Montaña Cámara

Differences among Spanish and Latin-American banana cultivars: Morphological, chemical and sensory characteristics

Physical (weight, size, shape, texture and colour), physicochemical (pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids, moisture content, total solids), chemical (soluble sugars, vitamin C, starch, pectic substances, volatile compounds) and biochemical (polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activities, soluble proteins) characteristics and sensory attributes (appearance, flavour, odour, colour, firmness, acceptability) of banana (Musa cavendishii L.) fruits were studied in order to assess possible differences between nutritional properties and consumer acceptability of the local (Canarian) cultivars Enana and Gran Enana and the Latin-American (Colombian) Enana cultivar. Significant differences (P ≤ 0·05) were found between size and length of fruit, and between other objective measurements (lightness, yellowness, acidity, moisture content, starch, peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase activities, soluble sugars—sucrose, fructose, glucose). Also there were significant differences in vitamin C and protein content which established the higher nutritional value of the Spanish banana cultivars. The main compositional differences between the banana cultivars in terms of flavour were quantified. Purge and trap (head-space) analysis of the Spanish Enana cultivar showed it was the richest in the characteristic banana volatile aroma compounds. Sensory descriptive analysis discriminated between banana cultivars in terms of flesh colour and flesh sweetness; although panellists liked all cultivars, they preferred the Spanish Enana fruits (overall acceptability test).

Tocopherol composition and antioxidant activity of Spanish wild vegetables

Traditional use of noncultivated vegetables has decreased with the development of agriculture and global supply chains. However, some species are still consumed as part of our traditional Mediterranean diet. Plants are among the most important sources of natural antioxidants for retarding lipid oxidative rancidity in foods or for pharmaceutical applications against chronic diseases related to free radicals production. The present study reports tocopherols composition and antioxidant activity of eight wild greens traditionally used in Spain. According to the edible part consumed, two groups were differentiated. Leafy vegetables whose young stems with leaves are consumed (Apium nodiflorum (L.) Lag., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., Montia fontana L. and Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke), and wild asparagus whose young shoots with leaf buds scarcely developed are eaten (Asparagus acutifolius L., Bryonia dioica Jacq., Humulus lupulus L. and Tamus communis L.). Among the leafy vegetables, Silene vulgaris and Apium nodiflorum presented the highest antioxidant capacity and antioxidants contents. Among the wild asparagus, the highest antioxidant capacity was obtained in Humulus lupulus.

Fatty acids profiles of some Spanish wild vegetables

Polyunsaturated fatty acids play an important role in human nutrition, being associated with several health benefits. The analyzed vegetables, in spite of its low fat content, lower than 2%, present a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids of n-3, n-6 and n-9 series, such as α-linolenic, linoleic and oleic acids, respectively. Wild edible plants contain in general a good balance of n-6 and n-3 fatty acids. The present study tries to contribute to the preservation and valorization of traditional food resources, studying the fatty acids profile of 20 wild vegetables by gas-liquid chromatography with flame ionization detection. Results show that species in which leaves are predominant in their edible parts have in general the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid ratios: Rumex pulcher (5.44), Cichorium intybus (5.14) and Papaver rhoeas (5.00). Due to the low n-6/n-3 ratios of the majority of the samples, they can be considered interesting sources of n-3 fatty acids, especially those with higher total fat amount, such as Bryonia dioica, Chondrilla juncea or Montia fontana, with the highest contents of α-linolenic acid (67.78, 56.27 and 47.65%, respectively). The wild asparaguses of Asparagus acutifolius and Tamus communis stand out for their linoleic acid content (42.29 and 42.45%, respectively). All these features reinforce the interest of including wild plants in diet, as an alternative to the variety of vegetables normally used.

Free sugars determination by HPLC in pineapple products

Free sugars have been determined by HPLC in fresh pineapple fruit, freshly extracted pineapple juice (home-made), pineapple juice concentrate (for industrial use), commercial pineapple juices and nectars. In natural samples, intermediate products and commercial juices the dominant sugar was sucrose, followed by fructose and glucose, both of which were found in similar concentrations. However, the sugar content of nectars analyzed was highly variable. The presence of maltose in nectar samples is a clear indication of the addition of sugars from corn syrup. We have found a fructose/glucose ratio close to 1, and the coefficient fructose plus glucose/sucrose close to 1, both of which are a good index of authenticity of pineapple juices.

Mineral and Trace Elements Content in 30 Accessions of Tomato Fruits (Solanum lycopersicum L.,) and Wild Relatives (Solanum pimpinellifolium L., Solanum cheesmaniae L. Riley, and Solanum habrochaites S. Knapp & D.M. Spooner)

Tomato quality and its potential health benefits are directly related to its chemical composition. The characterization of nutritional properties of Solanum germplasm is essential to choose suitable donor parents for breeding programs. In this sense, wild species could be very useful for tomato fruit quality genetic improvement. With this objective, in this work, we characterize micronutrients content in Eulycopersicon germplasm (20 cultivars of S. lycopersicum L. and 10 accessions of wild relatives) analyzing mineral (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and trace elements (Cu, Fe, Zn, Mn) and applying multidimensional analysis (principal component and cluster analysis). The classification obtained and the comparison of cultivars performance showed that wild accessions belonging to S. cheesmaniae (L. Riley), S. pimpinellifolium L., and S. habrochaites S. Knapp & D.M. Spooner can be of great usefulness in breeding programs to improve mineral content characteristics of conventional S. lycopersicum varieties due to its higher mineral content.

