scholarly journals Study of the Quality Attributes of Selected Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) Varieties Grown under Different Irrigation Regimes and Cultivation Systems

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (23) ◽  
pp. 8459
Author(s):  
José L. Ordóñez-Díaz ◽  
Gema Pereira-Caro ◽  
Vanessa Cardeñosa ◽  
José L. Muriel ◽  
José M. Moreno-Rojas

Quality parameters are always of major importance in fruit sensory perception and they are influenced by the agriculture and environmental strategies of water-use efficiency that in the last few years are being developed due to water scarcity. Blueberry fruit quality depends on several factors, such as variety, water availability or cultivation system. The purpose of this work was to determine the effect of deficit irrigation and cultivation systems on the quality of three blueberry cultivars along two consecutive seasons. Three blueberry varieties (‘Rocio’, V2 and V3) were subjected to two irrigation regimes (100% and 80% crop evapotranspiration) and grown under two cultivation systems (open field and plastic tunnels). Their quality attributes (color, sugars, acidity, firmness, size and weight) were evaluated over two consecutive seasons (2011–2012). The application of deficit irrigation did not significantly affect the quality parameters, except for an increase in firmness. The cultivation system used influenced the quality attributes of blueberries cultivated under plastic tunnels in both seasons, increasing the soluble solids content and decreasing the titratable acidity. All the studied quality parameters were significantly affected by genetic factors. The V2 cultivar was the most influenced by the cultivation system. In conclusion, the use of deficit irrigation and plastic tunnels in blueberry cultivation is a good alternative to obtain fruits with enhanced quality features.

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Vânia Silva ◽  
Sandra Pereira ◽  
Alice Vilela ◽  
Eunice Bacelar ◽  
Francisco Guedes ◽  
...  

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is a fruit appreciated by consumers for its well-known physical and sensory characteristics and its health benefits. Being an extremely perishable fruit, it is important to know the unique attributes of the cultivars to develop cultivation or postharvest strategies that can enhance their quality. This study aimed to understand the influence of physicochemical characteristics of two sweet cherry cultivars, Burlat and Van, on the food quality perception. Several parameters (weight, dimensions, soluble solids content (SSC), pH, titratable acidity (TA), colour, and texture) were measured and correlated with sensory data. Results showed that cv. Van presented heavier and firmer fruits with high sugar content. In turn, cv. Burlat showed higher pH, lower TA, and presented redder and brightest fruits. The principal component analysis revealed an evident separation between cultivars. Van cherries stood out for their sensory parameters and were classified as more acidic, bitter, and astringent, and presented a firmer texture. Contrarily, Burlat cherries were distinguished as being more flavourful, succulent, sweeter, and more uniform in terms of visual and colour parameters. The results of the sensory analysis suggested that perceived quality does not always depend on and/or recognize the quality parameters inherent to the physicochemical characteristics of each cultivar.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Dorota Walkowiak-Tomczak ◽  
Natalia Idaszewska ◽  
Grzegorz P. Łysiak ◽  
Krzysztof Bieńczak

The study assessed the changes in the quality and physical and chemical parameters of apples of four cultivars (‘Gala’, ‘Idared’, ‘Topaz’, ‘Red Prince’) subjected to mechanical vibration during transport under model conditions and after storage (shelf-life). Quality changes in apples were evaluated based on skin and flesh colour, total soluble solids, dry matter, firmness, titratable acidity, pH value, total polyphenol content, and antioxidant capacity. The vibration applied at a frequency of 28 Hz caused changes in the above parameters, which were visible also after storage and depended on the cultivar, but often did not show any clear trend or direction or were not statistically significant. The values of the total colour difference factor ΔE showed considerable variations in the skin colour but only small variations in the flesh colour of individual cultivars. Vibration resulted in a decrease in firmness. Variations in dry matter, total soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity were small, often insignificant. Mechanical vibration and storage led to an increase in the polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of all studied cultivars. The greatest stability of quality parameters, relatively high content of bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity were observed for ‘Red Prince’. The lowest quality parameters were noted for ‘Gala’. The analysed cultivars continued to show a high level of antioxidant capacity after treatment, which allows the conclusion that they remain a good source of bioactive compounds after transport and short-term storage.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 448
Author(s):  
Leontina Lipan ◽  
Aarón A. Carbonell-Pedro ◽  
Belén Cárceles Rodríguez ◽  
Víctor Hugo Durán-Zuazo ◽  
Dionisio Franco Tarifa ◽  
...  

