is difficult. PATIENT CONCERNS: This case is represented by an Italian neonate boy small for gestational age, born by caesarean section at a gestational age of 37 weeks + 6 days by neglect and single-parent pregnancy. On physical examination, he presented particular facial features: microcephaly, epicanthal folds, flat midface, low nasal bridge, indistinct philtrum, and thin upper lip; moreover, examination revealed a macro-penis and recurvation without evidence of glans. DIAGNOSIS: Echocardiogram showed an inter-ventricular defect of medium-muscular type and brain magnetic resonance imaging showed asymmetry of the cerebral hemispheres with hypoplasia of the left cerebral hemisphere, dilatation of the left ventricle, cerebrospinal fluid cavity, and porencephaly. INTERVENTIONS: We investigated the ethylglucuronide (EtG) concentration in the neonate's hair by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and we detected EtG in the infant's hair (normal value, 30 pg/mg), demonstrating prenatal alcohol exposure. OUTCOMES: In this neonate, EtG measure in hairs permitted the diagnosis of FASD, so allowing to exclude genetic diseases associated with similar clinical findings. After this result the mother admitted that she drunk alcohol during pregnancy (she declared 3 glasses of wine every day). At the age of 6 months, the child showed a moderate neurodevelopmental delay. CONCLUSION: This case shows that FAD should be considered in neonates with rare neurological diseases as porencephaly. In neonates and infants born to a mother who did not report alcohol use, EtG measure in hairs can significantly improve diagnosis of FASD, so allowing to exclude genetic diseases associated with similar clinical findings

D2 or non D2-lymphadenectomy in gastric cancer

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Novelty of Italian Grape Ale (IGA) beer: Influence of the addition of Gamay macerated grape must or dehydrated Aleatico grape pomace on the aromatic profile

: A new category of fruit style beer resulting from the addition of grape matrices is named Italian Grape Ale (IGA). In this paper, we report data on an experimental work to produce IGA beers, adding macerated (CO2 or N2) red Gamay grape must or Aleatico grape pomace resulting from a grape dehydration process. Our hypothesis, that these wine processes can produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to characterize these IGA beers which was confirmed by chemical, sensory and aromatic results. IGA beers especially the one with gas-macerated grape musts (IGA-C and IGA-N) showed higher alcohol content than ALE beer (Control) and a higher polyphenol content and antioxidant activity. As regards VOCS, IGA beers increased the concentration of some classes (i.e., alcohols, esters, norisoprenoids) and IGA-N was better characterized by specific compounds such as isobutyric acid, phenylacetate, tyrosol, ethyl hydrogen succinate. Finally, E-nose and sensory evaluation discriminated significantly all the IGA beers

Postharvest Ozone Fumigation of Grapes (cv Sangiovese) Differently Affects Volatile Organic Compounds and Polyphenol Profiles of Berries and Wine

Consumers are more and more oriented towards the purchase of safer food and beverages, which is pushing the wine sector to find alternatives to the use of sulfur dioxide. Ozone (O3) is already applied in the wine industry to produce sulfur dioxide-free wines through the patented method Purovino®. The aim of this two-year study was that of evaluating whether the postharvest treatment of grapes with ozone affects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polyphenol profile in berries, and in turn, wine composition. Grape bunches (Vitis vinifera L.) of cv Sangiovese were fumigated overnight with gaseous ozone (max 20 g·h−1 with 6% w.w−1 of ozone) in a cold room at 4°C (±0.5). After treatment, grapes were processed into wine. In grapes, ozone treatments increased total polyphenol and flavonoid content and upregulated specific genes (phenylalanine ammonia lyase, VvPAL, flavanol synthase 1, and VvFLS1) involved in polyphenol biosynthesis. Wine obtained from ozone-treated grapes had higher flavanol content than the control. Fumigation only slightly affected the different VOC classes of grapes and wine, including aroma compounds derived from the lipoxygenase (LOX) pathway. Although a season-dependent effect was observed, results showed that postharvest ozone treatments applied to avoid the use of sulfur dioxide introduced limited but, in general, positive modifications to grape and wine composition. This information provides assurance to winemakers that the maintenance of wine quality and typicity will be guaranteed when using ozone treatments