Diversification and Soil Management Effects on the Quality of Organic Apricots

Nutritional and commercial value of the apricot fruits depends on the interaction among several factors, including the management strategies, the environmental conditions, and the genotype. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of orchard management and pedoclimatic conditions on apricot fruit quality traits (soluble solids, titratable acidity, dry matter and soluble solids and titratable acidity ratio) and phytochemical content (total phenolic content and antioxidant activity). Two apricot cultivars (Kioto* and Pieve*) were subjected to three different organic systems: (i) a standard management (BAU), (ii) an innovative diversified system with reduced tillage based on the natural cover conservation (INC) and (iii) an innovative diversified system with introduction of different cover crops (ICC), for two consecutive years (2019–2020). Overall, besides the effect of the climatic conditions, the multivariate analysis revealed the role of management systems, rather than genotype, on the quality of apricot fruits. In particular, INC soil management positively affected soluble solids, titratable acidity and dry matter parameters, especially in environments with low precipitation and high solar radiation (20.7 ± 1.7 g 100 g−1 FW, 19.9 ± 2.5 g MA 100 g−1 FW and 0.23 ± 0.2 g 100 g−1 FW respectively). In addition, the results indicate that ICC management showed the highest antioxidant values (1.45 ± 0.19 μg of Trolox equivalent (TE) 100 mg−1 FW), especially in the environment with high precipitation. This study was a useful tool for farmer to choose an effective organic system management in order to obtain fruits with high quality parameters

Sustainability: Recovery and Reuse of Brewing-Derived By-Products

The great global challenge in order to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth over the coming decades is the promotion of the efficient use of resources, favoring a transition to a cleaner and circular economy [...

Mechanical Hop-Picking Solutions in Italian Cultivated Areas

Hops for beer production are a crop of growing interest in Italy, requiring specialized harvesting equipment and infrastructure. Several studies have been conducted on hop cultivation and harvesting around the world, but information on Italian hop production is still very scarce. As it turns out, only a few Italian farms are self-sufficient, employing a mechanical harvesting system, while most of them resort to hand-picking. In this study, hand and mechanical hop-picking were investigated, highlighting the longest time necessary for the manual cut (65 ± 5 min for approximately 2 kg of fresh cones). Furthermore, different mechanical solutions for hop harvesting were evaluated; in particular, one hop-picking machine was tested at different settings (full speed and 75% of chain feed). At full speed, it was possible to collect an average of around 96 kg h−1 of fresh cones, while approximately 13% of cones were left unpicked. A speed reduction of approximately 25% made it possible to reduce the cone loss to 8%, with a cone collection of around 86 kg h−1. Lost and picked cones, however, were strongly related to the number of side-arms growing from the main bines. This experience made it possible to test an old solution for this emerging crop at moderate cost and with good sustainability for the Italian territory

Prediction of Strawberries’ Quality Parameters Using Artificial Neural Networks

Strawberry is a very popular fruit, appreciated for its unique flavor and many beneficial traits such as antioxidants and useful amino acids, which strongly contribute to the overall quality of the product. Indeed, the quality of fresh fruit is a fundamental aspect for consumers, and it is crucial for the success of breeding activities as well as for enhancing the competitiveness and profitability of the fruit industry. Nowadays, the entire supply chain requires simple and fast systems for quality evaluation. In this context, the pomological and chemical traits (i.e., soluble solids, firmness, titratable acidity, dry matter) as well as nutritional ones such as total phenols, total anthocyanins and antioxidant potential were evaluated and compared for seven strawberry cultivars and three harvest times. The prediction of the qualitative traits was carried out using color space coordinates (L*, a* and b*) and two statistical techniques, i.e., the multiple linear regression models (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANNs). Unsatisfactory prediction performances were obtained for all parameters when MLR was applied. On the contrary, the good prediction of the internal quality attributes, using ANN, was observed, especially for both antioxidant activity and the total monomeric anthocyanin (R2 = 0.906, and R2 = 0.943, respectively). This study highlighted that color coordinates coupled with ANN can be successfully used to evaluate the quality of strawberry

Interactive Effect of Cultivars, Crop Years and Rootstocks on the Biochemical Traits of <i>Prunus persica</i> (L.) Batsch Fruits

Peach fruit is one of the most economically widespread temperate fruits, whose productivity, and nutritional and sensory qualities are determined by interactions among several environmental and genetic factors, rootstocks, agronomic practices and pedo-climatic conditions. In recent years, climate change has prompted peach breeding programs to use specific rootstocks that are well adapted to unusual soil and climate characteristics, thus improving the plant’s adaptability and fruit quality. The aim of this work was to assess the biochemical and nutraceutical profile of two different peach cultivars, considering their growth on different rootstocks over three crop years. An analysis was carried out evaluating the interactive effect of all factors (i.e., cultivars, crop years and rootstocks) revealing the advantages or disadvantages on growth of the different rootstocks. Soluble solids content, titratable acidity, total polyphenols, total monomeric anthocyanins and antioxidant activity in fruit skin and pulp were analyzed. An analysis of variance was performed to assess the differences between the two cultivars considering the effect of rootstock (one way) and crop years, rootstocks and their interaction (two ways). In addition, two principal component analyses were performed separately on the phytochemical traits of the two cultivars to visualize the distributions of the five peach rootstocks during the three crop years. The results showed that fruit quality parameters are strongly dependent on cultivars, rootstocks and climatic conditions. All these aspects could be useful for the choice of rootstock in relation to agronomic management, making this study a valuable tool for choosing the best rootstock, considering simultaneously more factors affecting peaches’ biochemical and nutraceutical profile

