Land Cadastre in Italy for Sustainable Development: Application to Two Parcels of Land in a Geopark in the Process of Being Defined in Corleone (PA-Italy)

Geoparks, like all parks, are UNESCO awards for a sustainable management of all resources and therefore also of human life. Environmental emergencies such as climate change, pollution, soil erosion, salinisation, and fires that, together with health emergencies, undermine life on earth, require intervention. The widespread sustainable management of the territory of a municipality, a region, a nation, or all of them (European Union) allows to widen the application of these concepts to reach the limit of a planet that guarantees life for future generations. The work after having exposed the motivations of the geopark (an initiative born by chance), i.e. the surface where the environmental beauties such as the Canyon of the Corleone River, the Waterfall of the Two Fortresses, the vertical walls with many layers from green (glauconite) to greenish yellow, two huge blocks of limestone called Castles (distinct in Soprano and Sottano) together with tabular structures give rise to a unique landscape that characterizes the city of Corleone and its adjacent territory. The application of the principles of the Land Cadastre of the extra-urban Soil to two plots has made it possible to highlight the ease with which sustainability can be assessed and also the need to intervene in one plot,giving indications of grazing management to limit or stop the erosion in progress. The water resources of Corleone come from this formation, but also the cheeses that together with durum wheat, oil and wine from other territories create a rich area that has allowed the population in past centuries to pay tyrants to regain their freedom. Today, by networking the structures for the reception of visitors, it is possible to create development and enhance the local production. This is why Corleone can be defined as the City of bread, wine, oil, water and breathtaking views and sunsets, the “The city of clean living”

Effects of Tray-Drying on the Physicochemical, Microbiological, Proximate, and Sensory Properties of White- and Red-Fleshed Loquat (Eriobotrya Japonica Lindl.) Fruit

Loquat fruits, highly valued by consumers for their characteristic aroma and pleasant taste, have a short post-harvest life and are susceptible to mechanical damage, loss of firmness, and initial organoleptic characteristics. The aim of this work was to develop a drying method suitable for storing loquat fruits in polyamide/polyethylene (PA/PE) bags containing two gaseous mixtures (treatments): MAPN2 (100% N2) and MAPP (21% O2 and 0.04% CO2), at room temperature for at least 2 months. The effects of these conditions on the physico-chemical, microbiological, proximate, and sensory properties of fruit stored over a 50-day time interval were studied. The results showed that convective tray dehydration treatment at 70 for 12 h had good drying efficiency for loquat slices. In addition, the MAPN2 packaging limited the browning of the slices, keeping the microbial groups below the detection limits, with a clear positive effect on some minerals and vitamins, which were higher in concentration compared to the MAPP-packed samples. From an applicative point of view, the tray drying method for loquat fruits is useful on a small scale but could also be easily industrialized

Maiorca wheat malt: A comprehensive analysis of physicochemical properties, volatile compounds, and sensory evaluation in brewing process and final product quality

This study explores the potential of Maiorca wheat malt as an alternative ingredient in beer production, investigating its impact on the brewing process and beer quality at different recipe contents (50 %, 75 %, 100 %). The study encompasses a comprehensive analysis of key malt parameters, revealing Maiorca malt's positive influence on maltose, glucose, filterability, extract, free amino nitrogen, and fermentability. Notably, the malt exhibited heightened levels of α-amylase and β-amylase enzymes compared to conventional commercial malt. Furthermore, the analysis of aroma compounds and subsequent sensory evaluations unveiled a significant correlation between the proportion of Maiorca malt in the formulation and intensified estery, fruity, malty, honey, complemented by a reduction in attributes such as aromatic compounds, phenolic, yeasty, sulfury, oxidized, and solvent-like odors. This research underscores the favorable contribution of Maiorca wheat malt to enhancing both the brewing process and final beer quality, highlighting its potential as an innovative ingredient in brewing practices

A Case Study for the Design and Implementation of Immersive Experiences in support of Sicilian Cultural Heritage

Virtual Reality (VR) is a robust tool for sponsoring Cultural Heritage sites. It enables immersive experiences in which the user can enjoy the cultural assets virtually, behaving as he/she would do in the real world. Covid-19 pandemic has shed light on the importance of using VR in cultural heritage, showing advantages for the users that can visit the site safely through specific devices. In this work, we present the processes that lead to the creation of an immersive app that makes explorable a famous cultural asset in Sicily, the church of SS. Crocifisso al Calvario. The application creation process will be described in each of its parts, beginning from the digital acquisition of the cultural asset to the development of the user interface. The application is provided for three different VR devices: smartphones equipped with cardboards, headsets, and CAVE. The paper is supported by the 3dLab-Sicilia project, whose main objective is to sponsor the creation, development, and validation of a sustainable infrastructure that interconnects three main Sicilian centres specialized in augmented and virtual reality

A Pipeline for the Implementation of Immersive Experience in Cultural Heritage Sites in Sicily

Modern digital technologies allow potentially to explore Cultural Heritage sites in immersive virtual environments. This is surely an advantage for the users that can better experiment and understand a specific site, also before a real visit. This specific approach has gained increasing attention during the extreme conditions of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In this work, we present the processes that lead to the implementation of an immersive app for different kinds of low and highcost devices, which have been attained in the context of the 3DLab-Sicilia project. 3DLab-Sicilia’s main objective is to sponsor the creation, development, and validation of a sustainable infrastructure that interconnects three main Sicilian centers specialized in augmented and virtual reality. The project gives great importance to the cultural heritage, as well as to the tourism related areas. Despite the presentation of the case study of the Santa Maria La Vetere church, the process of the final app implementation guided by the general pipeline here presented is general and can be applied to other cultural heritage sites

Impact of two new non-conventional yeasts, Candida oleophila and Starmerella lactis-condensi, isolated from sugar-rich substrates, on Frappato wine aroma

The interest of non-Saccharomyces yeasts in wine fermentation increased constantly in last years. This study reports for the first time the enological potential of two strains Starmerella lactis-condensi MN412 and Candida oleophila YS209. In an innovative way, these strains were used in winemaking to improve floral and fruity aroma of Frappato red wine, which has not been explored. The enological performances of the two non-Saccharomyces strains were compared to a wine strain of Starmerella bacillaris, namely Cz3, previously characterized in wine -making conditions. In these three cases, the non-Saccharomyces strain was sequentially inoculated with S. cerevisiae wine strain NF213, used as control. The St. lactis-condensi MN412 was isolated from Sicilian manna, a sugar-rich matrix, extracted from Fraxinus angustifolia trees (Oleaceae). The strain C. oleophila YS209 was isolated from honey by-products. Microbiological counts showed the ability of MN412 and YS209 to maintain high counts up to 6 days of alcoholic fermentation. Regarding chemical parameters, Cz3 showed the highest glycerol pro-duction. Analysis of VOCs revealed that the trials with non-Saccharomyces yeasts were characterized by a higher concentration of esters that contributed positively to the fruity aroma of the wines. The sensory analysis confirmed that the use of MN412 and YS209 impacted positively the final wines in terms of fruity and floral intensity, respectively, while did not generate sensory defects. In conclusion, non-conventional yeasts represent strategy to improve floral-fruity freshness of wine aroma and sugar-rich matrices such as manna ash and honey might represent novel ecological niches as source of potential oenological yeast

A novel microbiological approach to impact the aromatic composition of sour loquat beer

The growing interest in novel beer development determined the exploitation of unconventional yeasts isolated from novel ecological niches to generate unexplored sensory profiles. In recent years, there is an increasing interest in generating beers brewed with the addition of fruits. For the first time, Lachancea thermotolerans MNF105 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae MN113 isolated from manna, were tested as starter cultures to process loquat beer to improve the sensory profile. Innovatively, the yeast species L. thermotolerans was investigated for the production of sour fruit beer. Sour fruit beers produced with L. thermotolerans MNF105 were more balanced than the respective control, especially in terms of perceived acidity during sensory analysis. This could be due to the lower lactic acid production (0.49 g/L) compared to the respective control (1.74 g/L). The overall organoleptic investigation showed a preference for S. cerevisiae MN113 (TF1) isolated from manna. Experimental trials conducted with the selected strains demonstrated the absence of off-odour and off-flavour and improved aroma perception. Aldehydes and alcohols were the most abundant compounds emitted from the beers. S. cerevisiae MN113 and L. thermotolerans MNF105, manna related yeasts, showed great technological properties, representing promising starters for the production of fruit beer and sour fruit beer

Raimondi, S. & Pirrone, A. 2020. "Land Cadastre in Italy for Sustainable Development: Application to Two Parcels of Land in a Geopark in the Process of Being Defined in Corleone (PA-Italy)". Open Journal of Humanities, 5:119-161

Geoparks, like all parks, are UNESCO awards for a sustainable management of all resources and therefore also of human life. Environmental emergencies such as climate change, pollution, soil erosion, salinisation, and fires that, together with health emergencies, undermine life on earth, require intervention. The widespread sustainable management of the territory of a municipality, a region, a nation, or all of them (European Union) allows to widen the application of these concepts to reach the limit of a planet that guarantees life for future generations. The work after having exposed the motivations of the geopark (an initiative born by chance), i.e. the surface where the environmental beauties such as the Canyon of the Corleone River, the Waterfall of the Two Fortresses, the vertical walls with many layers from green (glauconite) to greenish yellow, two huge blocks of limestone called Castles (distinct in Soprano and Sottano) together with tabular structures give rise to a unique landscape that characterizes the city of Corleone and its adjacent territory. The application of the principles of the Land Cadastre of the extra-urban Soil to two plots has made it possible to highlight the ease with which sustainability can be assessed and also the need to intervene in one plot, giving indications of grazing management to limit or stop the erosion in progress. The water resources of Corleone come from this formation, but also the cheeses that together with durum wheat, oil and wine from other territories create a rich area that has allowed the population in past centuries to pay tyrants to regain their freedom. Today, by networking the structures for the reception of visitors, it is possible to create development and enhance the local production. This is why Corleone can be defined as the City of bread, wine, oil, water and breathtaking views and sunsets, the “The city of clean living”

The evaluation of urban soils aimed at the sustainability of plants in public and private flowerbeds

The authors report the survey of some flowerbeds located in the city of Palermo with the aim of assessing the sustainability of the plants and the interventions to be implemented, i.e. cutting or transfer of plants, to achieve a sustainable green. In the case in which it is possible to insert other plants in the flowerbeds, it is recommended to elaborate a project using programs that allow to have a preview of the spaces available for the new plants. This work is methodological and is aimed at creating a green that can achieve the functional objectives in relation to the site where it is located (sustainability in all aspects) and at low management costs with no or almost no irrigation practice