Antifungal Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC)-Lipid Composite Edible Coatings and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) to Reduce Postharvest Decay and Improve Storability of ‘Mollar De Elche’ Pomegranates

Pomegranate exhibits important postharvest quality losses that limit its storage potential, caused mainly by weight loss, chilling injury and fungal diseases. In this work, we evaluated the effect of novel hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) edible coatings (ECs) formulated with three different lipids (beeswax (BW), carnauba wax, and glycerol monostearate), as hydrophobic components, and two different GRAS salts (potassium bicarbonate (PBC) and sodium benzoate (SB)), as antifungal ingredients, to control weight loss and natural fungal decay of ‘Mollar de Elche’ pomegranates during storage at 20 °C. Afterwards, selected antifungal ECs and commercial modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) films were assayed alone or in combination to control natural decay and preserve fruit quality of pomegranates stored at 5 °C for 4 months plus 1 week at 20 °C. Results showed that ECs amended with SB reduced pomegranate latent infections caused by Botrytis cinerea and wound diseases caused by Penicillium spp. Moreover, MAP technologies were confirmed as an efficient mean to preserve freshness, prevent fruit shriveling and rind browning, and reduce fungal decay, thus extending storage life of pomegranates. The combination HPMC-BW-SB + MAP was the most promising treatment as it reduced weight loss and decay, without negatively affecting the fruit physicochemical and sensory quality

Mejoras operativas en la valoración genética del ganado caprino lechero de raza murciano-granadina

Se compararon diferentes modelos para la evaluación de cabras lecheras para su uso en un programa de mejora genética establecido entre la Asociación de Ganaderos de Caprino de Raza Murciano-Granadina de la Comunidad Valenciana y el Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Animal del Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias. Se compararon en primer lugar dos modelos mixtos con diferente estructura de covarianzas. También se realizaron comparaciones entre modelos que incluyeron otros efectos sistemáticos: edad de la hembra en el momento del parto y días desde el parto hasta el primer control de la lactación. Se consideraron los caracteres estandarizados producción de leche y porcentajes de grasa y proteína. Las comparaciones se realizaron considerando criterios estadísticos de información. Los resultados indican que el modelo de repetibilidad es el más adecuado al tener en cuenta las covarianzas entre medidas de una cabra. La inclusión del efecto edad de la hembra al parto sólo fue ventajosa para el carácter producción de leche. La consideración del efecto tiempo desde el parto al primer control lechero fue positiva para los caracteres de producción de leche y de porcentaje de proteína. Ninguno de los efectos incluidos mejoró el modelo actualmente utilizado para porcentaje de grasa

Antifungal edible coatings to control Alternaria black spot and maintain the quality of 'Rojo Brillante' persimmon during cold storage

Spain is the second persimmon producing and main exporting country in the world, and ‘Rojo Brillante’ is the most important cultivar. Nowadays, the main interest of the Spanish persimmon industry is to extend the marketing period to reach off-season markets and technologies such as 1-methylcyclopropene in combination with cold storage are being used to reduce chilling injury and maintain fruit firmness. However, ‘Rojo Brillante’ persimmon is quite susceptible to postharvest Alternaria black spot, caused by Alternaria alternata

Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose-Based Edible Coatings Formulated with Antifungal Food Additives to Reduce Alternaria Black Spot and Maintain Postharvest Quality of Cold-Stored ‘Rojo Brillante’ Persimmons

Composite edible coatings based on hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), as a polymeric phase, and oleic acid (OA) or beeswax (BW), as a hydrophobic phase, were formulated with different food additives as antifungal ingredients. HPMC–OA coatings containing 2% (w/v) sodium benzoate (SB), 1% ammonium carbonate (AC), 1% potassium carbonate (PC), 1% potassium bicarbonate (PBC), 1% sodium bicarbonate (SBC), 1% potassium silicate (PSi), 0.1% sodium methyl paraben (SMP) or 0.1% sodium ethyl paraben (SEP), and HPMC–BW coatings containing 2% sodium propionate (SP), 2% PBC, 2% SB or 0.1% SEP were evaluated for the control of Alternaria black spot (ABS) on Diospyros kaki Thunb. ’Rojo Brillante’ persimmons artificially inoculated with Alternaria alternata. After 14 days of incubation at 20 °C, HPMC–OA coatings formulated with PBC, PC or SEP were the most effective to reduce ABS incidence (61, 54, and 36% reduction, respectively, concerning uncoated control fruit) and severity (28, 12 and 22% reduction, respectively), while only HPMC–BW coatings formulated with SEP significantly reduced ABS incidence (50% reduction) and severity (36% reduction). HPMC–OA and HPMC–BW coatings containing 2% PBC or 0.1% SEP were selected to evaluate their effect on the weight loss, firmness and respiration rate of healthy ‘Rojo Brillante’ persimmons cold-stored at 1 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH) for 15 and 30 days, followed by 7 days of shelf life at 20 °C. HPMC–BW coatings were more effective in reducing fruit weight and firmness losses than HPMC–OA coatings, while all antifungal coatings significantly reduced fruit respiration. Overall, the HPMC–BW edible coating that contains SEP could be a promising postharvest treatment to control ABS and maintain the quality of cold-stored ‘Rojo Brillante’ persimmons

Genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of sixteen Mediterranean chicken breeds assessed with microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA

The genetic diversities and relationships among 16 local breeds of chicken originating from five countries (Italy, Spain, Serbia, Albania and Republic of Malta) within the Mediterranean basin were assessed by sequencing part of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop region and by genotyping individuals at 27 autosomal microsatellite loci. The aim was to study the microevolution of chicken on the northern shores of the Mediterranean and to determine their present genetic status. A 506 bp fragment of the mtDNA control region was sequenced in 160 individual DNA samples. The mtDNA sequence polymorphisms nomenclature that is normally used in these studies suggests that the Mediterranean chicken breeds under investigation are related to haplogroup E. A total of 465 blood samples were collected and utilised for microsatellite analysis. Six breeds (Ancona, Livornese Bianca-Italy; Pita Pinta Asturiana, Gallina de Sobrarbe-Spain; Albanian population-Albania; and the Maltese Black Malta) showed significant high levels of inbreeding. About 22% of the total genetic variation observed was due to variability between populations. STRUCTURE analysis confirmed the breed variability result (F-ST=0.22) also observed in the Neighbor-Net dendrogram. These results strongly allude that the 16 Mediterranean chicken breeds studied originated from three distinct maternal lineages and retain moderate levels of autosomal genetic diversity. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved