Influence of preservation by heat and cold on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics, bioactive compounds of pulp from sapota-do-Solimões (Quararibea cordata)

El objetivo fue evaluar la influencia de la preservación por calor y frío sobre las características físico-químicas y microbiológicas y los compuestos bioactivos de la pulpa de sapota-do-Solimões (Quararibea cordata) durante 180 días de almacenamiento. Los frutos fueron despulpados y sometidos a los tratamientos: congelación; pasteurización + congelación; refrigeración; y pasteurización + refrigeración. Los tratamientos afectaron los parámetros fisicoquímicos durante el almacenamiento. Destacan la reducción de la actividad de agua, la reducción del pH en las pulpas almacenadas bajo refrigeración y el aclaramiento en color de las pulpas. El ácido ascórbico se mantuvo estable durante la congelación y los niveles de carotenoides totales se mantuvieron en la pasteurización + congelación. Los fenoles totales permanecieron estables hasta 150 días y la actividad antioxidante disminuyó durante el almacenamiento para todos los tratamientos. Los coliformes fueron menores que 1 log CFU.g‒1 y Salmonella ssp. estuvo ausente. El tratamiento de pasteurización + congelación, así como el tratamiento de congelación, mantuvieron la calidad de la pulpa durante 180 días de almacenamiento.The aim was to evaluate the influence of preservation by heat and cold on the physicochemical and microbiological characteristics and bioactive compounds of pulp from sapota-do-Solimões (Quararibea cordata) for 180 days of storage. The pulps were submitted to the following treatments: freezing; pasteurization + freezing; refrigeration; and pasteurization + refrigeration. The treatments affected the physicochemical parameters during storage. Of particular note was the reduction in water activity, the reduction in pH in the pulps stored under refrigeration, and the lightening in color of the pulps. Ascorbic acid remained stable during freezing, and the levels of total carotenoids were maintained in the pasteurization + freezing treatment. The total phenolics remained stable up to 150 days, and the antioxidant activity decreased during storage for all the treatments. The coliforms were less than 1 log CFU.g−1 and Salmonella ssp. was absent. The pasteurization + freezing treatment, as well as the freezing treatment, maintained the quality of the pulp for 180 days of storage

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora