Pilar Legua

Chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and sensory quality of dried jujube fruits as affected by cultivar and drying method

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different dying methods, such as convective drying (CD: 50, 60, 70 °C), vacuum-microwave drying (VMD: 120, 480, 480-120 W), a combination of convective pre-drying and vacuum-microwave finish drying [(CPD (60 °C)-VMFD (480-120 W)], and freeze-drying (FD) on key quality parameters of dried jujube fruits (cv. GAL, MSI, and PSI). The parameters studied included bioactive compounds (flavan-3-ols and flavonols, identified by LC-PDA-MS, and vitamin C), antioxidant capacity (ABTS and FRAP), and sensory attributes (e.g. hardness, jujube-ID, and sweetness). The best quality of the dried product (high contents of bioactive compounds and high intensity of key sensory attributes) was found in fruits treated by FD and VMD 480-120 W. The best cultivars were PSI and GAL from the point of view of bioactive content and sensory quality, respectively.

Antioxidant capacity, fatty acids profile, and descriptive sensory analysis of table olives as affected by deficit irrigation

BACKGROUNDnThe influence of three irrigation treatments (T0, no stress; T1, soft stress; and, T2, moderate stress) on the key functional properties [fatty acids, sugar alcohols, organic acids, minerals, total polyphenols content (TPC), and antioxidant activity (AA)], sensory quality, and consumers acceptance of table olives, cv. Manzanilla, was evaluated.nnnRESULTSnA soft water stress, T1, led to table olives with the highest oil and dry matter contents, with the highest intensities of key sensory attributes and slightly, although not significant, higher values of consumer satisfaction degree. Besides, RDI in general (T1 and T2) slightly increased green colour, the content of linoleic acid, but decreased the content of phytic acid and some minerals.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe soft RDI conditions are a good option for the cultivation of olive trees because they are environmentally friendly and simultaneously maintain or even improve the functionality, sensory quality, and consumer acceptance of table olives.

Physico-chemical and physiological changes during fruit development and on-tree ripening of two Spanish jujube cultivars (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.).

BACKGROUNDnFew studies have been performed on changes in organoleptic, nutritive, functional, and physiological properties during jujube fruit development and on-tree ripening. In this work, a comparative study on the evolution of physical, chemical, nutritive, and physiological parameters and bioactive compounds of two Spanish jujube cultivars was performed.nnnRESULTSnBoth cultivars showed a non-climacteric ripening pattern, although the JM cultivar was smaller, sweeter, softer, and more highly coloured than the JG, which was characterised by having larger and firmer fruits, although less sweet and coloured. Both cultivars showed high TAA, which was highly correlated with the concentration of total phenols, giving them great functional properties.nnnCONCLUSIONnThis fruit has little economic importance in Spain and it is just marginally grown for self-consumption or for ornamental purposes. Given the excellent properties of these fruits, it could be considered a fruit species of great interest, and commercial growth of these cultivars with high yields and fruits with high functional properties should be promoted.

Antioxidant properties and chemical characterization of Spanish Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. cladodes and fruits

BACKGROUNDnRecent studies have demonstrated that consumption of Opuntia ficus-indica Mill. has an important positive health benefit, mainly due to antioxidant properties, which justifies this research. This study examined antioxidant activity, organic acid and sugar profile, total phenolic, and physicochemical characteristics of six O. ficus-indica cultivars growing in the Spanish Mediterranean. It should be noted that, in this study, both cladodes (young and adult) and fruits (peel and pulp) were analyzed.nnnRESULTSnThe antioxidant activity (2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl methods) was higher in fruit peel than in cladodes. The young cladodes presented an important antioxidant activity by the ferric-reducing ability of plasma method as well as a higher total phenolic content (18.90u2009g gallic acid equivalent per kilogram). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode-array detector analysis revealed the absence of sucrose and the presence of glucose and fructose, which the values were higher in pulp fruits. HPLC with refractive index detector analysis showed that citric, malic, and succinic acids were the main organic acids in all cultivars, with a significant higher content in old cladodes.nnnCONCLUSIONnThese investigations valorize O. ficus-indica fruits in comparison with cladodes. In general, this plant can be considered as an ingredient for the production of health-promoting food, highlighting mainly in the antioxidant activity and total polyphenols content found in young cladodes and peel fruits.

