Consumer preferences for Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) products

A study of consumer preferences in Sweden showed that the consumers in general responded very positively to the flavour of Japanese quince in various products. Of the products tested, chaenomeles ice cream was the product liked by most consumers, and on average 80% of the consumers questioned would buy the ice cream if it were available on the market. Chaenomeles lemonade and chaenomeles curd were also very much appreciated. Curd-type preservatives seemed to be unknown for many of the Swedish consumers surveyed. Nevertheless, chaenomeles curd obtained high scores and 83% of women aged 40–60 would buy the product if available on the market. Less appreciated (however with high scores) were jam and yoghurt with the highest buying preferences for 75% for women aged 40–60 and 62% for women aged 20–39. These products could be further developed and thereby appreciated by more consumers

Erythrocyte antioxidant protection of rose hips (Rosa spp.)

Rose hips are popular in health promoting products as the fruits contain high content of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate whether health benefits are attributable to ascorbic acid, phenols, or other rose-hip-derived compounds. Freeze-dried powder of rose hips was preextracted with metaphosphoric acid and the sample was then sequentially eluted on a C18 column. The degree of amelioration of oxidative damage was determined in an erythrocyte in vitro bioassay by comparing the effects of a reducing agent on erythrocytes alone or on erythrocytes pretreated with berry extracts. The maximum protection against oxidative stress, 59.4 ± 4.0% (mean standard deviation), was achieved when incubating the cells with the first eluted meta-phosphoric extract. Removal of ascorbic acid from this extract increased the protection against oxidative stress to 67.9 ± 1.9% . The protection from the 20% and 100% methanol extracts was 20.8 ± 8.2% and 5.0 ± 3.2% , respectively. Antioxidant uptake was confirmed by measurement of catechin by HPLC-ESI-MS in the 20% methanol extract. The fact that all sequentially eluted extracts studied contributed to protective effects on the erythrocytes indicates that rose hips contain a promising level of clinically relevant antioxidant protection

Profitability for cultivation of Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica)

An analysis of the cost for cultivation of Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) was performed using background data obtained in the EUCHA-project (FAIR5–CT97–3894). Factors tested were fruit price, yield, plant density, harvesting capacity and payoff period. In Sweden, cultivation of Japanese quince fruits would be profitable at a fruit price of 6 SEK/kg (1 EUR = 9 SEK) if fruits were picked by hand. If fruits were instead harvested mechanically, a fruit price of 2–3 SEK/kg would result in profitable cultivation. In the short-term perspective, Japanese quince fruits seem therefore interesting for production of e.g. jam, syrup, aroma extracts and liqueur

Pathogens on Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) plants

In this paper, a survey of pathogens on Japanese quince (Chaenomeles japonica) plants is reported. The main part of the study was performed in South Sweden, in experimental fields where no pesticides or fungicides were applied. In the fields shoots, leaves, flowers and fruits were collected, and fruits in cold storage were also sampled. It was concluded that Japanese quince is a comparatively healthy plant, but some fungi were identified that could be potential threats to the crop, which is currently being developed for organic growing. Grey mould, Botrytis cinerea, was very common on plants in the fields, and was observed on shoots, flower parts, fruits in all stages and also on fruits in cold storage. An inoculation experiment showed that the fungus could infect both wounded and unwounded tissue in shoots. Studies of potted plants left outdoors during winter indicated that a possible mode of infection of the shoots could be through persisting fruits, resulting in die-back of shoots. Fruit spots, brown lesions and fruit rot appeared in the field. Most common were small red spots, which eventually developed into brown rots. Fungi detected in these spots were Septoria cydoniae, Phlyctema vagabunda, Phoma exigua and Entomosporium mespili. The fact that several fungi were connected with this symptom indicates that the red colour may be a general response of the host, rather than a specific symptom of one fungus. Fungi found in brown lesions and rots were Botrytis cinerea, Phlyctema vagabunda, Penicillium expansum, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Cryptosporiopsis curvispora. Phlyctema vagabunda was often found in brown rots and also in red spots, indicating that this was the most common fungus. Leaf spots were also a common symptom in the fields. The spots varied in size, shape and colour, and it was obvious that they were caused by several different fungi. From leaves sampled in Latvia, Septoria cydoniae, Phoma pomorum, Asteromella sp. and Ramularia sp. were detected. Phoma pomorum and Alternaria alternata were isolated from leaves sampled in Sweden. However, most of the fungi recorded were widely distributed saprophytes or secondary invaders and leaf diseases were not considered severe. On flowers, the most commonly observed fungi were Cladosporium sp. and Botrytis cinerea but Penicillium expansum, Alternaria alternata and Fusarium sp. were also recorded. Pests found were leaf weevils, Phyllobius spp., larvae of Operophtera sp., Yponomeuta sp., and Caliroa sp. Aphids and red spider mites were also observed, but these were not identified to species. Differences in susceptibility to fruit spots were detected between populations derived from controlled cross-pollination. Plant breeding programmes aimed at developing varieties with resistance to fruit spots should therefore be successful