Mango is one of the most cultivated tropical fruits worldwide and one of few drought-tolerant plants. Thus, in this study the effect of a sustained deficit irrigation (SDI) strategy on mango yield and quality was assessed with the aim of reducing irrigation water in mango crop. A randomized block design with four treatments was developed: (i) full irrigation (FI), assuring the crop’s water needs, and three levels of SDI receiving 75%, 50%, and 33% of irrigation water (SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33). Yield, morphology, color, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), organic acids (OA), sugars, minerals, fiber, antioxidant activity (AA), and total phenolic content (TPC) were analyzed. The yield was reduced in SDI conditions (8%, 11%, and 20% for SDI75, SDI50, and SDI33, respectively), but the irrigation water productivity was higher in all SDI regimes. SDI significantly reduced the mango size, with SDI33 generating the smallest mangoes. Peel color significantly changed after 13 days of ripening, with SDI75 being the least ripe. The TA, AA, and citric acid were higher in SDI75, while the TPC and fiber increased in all SDI levels. Consequently, SDI reduced the mango size but increased the functionality of samples, without a severe detrimental effect on the yield.


2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Toscano ◽  
F. Branca ◽  
Antonio Ferrante ◽  
D. Romano

Organic production must be carried out following the EU regulations and their protocols. On the contrary, conventional cultivation instead can be carried out using the best agronomic approaches available and using the latest innovative resources. Organic cultivation is more widespread in permanent crops (olive and grape crops) than vegetable ones, and even less in protected cultivation systems, due to the high intensity production processes which render the application of organic growing protocols more complex. The comparison between the two systems of cultivation, organic and conventional, is difficult because the two cultivation methods are often carried out in different farms and hence in different environmental conditions. Cultivation using the two methods was conducted in a greenhouse from November to March 2017/2018. Results demonstrated that the total fruit yield zucchini squash in organic cultivation was not significantly different to the conventional one (43.2 Mg ha-1 and 46.4 Mg ha-1, respectively). The agronomic inputs (fertilizers, fungicides, and insecticides) were higher in the organic cultivation system than conventional one. The water use efficiency was higher in the conventional cultivation system (150.6 kg m-3 ha-1) compared to the organic one (147.6 kg m-3 ha-1). No statistically significant differences were found for the fruit number per plant and for the marketable fruit at the end of the growing period. Significant differences for the harvest period were only detected for fresh weight, shape index, firmness, and titratable acidity. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that the organic system required higher inputs compared to the conventional cultivation. The extensive experience of the grower allowed for comparable yields between the two systems.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 892
Author(s):  
Nur Azlin Razali ◽  
Steven A. Sargent ◽  
Charles A. Sims ◽  
Jeffrey K. Brecht ◽  
Adrian D. Berry ◽  
...  

