Processing plants and technologies for a sustainable Mediterranean food chain

This book is focused on the challenges to implement sustainability in diverse contexts such as agribusiness, natural resource systems and new technologies. The experiences made by the researchers of the School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Science (SAFE) of the University of Basilicata offer a wide and multidisciplinary approach to the identification and testing of different solutions tailored to the economic, social and environmental characteristics of the region and the surrounding areas. Basilicata’s productive system is mainly based on activities related to the agricultural sector and exploitation of natural resources but it has seen, in recent years, an industrial development driven by the discovery of oil fields. SAFE research took up the challenge posed by market competition to create value through the sustainable use of renewable and non-renewable resources of the territory. Moreover, due to its unique geographical position in the middle of the Mediterranean basin, Basilicata is an excellent “open sky” laboratory for testing sustainable solutions adaptable to other Mediterranean areas. This collection of multidisciplinary case studies and research experiences from SAFE researchers and their scientific partners is a stimulating contribution to the debate on the development of sustainable techniques, methods and applications for the Mediterranean regions

Advance in Citrus Postharvest Management: Diseases, Cold Storage and Quality Evaluation

Citrus is a fruit crop grown in different Mediterranean countries. Generally, harvested fruits are used for fresh consumption or are processed (mainly to produce juices). In this chapter, the authors discuss the state of art on citrus postharvest with a scientific approach, evaluating the current knowledge about the physiology and pathology of citrus fruits and the main causes of deterioration. In addition, the authors explain the main facilities for the cold storage of citrus fruit with particular reference to the rapid-cooling techniques and treatments needed prior to shipment of citrus fruits (refer shipment). In the last part of the chapter, the non-destructive methods for the quality evaluation are presented

Reduction of post-harvest injuries caused by Drosophila suzukii in some cultivars of sweet cherries using a high carbon dioxide level and cold storage

9openInternationalItalian coauthor/editorEfficient strategies are required in sweet cherry fruits to control the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, due to its adverse economic effect on farmers. Cold storage (CS) and storage with elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) are environmentally safe approaches for the pest control of stored fresh fruit. These strategies are effective in controlling a wide variety of insect species, without allowing toxic compounds to accumulate. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a post-harvest application of CO2 treatment at 50%, cold treatment at 4 °C (CT), and a combination of both (CO2-CT) in controlling the early stages of SWD within four cultivars of freshly harvested cherry fruit, namely “Burlat-Bigarreau”, “Giorgia”, “Ferrovia”, and “Lapins”. In addition, an evaluation of the quality attributes of the cherries (skin firmness, berry firmness, strong soluble material, and titratable acidity) was carried out at harvest and after 10 and 20 days of storage. All treatments significantly reduced the rate of emergence of SWD when compared to the control (untreated cherry at 24 °C), and 100% SWD mortality was obtained in Burlat-Bigarreau (CO2-CT). In addition, over the entire storage time, the quality parameters were preserved in the samples stored at 4 °C and in the samples with combined treatments in comparison with the control.openMostafa, Manal; Ibn Amor, Abir; Admane, Naouel; Anfora, Gianfranco; Bubici, Giovanni; Verrastro, Vincenzo; Scarano, Luciano; El Moujabber, Maroun; Baser, NurayMostafa, M.; Ibn Amor, A.; Admane, N.; Anfora, G.; Bubici, G.; Verrastro, V.; Scarano, L.; El Moujabber, M.; Baser, N

On-line measure of donkey’s milk properties by near infrared spectrometry

The ranchers handle donkeys breeding in small livestock farms and there is a need to supply a suitable tool to assess milk characteristics. To this aim, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy was assessed through nine statistical methods: partial least squares, principal components, multivariate adaptive splines, regression trees using M5’ method, least squares support vector machine, artificial neural network, regression trees, ensemble regression trees and regularized least squares regression. These methods were implemented using a forward sequential feature selection algorithm; their predicting capability was validated with ten-fold cross validation; different types of spectra pre-processing methods were tested. The trials confirmed that NIR analysis is an efficient method for quantitative analysis of protein, lactose and dry matter content of donkey’s milk with a full-scale prediction error (FSPERR) of 3.0%, 4.4% and 4.5% respectively. Furthermore, a 16 NIR light emitting diodes (LED) device was investigated using simulation; in this case the prediction models of protein content showed the best FSPERR (3.1%), followed by those of dry matter content (7.0%) whereas those of the lactose content showed the worst (19.8%). These results could be used to design a low cost NIR LED device for the real-time control of donkey’s milk in breeding farms

Effect of ozone or carbon dioxide pre-treatment during long-term storage of organic table grapes with modified atmosphere packaging

The aim of this study was to maintain the quality of organic table grapes extending its shelf-life during long-term storage by using organic approved methods. The effectiveness of pre-treatments with different concentrations of O3 (5, 10, 20 µL L-1) or CO2 (50%, 70%) followed by storage under modified atmosphere packaging (2%O2-5%CO2) were evaluated on late-season organic Scarlotta table grapes as alternatives to the usual commercial SO2 application. The main quality attributes as mass loss, decay incidence, rachis chlorophyll content, antioxidant activity, phenolic compounds and acetaldehyde content, were measured at harvest and after 15, 30, 45 days of cold storage (0°C) under simulated shipping conditions and one week of shelf-life (15°C). The O3 at 20 µL L-1 controlled the concentration of acetaldehyde, preserved rachis chlorophyll content and skin colour; in addition, the cumulative decay incidence was reduced compared to untreated samples, however, CO2 caused organoleptic quality loss with strong stem browning and perceived off-flavours; moreover, it was effective to preserve the initial sensory quality and to control the decay. The results encourage the use of this alternative approach treatment in other cultivars and under commercial conditions

Biostimulant Formulations and Moringa oleifera Extracts to Improve Yield, Quality, and Storability of Hydroponic Lettuce

The urgent need to increase the sustainability of crop production has pushed the agricultural sector towards the use of biostimulants based on natural products. The current work aimed to determine whether the preharvest application of two commercial formulations, based on a Fabaceae enzymatic hydrolysate or a blend of nitrogen sources including fulvic acids, and two lab-made aqueous extracts from Moringa oleifera leaves (MLEs), could improve yield, quality, and storability of lettuce grown in a hydroponic system, as compared to an untreated control. Lettuce plants treated with the MLEs showed significantly improved quality parameters (leaf number, area, and color), total phenolic content and antioxidant activity, and resistance against the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, comparable to that obtained with commercial formulates, particularly those based on the protein hydrolysate. A difference between the M. oleifera extracts was observed, probably due to the different compositions. Although further large-scale trials are needed, the tested MLEs seem a promising safe and effective preharvest means to improve lettuce agronomic and quality parameters and decrease susceptibility to rots