Outcome and impact assessment of the Climate-Smart Village Program in Northern Vietnam

Yen Bai province inherits representative biophysical, socio-economic, smaller-holder farming characteristics to economic marginalization and climatic risks and impacts to agricultural production and local livelihoods of Vietnam’s northern mountain region (NMR). The CCAFS project deployed to Ma Climate-Smart Village (CSV) in Yen Bai in 2015 with bilateral funding support from two other research projects aimed at setting up a demonstration-for-scaling example of a rural community equipped with capacities for enhanced climate adaptation and resilience. This study applied a three tier interview data collection methodology (key informant interviews – focus group discussions – indepth farmer interviews) to thoroughly investigate 120 households about six main outcomes accomplished by the project up until 2021. The project has achieved great outcomes from the village to the provincial levels. However, the project work still has a potential to be scaled to the National Target Program on New Rural Development (NTM) given its interest in developing resilient communities in climate-vulnerable regions across the country applying the CSV approach in its 2021-2025 strategy. Despite the closing of the CCAFS program by December 2021, this most important scaling pathway will be continued by the VIBE 2018.05 (funded by the Irish Aid) and COALESCE/2020/34 (funded by the Irish Research Council) under the management of Vietnam National University of Agriculture – a long-term strategic partner of the CCAFS program in the NRM

A dataset for anthocyanin analysis in purple-pericarp sweetcorn kernels by LC-DAD-MS

This dataset refers to the accompanying article “Optimization of extraction procedure and development of LC-DAD-MS methodology for anthocyanin analysis in anthocyanin-pigmented corn kernels”, published in Food Chemistry [1]. Here, we present concentrations, profiles, MS2 spectra of individual anthocyanins (including isomers of cyanidin-3-(6’’-malonylglucoside)) of purple-pericarp sweetcorn (PPS) kernels. Furthermore, an additional mass spectrum of an artefact-anthocyanin produced in acidified extraction solutions were reported. This data is further discussed in the accompanying research article [1]. Delphinidin-3-glucoside was used as an internal standard to compensate for individual anthocyanin losses during extraction with acidified solutions. The generated data could be used for anthocyanin identification and quantification in different anthocyanin-containing plant matrices

Σύστημα επεξεργασίας θαλάσσιου έρματος & προμελέτη εγκατάστης σε υπάρχον δεξαμενόπλοιο

102 σ.Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Ναυτική και Θαλάσσια Τεχνολογία και Επιστήμη”Νικάολας Γ. Τσούμα

Impact of Curcumin-Mediated Photosensitization on Fungal Growth, Physicochemical Properties and Nutritional Composition in Australian Grown Strawberry

The effect of photosensitization mediated by curcumin on fungal growth, physicochemical properties and nutritional composition in Australian grown “Albion” strawberries was evaluated. Curcumin solution (1200, 1000 and 800 μM) was sprayed on the strawberry surface, followed by illumination using blue light (420 nm) for 10 min at a dosage of 42 J/cm2 and stored at 4 ± 2 °C for 12 days. The fruit photosensitized with 1000-μM curcumin (10 min, followed by storage at 4 ± 2 °C) lasted up to 12 days with a fungal infection rate of 52%, whereas untreated control fruit developed 100% fungal infection and lasted for 8 days only under the same conditions. This treatment did not have an effect on colour, pH, moisture content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total phenolic content and anthocyanins, whereas total soluble solids (9%) and total sugar (22%) were increased (p < 0.05). These initial results indicate that curcumin-based photosensitization could be an effective non-thermal technology to preserve the nutritional quality as well as to extend the postharvest life of fresh strawberry fruit

Assessing fatty acid profiles of macadamia nuts

The kernel of the macadamia nut (Macadamia integrifolia and M. tetraphylla) is very high in oil, accounting for about three -quarters of their mass. In the current investigation, oil extracts from 20 breeding accessions and 14 cultivars had a range of 12.3% to 17.0% saturated fat, averaging 14.2%. Although all samples were found to be very high in "healthy" monounsaturated fats, the level of saturated fat slightly exceeds that of many other nuts that are able to make qualified health claims. The lowest saturated fat content (12.3%) corresponded to 4.6 g saturated fat/50 g kernels, which was slightly greater than the 4.0 g maximum. Despite this, potential exists to develop a reduced-saturated fat macadamia by combining characteristics found in different lines. The current trial indicates that lower total saturated fat was associated with a stronger ability to partition C16 and C18 fats to their monounsaturated fatty acids, or to elongate C16:0 to C18:0 and subsequently desaturate C18:0 to C18:1. It was also observed that the pollinizer parent is likely to have an influence on saturated fat content, although this would need to be confirmed in controlled pollination trials. Macadamia varieties generally outcross, and because the edible kernel (embryo) is formed from a pollinated ovule, it is likely any future reduced-saturated fat line would also require a reduced-saturated fat pollinizer parent