Post-mortem volatiles of vertebrate tissue

Volatile emission during vertebrate decay is a complex process that is understood incompletely. It depends on many factors. The main factor is the metabolism of the microbial species present inside and on the vertebrate. In this review, we combine the results from studies on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected during this decay process and those on the biochemical formation of VOCs in order to improve our understanding of the decay process. Micro-organisms are the main producers of VOCs, which are by- or end-products of microbial metabolism. Many microbes are already present inside and on a vertebrate, and these can initiate microbial decay. In addition, micro-organisms from the environment colonize the cadaver. The composition of microbial communities is complex, and communities of different species interact with each other in succession. In comparison to the complexity of the decay process, the resulting volatile pattern does show some consistency. Therefore, the possibility of an existence of a time-dependent core volatile pattern, which could be used for applications in areas such as forensics or food science, is discussed. Possible microbial interactions that might alter the process of decay are highlighted

Hair Trace Element and Electrolyte Content in Women with Natural and In Vitro Fertilization-Induced Pregnancy

The objective of the present study was to perform comparative analysis of hair trace element content in women with natural and in vitro fertilization (IVF)-induced pregnancy. Hair trace element content in 33 women with IVF-induced pregnancy and 99 age- and body mass index-matched control pregnant women (natural pregnancy) was assessed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated that IVF-pregnant women are characterized by significantly lower hair levels of Cu, Fe, Si, Zn, Ca, Mg, and Ba at p < 0.05 or lower. Comparison of the individual levels with the national reference values demonstrated higher incidence of Fe and Cu deficiency in IVF-pregnant women in comparison to that of the controls. IVF pregnancy was also associated with higher hair As levels (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant interrelation between IVF pregnancy and hair Cu, Fe, Si, and As content. Hair Cu levels were also influenced by vitamin/mineral supplementation and the number of pregnancies, whereas hair Zn content was dependent on prepregnancy anthropometric parameters. In turn, planning of pregnancy had a significant impact on Mg levels in scalp hair. Generally, the obtained data demonstrate an elevated risk of copper, iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium deficiency and arsenic overload in women with IVF-induced pregnancy. The obtained data indicate the necessity of regular monitoring of micronutrient status in IVF-pregnant women in order to prevent potential deleterious effects of altered mineral homeostasis

Chemical and physical characteristics of four strawberry cultivar

Fruit pomological characteristics of different strawberry varieties grown in Adana province, Mediterranean region of Turkey were evaluated in this study. Camarosa, sweet charlie, California giant 4 and carmine cultivars were characterized. The varieties were compared for berry weight, total soluble solids, fruit acidity, total soluble solids/fruit acidity, pH, vitamin C, colour, individual sugars. The highest fruit weight average was obtained from camarosa and California giant 4 whereas they had the lowest total soluble solids. Vitamin C amount was higher in camarosa, sweet charlie and California giant 4 than carmine. Individual sugar contents of 4 varieties were very similar. All strawberry varieties that were analyzed for chemical and physical fruit characteristics had satisfactory results. Therefore, these cultivars can be grown in Adana province commercially

Quality evaluation of Maria Aurelia nectarine variety during short-term storage

Advanced maturity of nectarines cv. Maria Aurelia were harvested and sealed in modified atmosphere packaging (MA) bags and stored for 10 days. Quality was evaluated initially and after storage period plus 5 day shelf life. According to the results MA packaging reduced the weight losses. Other quality parameters; total soluble solid concentration, fruit juice acidity, color and individual sugar levels; were almost similar with control. Depending on overall quality evaluation MA packaging can be useful for short-term storage for reducing the weight losses and maintain the other studied parameters for 10 day storage of Maria Aurelia nectarin variety

Influence of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on 'Fuji' apple quality during long-term storage

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of 1-MCP on quality of 'Fuji' apples during long-term storage. 'Fuji' apples were harvested at commercial mature stage, treated with 325 and 650 nl l-1 of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at 20oC for 24 h and quality parameters were checked monthly, in comparison with control fruits during eight months of cold storage at 0oC and 85-90% RH. Both 1-MCP doses suppressed internal ethylene concentration, reduced weight loss, delayed softening and maintained the acidity and total soluble solids compared to the control during eight months of storage. Results showed that both doses can be used to suppress ethylene and maintain quality during storage. However, 650 nl l-1 may be more efficient under commercial conditions

Chemical and physical determination of gibberellic acid effects on postharvest quality of sweet cherry

The effect of preharvest gibberellic acid treatments with the dose of 10, 20 and 30 ppm on Aksehir Napolyon sweet cherry were compared with control during 4 weeks storage. The most important problem of sweet cherry is decolouration of stem after storage. Different preharvest treatments can be effective to stop or slow down decolouration. In this research fruit firmness, titrable acidity, total soluble solids, stem colour (1-3 scale), weight losses and fruit decay were evaluated depend on different concentrations of gibberellic acid. The application of gibberellic acid decreased the loss of fruit firmness, delayed stem decolouration and maintained the brightness during storage compared with control and the other application rates

Effects of hot water treatments on storage of 'Robinson' mandarins

The storage performance of 'Robinson' mandarin following different hot water treatments (HWT) was studied. Fruits were sorted after harvest and subjected to four treatments; 1-Control, 2-48°C HWT, 3-50°C HWT and 4-52°C HWT (all the HWT dips are for 1 min). Fruit were stored for three months at 6°C, >90% RH. Results showed that the 48°C hot water dip had the highest visual and quality scores at the end of the storage period. It can be concluded that three months storage of the 'Robinson' variety can be done successfully

Response of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatments on some quality parameters of plum during storage

The effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on quality parameters such as weight loss, firmness, color, titratable acidity, soluble solids, individual sugars and respiration rate of 'Black Diamond' plums during storage that were harvested at commercial ripening stage were determined. Plums were pre-cooled for six hours and treated with doses of 0.5 and 1 µL L-1 1-MCP at the same date of harvest. Fruits maintained at the same conditions without any treatment were used as control. Fruits were stored for 30 days at 0°C and 90% RH, and quality evaluations were performed at 15 and 30 days of storage plus five days of shelf life. Both 1-MCP doses were effective on reducing the weight loss and maintaining the firmness during storage and five days of shelf life. The other quality parameters, titratable acidity, color, total soluble solids, individual sugars and respiration rate were similar to control fruits. According to the results, it can be concluded that both 1-MCP doses can be used to maintain the quality parameters of 'Black Diamond' plums harvested at commercial ripening stage during one month storage plus five days of shelf life

1-Methylcyclopropene application for controlling nectarine fruit quality during storage

Nectarines are among the climacteric fruits that have limited storage time after harvest. The most important problems of nectarines are flesh softening and chilling injury during storage. 1-Methylcycloprope (1-MCP), an ethylene inhibitor, is one of the unique compounds used for climacteric fruits to maintain the quality. In the current study, 'Spring Bright' nectarines were picked at commercial stage and treated with 0 (Control), 0.5, and 1 µl L -1 doses and stored at 0°C, 90% RH for 20 days. Weight loss (WL: %), titratable acidity (TA: %), total soluble solids (TSS: %), color (H°), and flesh firmness (kg) were determined. The weight loss increased during storage whereas the titratable acidity and firmness decreased. The other quality parameters had a slight difference which is not important practically