Pitaya is a non-climacteric fruit that has white or red flesh with numerous small, black seeds. It has a high moisture content; however, water loss during handling and storage negatively affects the fresh weight, firmness and appearance of the fruit, decreasing market value. Application of compatible postharvest coatings has been shown to benefit postharvest quality of many crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two commercial coatings on weight loss and quality of pitaya during storage. Pitaya fruit were commercially harvested and sorted for uniformity of size and freedom from defects. Fruit were briefly immersed in either a vegetable oil-based coating (VOC; Sta-Fresh® 2981) or a carnauba-based coating (CC; Endura-Fresh™ 6100) according to manufacturer’s recommendations. Fruit immersed in tap water served as a control. Fruit were fan-dried at room temperature for 20 min, then stored at 7 °C with 85% relative humidity (RH) and evaluated for selected physical quality parameters each 5 days during 20 days. After each evaluation, fruit were peeled and frozen for later analysis of soluble solids content (SSC), total titratable acidity (TTA); on day 15 fresh samples were evaluated by an untrained consumer sensory panel. CC prevented exocarp shriveling for 15 days of storage, compared to uncoated pitaya (16.3% area affected); shriveling in VOC was intermediate and not significantly different from the other treatments. Mesocarp firmness remained constant throughout 15 days of storage regardless of treatment. Fruit exocarp h* angle increased slightly by day 20, becoming slightly less red, and there were no negative treatment effects for the other quality factors measured: SSC (11.33%), TTA (0.25%), weight loss (5.5%) or sensory evaluations (appearance, flavor, texture, firmness, and juiciness). After 20 days storage, appearance for fruit from all treatments was rated unacceptable due to development of anthracnose lesions. It was concluded that both CC and VOC maintained quality of pitaya for 15 days at 7 °C and 85% RH by delaying exocarp shriveling.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1183
Author(s):  
Radka Langová ◽  
Miroslav Jůzl ◽  
Olga Cwiková ◽  
Ivica Kos

The influence of the drying technique on certain quality attributes of dried grapes was analysed. Five varieties of grape were used in this study (Bezsemenné, Perlette, Vrboska, Beauty seedless, and Jakubské). All the varieties were dried using four methods: drying at 40 °C, combined drying (70, 65, and 60 °C), drying at 70 °C, and lyophilisation. The quality attributes such as total soluble solids, water activity, content of vitamin C, the colour parameters (L*, a*, b*), and microbiological (colony forming units, moulds, yeasts) and sensory (smoothness, gloss, colour, odour, chewability, juiciness, flavour, and overall impression) analysis were determined, depending on the method of drying. Lyophilised grapes from the Jakubské variety had the highest vitamin C content. They contained 0.58 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of dried grapes. However, no significant differences between varieties in vitamin C content were found. This confirmed concerns about the negative impact on the nutritional quality of dried grapes with increasing temperature. The lowest total count of microorganisms (CFU), moulds, and yeasts were determined after using highest drying temperature (70 °C). Higher CFU values were determined in lyophilised grapes, and then followed by grapes dried at 40 °C. Lyophilised grapes and grapes dried at 40 °C achieved the best sensory rating in general. The final product was intended to have a unique appearance while maintaining the evaluated quality parameters.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-129
Author(s):  
Thaís Inês M Souza ◽  
Cândido A Costa ◽  
Milton NC Chauca

ABSTRACT Ivy gourd is an underutilized vegetables found in the North of Minas Gerais State-Brazil. It is mainly consumed raw as salad. Pickling fruits can enhance the commercial exploitation of this species. However, no information on the processing techniques of the ivy gourd fruits in Brazil is found in literature. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality parameters in the production of pickled ivy gourd. The treatments consisted of three bleaching times (3, 6 and 9 minutes), using a completely randomized design, with seven replicates. We evaluated the traits: instrumental analyzes of pH, color, total titratable acidity, soluble solids, texture and sensorial affective tests. The pH is within the indicated range (below 4.5) and the bleaching time influenced the color and texture alteration since the sample under 3-minute bleaching presented a greater tendency for green and greater firmness. For the sensory analysis, no significant difference related to sensory scoring was noticed; in relation to mode value, we concluded that the 6-minute sample was more preferable, though. For titratable total acidity and soluble solids analyses, no significant differences between the samples was noticed, considering that both parameters were within the standard when compared to other literature. We concluded that heat treatment influenced only the texture and color intensity and the preserved product showed good acceptability.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Gatta ◽  
Angela Libutti ◽  
Anna Gagliardi ◽  
Grazia Disciglio ◽  
Luciano Beneduce ◽  
...  

