Optimization of harvest date according to the volatile composition of Mediterranean aromatic herbs at different vegetative stages

Most of the studies concerning the optimal harvest date of aromatic herbs have dealt with different parts of plant such as flowers, leaves, stems, roots and seeds, but none have evaluated the effect of different harvest date at different vegetative stages on shoots (leaves and stems). Therefore, the main objective was to investigate the effects of harvest date of two consecutive seasons on the volatile composition of shoots of 4 aromatic herbs (dill, parsley, coriander and mint) widely cultivated worldwide. The impact of harvest date during the evolution of vegetative part of four aromatic herbs (parsley, dill, coriander and mint) was investigated. Volatile compounds of shoots of the four herbs were identified by GC–MS. The main compounds were 1,3,8-p-menthatriene, betaphellandrene, myristicin and myrcene for parsley, alpha-phellandrene, dillether and beta-phellandrene for dill, decanal, E-2-dodecenal, 1-decanol and dodecanal for coriander, and carvone and limonene in case of mint. There was a significant effect of harvest date on the content of volatile compounds of the four species. The results showed that highest total concentration of volatiles and therefore the optimal harvest date of parsley was found 9 weeks after planting date with a total concentration of 2543 mg kg−1, for dill was 2619 mg kg−1 14 weeks after planting date, for coriander was 2191 mg kg−1 3 weeks after planting date, and 23329 mg kg−1 for mint 6 weeks after planting dat

Quality Parameters, Volatile Composition, and Sensory Profiles of Highly Endangered Spanish Citrus Fruits

There is very little information available on the chemical composition and the quality attributes of the citrus species studied which are truly endangered in Spain. None of the fruits studied is available for commercial purposes, which is the main interest and novelty of this study. The aim of this work was to fully describe the morphology, volatile composition, and sensory profile of traditional citrus fruits: sour lime (SoLi), sweet lime (SwLi), and sweet lemon (SwLe), to have the information to convince farmers and growers to cultivate these fruits again. The predominant sugar was fructose while citric acid prevails in SoLi and SwLe. Regarding volatiles compounds, monoterpenes, monoterpenoids, and esters predominated in the juices, and these three families plus sesquiterpenes in the peels. The juice of SoLi presented the highest content of esters (14.8%), SwLi juice presented similar values of both monoterpenes and monoterpenoids (46.1 and 46.0%, resp.), and SwLe juice had the highest content of monoterpenes (72.2%). The results demonstrated the high potential of these citrus materials for the agrofood industry. Therefore, it will be possible to recover these vegetal materials at risk of disappearing for potential uses by the food industry and simultaneously help maintaining the biodiversity

Valorization of Prickly Pear [<em>Opuntia ficus-indica</em> (L.) Mill]: Nutritional Composition, Functional Properties and Economic Aspects

Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill, usually named prickly pear or nopal cactus, is the Cactaceae plant with the greatest economic relevance in the world. It is a tropical or subtropical plant, native to tropical and subtropical America, which can grow in arid and semiarid climates. Prickly pear is mainly known by its fruits, popularly named “tunas” or “figs,” but their cladodes are also consumed, principally in Mexico, which is the country with the largest cultivated area and the largest producer. There is ample evidence of the health benefits of prickly pear: it shows high antioxidant activity, it is a source of nutrients and vitamins and it presents medicinal uses, among others. Furthermore, prickly pear presents other uses, including cosmetics, biofuel production, animal nutrition and soil phytoremediation

Can Sustained Deficit Irrigation Save Water and Meet the Quality Characteristics of Mango?

Mango is one of the most cultivated tropical fruits worldwide and one of few drought-tolerant plants. Thus, in this study the effect of a sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) strategy on mango yield and quality was assessed with the aim of reducing irrigation water in mango crop. A randomized block design with four treatments was developed: (i) full irrigation (FI), assuring the crop’s water needs, and three levels of SDI receiving 75%, 50%, and 33% of irrigation water (SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33). Yield, morphology, color, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), organic acids (OA), sugars, minerals, fiber, antioxidant activity (AA), and total phenolic content (TPC) were analyzed. The yield was reduced in SDI conditions (8%, 11%, and 20% for SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33, respectively), but the irrigation water productivity was higher in all SDI regimes. SDI significantly reduced the mango size, with SDI33 generating the smallest mangoes. Peel color significantly changed after 13 days of ripening, with SDI75 being the least ripe. The TA, AA, and citric acid were higher in SDI75, while the TPC and fiber increased in all SDI levels. Consequently, SDI reduced the mango size but increased the functionality of samples, without a severe detrimental effect on the yield

Saving irrigation water as a tool to increase pomegranate fruit price and enhance the bioactive compound content

