Drying kinetics and selected physico - chemical properties of fresh cranberries preserved with microwave – vacuum process

[EN] A one stage drying process for dried cranberry production, employing a vacuum microwave technique, is proposed. The process consists of a specific sequence of microwave energy dosage at a given vacuum level. During the 60 minute process, three sub-stages can be identified: osmotic dehydration, intensive water evaporation and stabilization. Mass transfer, as well as quality changes during the process, has been described, and the final product quality compared to purchased control. The proposed method of dried cranberry production resulted in a microbiologically stable product (aw=0.62) of a decent sensory quality, with an antioxidant potential three times higher than traditional products.This work was performed in the frame of the multiannual programme (IO 2015-2020, PW 1.4.), financed by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.Piecko, J.; Konopacka, D.; Mieszczakowska-Frąc, M.; Kruczyńska, D.; Celejewska, K. (2018). Drying kinetics and selected physico - chemical properties of fresh cranberries preserved with microwave – vacuum process. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1927-1934. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.8365OCS1927193

Multiomic studies to improve fruit quality of berry fruits

In this study we are going to use different omic-techniques to analyze fruits of three species of berries such as strawberry, raspberry and black currant. Berry fruit are well appreciated for their delicate flavor and nutraceutical properties, with consumer demand increasing over the last years. Furthermore, climate change and market globalization have made necessary to improve the production while maintaining fruit quality traits. Goodberry project is developping analytical platforms, covering from transcriptomic to metabolites and volatile compounds analysis, to find new factors controlling plant adaptation, fruit production and quality. In this study we implement the metabolomic analysis of strawberry, raspberry and black currant fruits from the 2017 harvest, as well as 2018 harvest during this year. To analyze and compare the data we use multiomic tools and bioinformatics to extract properly conclusion The analyses take different berry cultivars, adapted to diverse environments, were grown in 2017 and 2018 in different latitudes (Germany, France, Norway, Italy, Poland and Scotland). The data comes from a combination of gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS) and headspace solid phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) coupled with GC-MS was used to semi-quantify fruit primary metabolome and volatilome. Around 50 key primary metabolites, including sugars and acids, which are fundamental factors influencing fruit taste and 75 volatiles, responsible of the aroma, were identified across the different genotypes and climates. Multivariate statistical approaches allow us to point out the genetic and environmental factors underlying complex metabolic traits involved in fruit quality. Preliminary analysis showed that both climate and genetic factors influence primary metabolite and volatile content, even if the environment seems to have a stronger impact on the first one.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Application of multiomic technologies to study the environmental impact on berry fruit quality

Berries, such as strawberry, raspberry and black currant, are well appreciated for their delicate flavor and nutraceutical properties, with consumer demand increasing over the last years. However, climate change and market globalization have made necessary to improve the production while maintaining fruit quality traits. Among the EU GoodBerry project’s objetive are develop state-of-the-art analytical platforms, covering from transcriptomic to metabolites and volatile compounds analysis, to find new factors controlling plant adaptation, fruit production and quality and use the data to face climate changes. Here we present the metabolomic analysis of strawberry, raspberry and black currant fruits from the 2017 harvest. Different berry cultivars, adapted to diverse environments, were grown in 2017 and 2018 in different latitudes (Germany, France, Norway, Italy and Poland) combination of spectrometry techniques was used to semi-quantify fruit primary metabolome and volatilome. Around 50 key primary metabolites, including sugars and acids, which are fundamental factors influencing fruit taste and 75 volatiles, responsible of the aroma, were identified across the different genotypes and climates. Multivariate statistical approaches allow us to point out the genetic and environmental factors underlying complex metabolic traits involved in fruit quality.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A clinical profile and factors associated with severity of the disease among Polish patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 — an observational study

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one of the greatest clinical challenges of the last decades. Clinical factors associated with severity of the disease remain unclear. The aim of the study was to characterize Polish patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 and to evaluate potential prognostic factors of severe course of the disease.Material and methods: An observational study was conducted from March to July 2020 in the Pulmonology and Allergology Department of the University Hospital in Kraków, Poland. Consecutive patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) infection were enrolled, and data about past medical history, signs and symptoms, laboratory results, imaging studies results, in-hospital management and outcomes was prospectively gathered.Results: The study sample comprised 100 patients at the mean age of 59.2 (SD 16.1) years among whom 63 (63.0%) were male. Among them 10 (10.0%) died, 47 (47%) presented respiratory failure, 15 (15.0%) were transferred to the intensive care unit, 17 (17.0%) developed acute kidney injury, 7 (7.0%) had sepsis and 10 (10.0%) were diagnosed with pulmonary embolism. Multivariable analysis revealed age (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.01–1.15), body mass index (BMI; OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.01–1.53), modified early warning score (MEWS; OR 3.95; 95% CI 1.48–12), the highest d-dimer value (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.03–2.9) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; OR 1.16; 95% CI 1.03–1.3) to be associated with severe course of COVID-19.Conclusion: This observational study showed that almost half of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 developed respiratory failure in the course of the disease. Increasing age, BMI, MEWS, d-dimer value and LDH concentration were associated with the severity of COVID-19

How does climate change impact berry fruit quality?