Genetic Characterization of the Norwegian Apple Collection

Commercial fruit production in Norway is located at around latitude 60° north, demanding a careful choice of adapted cultivars. The most comprehensive collection of apple genetic resources in Norway is being kept in the Norwegian Apple Collection (NAC) at the Njøs Fruit and Berry Centre (NJØS). The collection contains around 350 accessions and was recently genotyped with a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Curated SNP data were used for the assessment of structure and diversity, pedigree confirmation, and core collection development. In the following SNP analysis, we identified several duplicates and parent-child relationships. Across the geographic regions represented, the collection was equally diverse. Different methods for analyzing population structure were applied. K-means clustering and a Bayesian modeling approach with prior assumptions of the data revealed five subpopulations associated with geographic breeding centers. The collection has a distinct genetic structure and low relatedness among the accessions; hence, two core collections with 100 accessions in each were created. These new core collections will allow breeders and researchers to use the NAC efficiently. The results from this study suggest that several of the accessions in the Norwegian Apple Collection could be of high importance for breeding purposes.publishedVersio

Erythrocyte Antioxidant Protection of Rose Hips (Rosa spp.)

Rose hips are popular in health promoting products as the fruits contain high content of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate whether health benefits are attributable to ascorbic acid, phenols, or other rose-hip-derived compounds. Freeze-dried powder of rose hips was preextracted with metaphosphoric acid and the sample was then sequentially eluted on a C 18 column. The degree of amelioration of oxidative damage was determined in an erythrocyte in vitro bioassay by comparing the effects of a reducing agent on erythrocytes alone or on erythrocytes pretreated with berry extracts. The maximum protection against oxidative stress, 59.4 ± 4.0% (mean ± standard deviation), was achieved when incubating the cells with the first eluted meta-phosphoric extract. Removal of ascorbic acid from this extract increased the protection against oxidative stress to 67.9±1.9%. The protection from the 20% and 100% methanol extracts was 20.8 ± 8.2% and 5.0 ± 3.2%, respectively. Antioxidant uptake was confirmed by measurement of catechin by HPLC-ESI-MS in the 20% methanol extract. The fact that all sequentially eluted extracts studied contributed to protective effects on the erythrocytes indicates that rose hips contain a promising level of clinically relevant antioxidant protection

Erythrocyte Antioxidant Protection of Rose Hips (Rosa spp.)

Rose hips are popular in health promoting products as the fruits contain high content of bioactive compounds. The aim of this study was to investigate whether health benefits are attributable to ascorbic acid, phenols, or other rose-hip-derived compounds. Freeze-dried powder of rose hips was preextracted with metaphosphoric acid and the sample was then sequentially eluted on a C 18 column. The degree of amelioration of oxidative damage was determined in an erythrocyte in vitro bioassay by comparing the effects of a reducing agent on erythrocytes alone or on erythrocytes pretreated with berry extracts. The maximum protection against oxidative stress, 59.4 ± 4.0% (mean ± standard deviation), was achieved when incubating the cells with the first eluted meta-phosphoric extract. Removal of ascorbic acid from this extract increased the protection against oxidative stress to 67.9±1.9%. The protection from the 20% and 100% methanol extracts was 20.8 ± 8.2% and 5.0 ± 3.2%, respectively. Antioxidant uptake was confirmed by measurement of catechin by HPLC-ESI-MS in the 20% methanol extract. The fact that all sequentially eluted extracts studied contributed to protective effects on the erythrocytes indicates that rose hips contain a promising level of clinically relevant antioxidant protection