Variation in carbohydrate content during ripening in two clones of pepino

Fruits from pepino (Solanum muricatum Aiton) clones ‘Sweet Long’ and ‘Sweet Round’ were harvested at three stages of ripeness (green, turning and ripe). Changes in the carbohydrate fraction (total and free sugars, soluble and insoluble fibre) during on-bush ripening were evaluated in an early and a late crop in the autumn–winter cycle. Significant differences in composition were found for the effects of clone, crop and their interaction. This indicates that there is a considerable variation in the physiology of ripening. We found that total carbohydrate content was on average higher in ‘Sweet Long’ than in ‘Sweet Round’ and higher in the late crop than in the early one. Crossover interaction was detected for sugar content in the two clones, so that in the late crop the clone with highest sugar content was ‘Sweet Long’ while in the early crop it was ‘Sweet Round’. Pepino fruit contains slightly higher amounts of fructose than glucose, and contents of both sugars do not change dramatically during ripening. However, there is a sharp increase in sucrose as ripening progresses. Sucrose content in green fruits is very low or not detectable, while it is the predominant sugar when ripe, accounting for about 50% of the total sugars. The ripening process is characterised by a decline in insoluble fibre accompanied by an increase in total sugars and accumulation of sucrose. The important interaction clone × growing cycle indicates that selection for high sugar content should be carried out independently for each growing cycle. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry

Wild Fragaria vesca L. fruits: a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals

Wild Fragaria vesca L. fruits were studied regarding nutritional and phytochemical compounds, and also antioxidant, antibacterial and biofilm formation inhibition activities. The fruits are good sources of carbohydrates (e.g., sucrose), soluble dietary fiber and polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic and linolenic acids, as well as other components such as citric and succinic acids, and vitamins B9 and E (mainly γ-tocopherol). Significant amounts of soluble sugars, citric acid and some amounts of ascorbic acid, vitamins B9 and E (only α-tocopherol) were found also in the infusions. The hydromethanolic extracts revealed higher amounts of phenolic compounds, mainly ellagic acid derivatives and dihydroflavonol taxifolin-3-O-arabinofuranoside. Consistently, these extracts also showed higher antioxidant and antibacterial activities than the infusions, and were able to inhibit the formation of bacterial biofilms. Despite the lower content of bioactive compounds in the infusions compared to the fruits, both forms could be potentially applied in functional foods and/or nutraceuticals/pharmaceutical formulations.

Influence of freezing process on free sugars content of papaya and banana fruits

Changes in individual sugar content (fructose, glucose and sucrose) during freezing and frozen storage have been evaluated by HPLC on papaya (Carica papaya grupo Solo var Sunrise), fruits proceedings from female and hermaphrodite flowers, and banana (Musa cavendishii var enana). Effects of thermal treatments, such as blanching and microwaving, prior to freezing banana fruit were examined. Both an increase in total sugar levels of papaya samples during freezing and a decrease in sucrose, by invertase, were found followed by an increase in fructose and glucose. A slight decrease in total sugars of banana samples during freezing and storage has been observed, with no significant differences between the pretreatments applied.

Changes during ripening of papaya fruit in different storage systems

Abstract The ripening stages of the papaya fruit can only be precisely determined by using many parameters on the same fruit. Eight physico-chemical measurements (water content, pH, °Brix, acidity, sugar content, neutral detergent fibre, proteins and minerals) have been obtained for Carica papaya Solo grown in the Canary Islands, during 1 month under different storage conditions (1: room temperature, 25°C; 2: domestic refrigerator, 10°C; 3: control chamber, 12°C and 92% H 2 O). Analysis of variance, correlation analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to characterize the ripening process of this fruit. The statistical analysis indicates that pH. and °Brix are indices of the ripening of the papaya fruit.

Carotenoid content of wild edible young shoots traditionally consumed in Spain (Asparagus acutifolius L., Humulus lupulus L., Bryonia dioica Jacq. and Tamus communis L.)

BACKGROUND Wild vegetables have traditionally been consumed as part of the Mediterranean diet, being valuable sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds. The objective of this work was to analyse the carotenoid content of the edible young shoots of four species (Asparagus acutifolius L., Humulus lupulus L., Bryonia dioica Jacq. and Tamus communis L.) as part of a wider study on the characterisation of the nutritional composition of wild edible plants commonly consumed in Spain. Samples were gathered from two locations in Central Spain for two consecutive years. RESULTS Lutein, β-carotene, neoxanthin and violaxanthin were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector. Median concentration ranges (μg g(-1) edible wet weight) were: β-carotene, 3.39-6.69, lutein, 5.44–19.13;neoxanthin, 5.17-17.37; and violaxanthin, 2.08-8.93. The highest carotenoid content was that of B. dioica (59.01 μg g(-1)) and the lowest was found in A. acutifolius (17.58 μg g(-1)) [corrected]. CONCLUSION Our results show that these wild young shoots are richer sources of carotenoids than many of the commercially available leafy vegetables.