The non-climateric character of pomegranate (P. granatum) fruit underlines the importance of determining the optimum harvest time to improve fruit quality. The effect of irrigation withholding during 6, 15, 25 and 36 d before harvest was evaluated in order to clarify whether fruit ripening is critical or non-critical from the yield, fruit characteristics and composition point of view. The results indicated that this phenological period is critical because irrigation is essential during most of this phenological period to achieve maximum yield. However, a 6 d of irrigation restriction at the end of ripening period can be used as a tool to come early harvest time, saves irrigation water, enhances the bioactive compounds (anthocyanins, phenolic compounds, punicalagin and ellagic acid) and increases the price of the fruit without affecting marketable yield and fruit size

Global sourcing of low-inorganic arsenic rice grain

Arsenic in rice grain is dominated by two species: the carcinogen inorganic arsenic (the sum of arsenate and arsenite) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA). Rice is the dominant source of inorganic arsenic into the human diet. As such, there is a need to identify sources of low-inorganic arsenic rice globally. Here we surveyed polished (white) rice across representative regions of rice production globally for arsenic speciation. In total 1180 samples were analysed from 29 distinct sampling zones, across 6 continents. For inorganic arsenic the global x ~ x~ was 66 μg/kg, and for DMA this figure was 21 μg/kg. DMA was more variable, ranging from < 2 to 690 μg/kg, while inorganic arsenic ranged from < 2 to 399 μg/kg. It was found that inorganic arsenic dominated when grain sum of species was < 100 μg/kg, with DMA dominating at higher concentrations. There was considerable regional variance in grain arsenic speciation, particularly in DMA where temperate production regions had higher concentrations. Inorganic arsenic concentrations were relatively consistent across temperate, subtropical and northern hemisphere tropical regions. It was only in southern hemisphere tropical regions, in the eastern hemisphere that low-grain inorganic arsenic is found, namely East Africa (x ~ x~  < 10 μg/kg) and the Southern Indonesian islands (x ~ x~  < 20 μg/kg). Southern hemisphere South American rice was universally high in inorganic arsenic, the reason for which needs further exploration

Rice grain cadmium concentrations in the global supply-chain

One of cadmium’s major exposure routes to humans is through rice consumption. The concentrations of cadmium in the global polished (white), market rice supply-chain were assessed in 2270 samples, purchased from retailers across 32 countries, encompassing 6 continents. It was found on a global basis that East Africa had the lowest cadmium with a median for both Malawi and Tanzania at 4.9 μg/kg, an order of magnitude lower than the highest country, China with a median at 69.3 μg/kg. The Americas were typically low in cadmium, but the Indian sub-continent was universally elevated. In particular certain regions of Bangladesh had high cadmium, that when combined with the high daily consumption rate of rice of that country, leads to high cadmium exposures. Concentrations of cadmium were compared to the European Standard for polished rice of 200 μg/kg and 5% of the global supply-chain exceeded this threshold. For the stricter standard of 40 μg/kg for processed infant foods, for which rice can comprise up to 100% by composition (such as rice porridges, puffed rice cereal and cakes), 25% of rice would not be suitable for making pure rice baby foods. Given that rice is also elevated in inorganic arsenic, the only region of the world where both inorganic arsenic and cadmium were low in grain was East Africa

Flavor and Aroma Analysis as a Tool for Quality Control of Foods

The aroma composition of foods has been the subject of considerable research in recent years [...

Flavor and Aroma Analysis as a Tool for Quality Control of Foods

The aroma composition of foods has been the subject of considerable research in recent years [...

BIOACTIVITY OF Lantana camara L. ESSENTIAL OIL AGAINST Callosobruchus maculatus (FABRICIUS)

Lantana camara L. is a widespread plant species mostly native to subtropical and tropical regions of the world. In this study, insecticidal and repellent activities of L.camara essential oil were evaluated against C Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius) (Col: Bruchidae). Analysis of chemical composition by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) showed high amounts of sesquiterpenes, mainly a-humelene (23.3%) and cis-caryophyllene (16.2%). The results showed that the essential oil of L.camara has strong repellent activity against adults of C. maculatus at all tested concentrations. After 2 and 4 h, 97.4 and 100% repellency was seen at highest concentrations of 0.4 μL cm-2, respectively. Moreover, the oil was found to be toxic to adults when applied by fumigation. Responses varied with the gender of insect and exposure time. The LC50 values were 282.7 and 187.9 μL L-1 for females and males, respectively. An increase in the exposure time from 3 to 24 h caused increasing in mortality from 23.6 to 100% in males and from 14.1 to 97.1% in females, at highest concentration (1160 μL L-1). According to these results, L.camara essential oil may be useful as an alternative for bean protection against C. maculatus