Quality parameters and distribution of calcium in Idared apples under different fertilizer treatments

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcium fertilizer treatments on fruit quality and distribution of calcium in apple fruit (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Idared). Four treatments were tested: application of calcium nitrate through the fertigation system, foliar application of calcium nitrate, application of calcium oxide through soil, and control treatment (without calcium fertilizer). In the experiment, freshly picked apples harvested in Gorazde region (eastern Bosnia) in September 2018 were analyzed. The highest impact to increase calcium content in apple had a treatment where calcium nitrate was added through the fertigation system. It was the result of the balance between calcium and nitrogen in the applied solution as well as the fertigation capacity to timely deliver nutrition to the main rooting zone. Calcium distribution was not uniform within the fruit: the highest content was found in the apple core, decreasing in the apple flesh, and rising again in the apple skin, regardless of fertilizer treatment. There was no difference among calcium fertilizer treatments in total soluble solids and titratable acidity of apple, indicating that these treatments were insufficient in order to improve the examined parameters of fruit quality

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities(.)(1,2) This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity(3-6). Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55% of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017-and more than 80% in some low- and middle-income regions-was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing-and in some countries reversal-of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories.Peer reviewe

Influence of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on Fruit Cold Storage of 'Williams' Pear Variety

Cilj ovog rada bio je ispitati uticaj tretmana 1-metilciklopropenom (1-MCP) na čuvanje i promjenu kvaliteta plodova kruške sorte 'Vilijamovka'. Plodovi kruške tretirani su sa 1-MCP (SmartfreshTM; 0,14% MCP) koncentracije625 ppb tokom 24 sata, a zatimuskladišteni tokom dva mjeseca na temperaturi od 4°C i uslovima od 90% relativne vlage zraka (NA hladnjača). Neki parametri kvaliteta, kao što su čvrstoća mesa ploda, sadržaj ukupno rastvorljive suhe tvari, sadržaj titracijskih kiselina i boja pokožice ploda (određena kolorimetrijski) su mjereni prije postharvest treatmana 1-MCP-om, kao i nakon skladištenja u trajanju od 60 dana. Dobijeni rezultati su pokazali da je tretman 1-MCP bio učinkovit na stepen omekšavanja plodova, povećanje sadržaja ukupno rastvorljive suhe tvari i smanjenje sadržaja titracijskih kiselina u plodu. 1-MCP nije imao značajan uticaj na promjenu boje pokožice ploda. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata ovog istraživanja 1-MCP se može preporučiti kao potencijalno dobro sredstvo za odlaganje dozrijevanja i promjena u kvalitetu plodova kruške tokom 60 dana čuvanja u hladnjači.The objective of this research was to investigate the effect oftreatment with 1-MCP on storage and fruit quality changes of'Williams' pear cultivar. Pear fruits were treated with 1- MCP (SmartfreshTM; 0.14% MCP) with concentration of 625 ppb for 24 hours and were stored for two months at 4°C temperature and 85–90% relative humidity conditions (NA storage room). Some quality parameters such as fruit firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and fruit skin colour (alalyzed colorimetrically) were measured before postharvest treatment of 1-MCP and after storage period of 60 days. The obtained results indicated that 1- MCP treatment were effective on the rate of softening, increase of total soluble solids and decrease of titratable acids. 1-MCP did not influeced the change of fruit skin color. On the basis of obtained results in this study, 1-MCP could be recommended as a potential tool to delay ripening and enhance pear fruit quality during 60 days of cold storage