Genetic diversity of pomegranate germplasm collection from Spain determined by fruit, seed, leaf and flower characteristics

Background. Miguel Hernandez University (Spain) created a germplasm bank of the varieties of pomegranate from different Southeastern Spain localities in order to preserve the crop’s wide genetic diversity. Once this collection was established, the next step was to characterize the phenotype of these varieties to determine the phenotypic variability that existed among all the different pomegranate genotypes, and to understand the degree of polymorphism of the morphometric characteristics among varieties. Methods. Fifty-three pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) accessions were studied in order to determine their degree of polymorphism and to detect similarities in their genotypes. Thirty-one morphometric characteristics were measured in fruits, arils, seeds, leaves and flowers, as well as juice characteristics including content, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids and maturity index. ANOVA, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis showed that there was a considerable phenotypic diversity (and presumably genetic). Results. The cluster analysis produced a dendrogram with four main clusters. The dissimilarity level ranged from 1 to 25, indicating that there were varieties that were either very similar or very different from each other, with varieties from the same geographical areas being more closely related. Within each varietal group, different degrees of similarity were found, although there were no accessions that were identical. These results highlight the crop’s great genetic diversity, which can be explained not only by their different geographical origins, but also to the fact that these are native plants that have not come from genetic improvement programs. The geographic origin could be, in the cases where no exchanges of plant material took place, a key criterion for cultivar clustering. Conclusions. As a result of the present study, we can conclude that among all the parameters analyzed, those related to fruit and seed size as well as the juice’s acidity and pH had the highest power of discrimination, and were, therefore, the most useful for genetic characterization of this pomegranate germplasm banks. This is opposed to leaf and flower characteristics, which had a low power of discrimination. This germplasm bank, more specifically, was characterized by its considerable phenotypic (and presumably genetic) diversity among pomegranate accessions, with a greater proximity existing among the varieties from the same geographical area, suggesting that over time, there had not been an exchange of plant material among the different cultivation areas. In summary, knowledge on the extent of the genetic diversity of the collection is essential for germplasm management. In this study, these data may help in developing strategies for pomegranate germplasm management and may allow for more efficient use of this germplasm in future breeding programs for this species.

Influence of deficit irrigation and crop load on the yield and fruit quality in Wonderful and Mollar de Elche pomegranates

BACKGROUNDnThe working hypothesis of the present study was that, by proper simultaneous control of irrigation (hydroSOStainable products) and crop load (thinning), it is possible to promote the accumulation of bioactive compounds and improve fruit appearance (size and weight). The effects of (i) irrigation status [T0, 120% ETc (estimated crop evapotranspiration); T1, 60% ETc during fruit growth and ripening] and (ii) crop load (A0, no thinning; A1, thinning) on yield and fruit quality were evaluated in two pomegranate cultivars (Wonderful, Wond and Mollar de Elche, ME).nnnRESULTSnThinning was effective in increasing the size and weight of fruits. Unfortunately, neither punicalagin, nor total polyphenolic content were positively affected by irrigation and thinning. T1A1 Wond fruits were characterized by high sugar content (glucose and fructose), together with high fruit size and weight. Furthermore, T1A1 ME fruits were characterized by high contents of alcohols and monoterpenoids (providing vegetal and citric flavor notes) and key sensory attributes (color, fruity and fresh pomegranate).nnnCONCLUSIONnThe final recommendation was to use the treatment T1A1 [simultaneous combination of deficit irrigation during fruit growth and ripening (T1) and thinning (A1)], although the positive results were cultivar-dependent.

Quality Parameters, Volatile Composition, and Sensory Profiles of Highly Endangered Spanish Citrus Fruits

There is very little information available on the chemical composition and the quality attributes of the citrus species studied which are truly endangered in Spain. None of the fruits studied is available for commercial purposes, which is the main interest and novelty of this study. The aim of this work was to fully describe the morphology, volatile composition, and sensory profile of traditional citrus fruits: sour lime (SoLi), sweet lime (SwLi), and sweet lemon (SwLe), to have the information to convince farmers and growers to cultivate these fruits again. The predominant sugar was fructose while citric acid prevails in SoLi and SwLe. Regarding volatiles compounds, monoterpenes, monoterpenoids, and esters predominated in the juices, and these three families plus sesquiterpenes in the peels. The juice of SoLi presented the highest content of esters (14.8%), SwLi juice presented similar values of both monoterpenes and monoterpenoids (46.1 and 46.0%, resp.), and SwLe juice had the highest content of monoterpenes (72.2%). The results demonstrated the high potential of these citrus materials for the agrofood industry. Therefore, it will be possible to recover these vegetal materials at risk of disappearing for potential uses by the food industry and simultaneously help maintaining the biodiversity.

Phytochemical characterization of different prickly pear ( Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.) cultivars and botanical parts: UHPLC-ESI-MS n metabolomics profiles and their chemometric analysis

Prickly pear is an important source of bioactive compounds. However, a comprehensive characterization of the phytochemical profile of its aerial botanical parts, considering genotypic differences, has not been conducted. This study evaluated the phytochemical composition of four botanical parts (fruit pulp and skin, and young and adult cladodes) of six cultivars. Analysis was carried out by using two non-targeted UHPLC-ESI-MSn experimental conditions and assisted with multivariate analysis to facilitate data interpretation. Up to 41 compounds, mainly (poly)phenolic molecules, were identified and quantified, 23 compounds being reported for the first time in Opuntia ficus-indica. Phenolic composition varied significantly depending on the part of the plant. Betalains were detected only in the fruit of a red cultivar. This study provided novel insights in terms of identification of bioactives and thorough characterization of botanical parts of prickly pears. This information may be used for the development of prickly pear-derived products with high levels of bioactive compounds.