Berry fruits consumption has increased dramatically over the last decade due to its remarkable flavor and well-known health benefits. The demand for high-quality berry fruits and sustainable production methods is increasing globally, challenging breeders to develop modern berry cultivars that fulfill all desired characteristics. Nowadays, to improve fruits sensorial and nutritive characteristics as well as enhanced fruit quality traits and climate change adaptation are the main objectives of breeding programs. Our aim is the identification of metabolic biomarkers associated with climate change, involved in fruit quality by using metabolomic tools. In addition, multivariate statistical analyses were applied to outline the genetic and environmental factors controlling the accumulation of quality-related metabolites, both for the organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of this highly appreciated fruit. To better understand how environment influence fruit metabolome, we study the metabolomic profiles of mature fruit from four raspberry and black currant commercial cultivars grown in different European locations (Germany, Poland, Norway and Scotland). Our result suggests that environment has a strong impact on primary metabolites and volatiles, such us increase in β-ionone due to high radiation in raspberry fruit or vitamin C accumulation according to differences between day and night temperatures in black currant fruits. Besides, both cultivars appear to be better adapted to North Europe growing conditions, for example they favor the accumulation of SSC and organic acids. Further, we corroborate the impact of environmental factors have on fruit flavor and nutritional value and how metabolomic approaches are suitable for assessing fruit quality.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Impact of Innovative Technologies on the Content of Vitamin C and Its Bioavailability from Processed Fruit and Vegetable Products

Nowadays, thermal treatments are used for extending the shelf-life of vegetable and fruit products by inactivating microorganisms and enzymes. On the other hand, heat treatments often induce undesirable changes in the quality of the final product, e.g., losses of nutrients, color alterations, changes in flavor, and smell. Therefore, the food industry is opening up to new technologies that are less aggressive than thermal treatment to avoid the negative effects of thermal pasteurization. Non-thermal processing technologies have been developed during the last decades as an alternative to thermal food preservation. Processing changes the structure of fruit and vegetables, and hence the bioavailability of the nutrients contained in them. In this review, special attention has been devoted to the effects of modern technologies of fruit and vegetable processing, such as minimal processing (MPFV), high-pressure processing (HPP), high-pressure homogenization (HPH), ultrasounds (US), pulsed electric fields (PEF), on the stability and bioavailability of vitamin C

The Effect of Hybrid Drying (Convective-Microwave-Ultrasound) on the Bioactive Properties of Osmo-Treated Sour Cherries

The aim of the study was to assess the usefulness of hybrid drying methods (convective-microwave and convective-microwave-ultrasound) for sour cherry fruit preservation compared to convective drying. As the raw material, three sour cherry cultivars varying in quality characteristics (‘Łutówka’, ‘Debreceni Bötermo’, ‘Nefris’) were used. Before drying, fruits were subjected to osmotic treatment. Three different drying methods were examined: 1) convective (C), 2) hybrid with microwaves (C-MV) and 3) hybrid with microwaves and ultrasound (C-MV-US). As the quality indicators of the investigated processes, the changes in chemical composition, including alterations in the main groups of bioactive components, as well as in the antioxidant potential were monitored at each production stage. It was found that, when compared to convective drying, the use of the hybrid techniques allowed the drying time to be reduced from 9 to just 3 hours. Furthermore, employing hybrid drying eliminated the problems associated with the dehydration barrier observed during convective drying of the cultivar ‘Debreceni Bötermo’. Regrettably, although the ultrasound used as the additional source of energy in the hybrid method slightly improved water evaporation, in general no significant effect on the retention of phenolic compounds was found. Irrespectively of the drying method, the effect of the cultivar proved to be crucial to the quality of the final product. Under the same processing conditions, ‘Nefris’ turned out to be the most promising cultivar for producing ready-to-eat fruit snacks of high nutritional value

Influence of Post-Flowering Climate Conditions on Anthocyanin Profile of Strawberry Cultivars Grown from North to South Europe

The effect of cultivar and environmental variations and their interaction on anthocyanin components of strawberry were assessed for six cultivars grown in five locations from North to South of Europe in two different years. To evaluate the impact of latitude- and altitude-related factors, daily mean (Tmean), maximum (Tmax) and minimum (Tmin) temperature and global radiation accumulated for 3, 5, 10 and 15 days before fruit sampling, was analyzed. In general, fruits grown in the south were more enriched in total anthocyanin and pelargonidin-3-glucoside (pel-3-glc), the most abundant anthocyanin in strawberry. Principal component analysis (PCA) provided a separation of the growing locations within a cultivar due to latitudinal climatic differences, temporary weather changes before fruit collection and cultivation technique. PCA also depicted different patterns for anthocyanin distribution indicating a cultivar specific reaction on the environmental factors. The linear regression analysis showed that pel-3-glc was relatively less affected by these factors, while the minor anthocyanins cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-(6-O-malonyl)-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-rutinoside and pelargonidin-3-(6-O-malonoyl)-glucoside were sensitive to Tmax. The global radiation strongly increased cya-3-mal-glc in ‘Frida’ and pel-3-rut in ‘Frida’ and ‘Florence’. ‘Candonga’ accumulated less pel-3-glc and total anthocyanin with increased global radiation. The anthocyanin profiles of ‘Gariguette’ and ‘Clery’ were unaffected by environmental conditions.publishedVersio