Variations in Content and Extractability of Durum Wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var durum) Arabinoxylans Associated with Genetic and Environmental Factors

Arabinoxylans (AX) represent the most abundant components of non-starch polysaccharides in wheat, constituting about 70% of cell wall polysaccharides. An important property of AX is their ability to form highly viscous water solutions; this peculiarity has a significant impact on the technological characteristics of wheat and determines the physiologically positive influence in consumption. Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. var durum), the raw material for pasta production, is one of the most important crops in Italy. As part of a large project aimed at improving durum wheat quality, the characterization of the nutritional and technological aspects of whole grains was considered. Particular attention was addressed to identify the best suited genotypes for the production of innovative types of pasta with enhanced functional and organoleptic properties. The objective of the present study was to investigate the genetic variability of AX by examining a group of durum wheat genotypes collected at two localities in Italy for two consecutive years. The environmental influence on AX content and extractability was also evaluated. Variability in the AX fraction contents was observed; the results indicated that AX fractions of durum wheat grain can be affected by the genotype and environment characteristics and the different contribution of genotype and environment to total variation was evidenced. The genotype × environment (G × E) interaction was significant for all examined traits, the variations due to G × E being lower than that of genotype or environment. The data and the statistical analysis allowed identification of the Italian durum wheat varieties that were consistently higher in total arabinoxilans; in addition, principal component analysis biplots illustrated that for arabinoxylan fractions some varieties responded differently in various environment climatic conditions

Artichoke By-Products Valorization for Phenols-Enriched Fresh Egg Pasta: A Sustainable Food Design Project

More healthy and sustainable food are nowadays desirable to improve human health and protect the planet’s resources. From this perspective, the aim of this study is to investigate artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) by-products as a potential source of phenolic compounds and to use these compounds to design new fresh egg pasta formulation. Sustainable extraction was carried out using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and chemometric techniques, such as the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). UAE process parameters (temperature and time) and solvent composition (ethanol aqueous mixtures) were optimized using a three-level Box–Behnken design, in order to carry out the maximum yield in phenols. Under the optimal conditions (temperature: 60 °C; time: 60 min; solvent: 50% ethanol:water), the amount of phenolics (TPC) was 22.4 ± 0.2 mg GAE g−1 d.w., characterized mainly by dicaffeoylquinic acid (32.8 ± 0.6 mg CAE g−1 d.w.) and chlorogenic acid (14.1 ± 0.2 mg CAE g−1 d.w.). Hence, the polyphenols extract was used as an ingredient to design a new formulation of functional fresh egg pasta. Four recipes with soft wheat and semolina (P1 and P2) and with soft wheat alone (P3 and P4) were prepared. Compared with control pastas (P1 and P3), the enriched ones (P2 and P4) showed a higher polyphenol content, especially for P4 (1.86 ± 0.03 mg GAE g−1 d.w. for P1, 2.05 ± 0.02 mg GAE g−1 d.w. for P2, 1.92 ± 0.03 mg GAE g−1 d.w. for P3, 2.04 ± 0.02 mg GAE g−1 d.w. for P4). A high decrease in TPC was observed as a result of the cooking process, especially for the two control formulations (−71% for P1 and −70% for P3) in comparison with P2 (−64%) and P4 (−55%). At last, to assess the antimicrobial effect of artichoke by-products on fresh pasta and to monitor its spoilage, we used image analysis. Corresponding to a higher TPC content, P2 and P4 showed an extended shelf life of 16% and 33%, respectively, probably due to the antioxidant activity of artichoke. The new fresh egg pasta enriched with polyphenols extracted from artichoke by-products showed very good nutritional and technological characteristics, even after cooking, confirming the good potentiality of artichoke by-products in the design of new, healthy, and sustainable food products

Optimization of Phenolic Compound Extraction from Brewers’ Spent Grain Using Ultrasound Technologies Coupled with Response Surface Methodology

Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is the main solid by-product from the brewery industry, rich in valuable nutrients and bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to valorize this by-product, recovering phenolic compounds from BSG using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and chemometric techniques, such as the response surface methodology (RSM). Therefore, UAE process parameters (temperature and time) and solvent composition (ethanol aqueous mixtures) were optimized using a three-level Box–Behnken design, in order to carry out the maximum yield in phenols. Then, the extract obtained under optimal conditions was characterized for the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity (2,20-azino-bis(3-ethylbenothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid, ABTS, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH), and individual phenolic compounds were identified using HPLC-DAD. The results show the highest level of total soluble phenolic content (4.1 ± 0.1 mg GAE/g d.w.) at 80 °C, 50 min and 65:35% ethanol:water, with a high goodness of fit between experimental and predicted values (R2 = 0.987), and a high antioxidant potential (DPPH: 0.42 ± 0.01 mg TE eq/g d.w.; ABTS: 5.82 ± 0.04 mg TE eq/g d.w.). A comparison between the classic extraction techniques and the UAE with the same solvent showed an increase of 156% in the phenol yield. The characterization of phenolic profile revealed that ferulic acid (1.5 ± 0.2 mg/L), vanillic acid (0.78 ± 0.18 mg/L) and p-coumaric acid (0.12 ± 0.03 mg/L) were the prevalent ones. UAE coupled with RSM was a useful tool to inexpensively and quickly recover bioactive phenolic compounds from BSG, which can be used in the food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industries.5n