This study was designed to determine the qualitative and microbiological impact of two different sources of irrigation water on tomato fruit: groundwater (GW), as the control, and treated agro-industrial wastewater (SW). The mean tomato fruit quality parameters of dry matter, weight, diameter, colour index, pH, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Na<sup>+</sup> content were not significantly affected by the different water treatments. Conversely, NO<sub>3</sub> <sup>–</sup> contents was significantly higher with GW use, than with SW (2.21 <em>vs</em> 1.62 mg 100 g<sup>–1</sup>, respectively; P≤0.05). The microbial quality of the tomato fruit was not significantly different across the GW and SW treatments, with no <em>Salmonella</em> spp. isolated from any of the fruit, and the faecal indicators always below 10 CFU g<sup>–1</sup>. These data show that agro-industrial treated wastewater can be used for irrigation for industrial tomato production once the long-term effects on the agroecosystem have been defined.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ((03) 2019) ◽  
pp. 340-347
Author(s):  
Maristella Martineli ◽  
Kennia Karolline Gonçalves Pereira ◽  
João Rafael Prudêncio dos Santos ◽  
Ariane Castricini ◽  
Polyanna Mara de Oliveira ◽  
...  

This study aimed to evaluate the influence of different levels of irrigation on the quality parameters involved in the dried-bananas production from 3 different cultivars. The experimental design was a completely randomized factorial 3 x 3, with three genotypes of bananas (Prata-Anã, FHIA-18 and BRS Platina) produced in the semi-arid region of Minas Gerais.) and three irrigation levels (50, 75 and 100% of crop evapotranspiration - ETC), with three replications. For the processing purpose, the fruits were selected at the maturity stage 6. Then they sanitized in hypochlorite of sodium solution at 100 mg L-1, peeled and dehydrated through the drying convective method with hot air, in dryer with forced air, in dryer with forced air circulation at 65ºC for 24 hours. The dried bananas were evaluated according to the following physical and chemical aspects: moisture, length, diameter, firmness, color (brightness, chroma and ºHue), soluble solids and titratable acidity, and sensory characteristics: purchase intention and acceptance. The humidity, length, diameter, firmness, color and acidity of dried bananas were influenced by the different studied irrigation levels. In the sensory evaluation, the best result regarding appearance, color, texture and flavor requirements was observed in banana processed from 'Prata-Anã' irrigated with the total level of water (100%). The dried banana processed from 'BRS Platina' was the least accepted in the sensory tests.


Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazimierz Tomala ◽  
Marek Grzęda ◽  
Dominika Guzek ◽  
Dominika Głąbska ◽  
Krystyna Gutkowska

Postharvest treatment by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) for ‘Szampion’ cultivar apples inhibits ripening of climacteric fruit by blocking ethylene receptors, preventing ethylene from binding and eliciting its action. It is also possible to apply 1-MCP preharvest, which so far has not been studied for the ‘Szampion’ cultivar. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of preharvest 1-MCP treatment on the fruit quality parameters of cold-stored ‘Szampion’ cultivar apples in a Polish experiment. Two identical groups of apple trees (6 years, experimental orchard in Warsaw) were included, to obtain studied apples (preharvest 1-MCP treatment with HarvistaTM, 150 g/ha, 7 days before the optimum harvesting window, OHW) and control apples (1-MCP not applied). Apples for the studied group were harvested twice—on 28 September (OHW) and 24 October (delayed harvesting)—and for control group once—on 28 September, as before 24 October the majority of apples fell from trees. Afterwards, apples were stored in an Ultra Low Oxygen chamber (1.2% CO2, 1.2% O2). Apples were assessed in the preharvest period (weekly, six measurements for the studied group, and five measurements for the control group) and postharvest period (monthly, three measurements separately for each harvest time for the studied group and control group). The following parameters were assessed: internal ethylene content (IEC), firmness, total soluble solids (TSS) content, starch index, Streif index, titratable acidity (TA), and color for blush. For the preharvest period, statistically significant differences between the studied group and the control group were observed for IEC, the a* coordinate of color (p < 0.05; for apples treated with 1-MCP lower results), firmness, Streif index, TA (p < 0.05; higher results), and starch index (p < 0.05; no defined trend). For the postharvest period, statistically significant differences between the studied group and the control group were observed for apples harvested in the OHW for firmness (p < 0.05; for apples treated with 1-MCP higher results) and IEC (p < 0.05; no defined trend), while for delayed harvesting the differences were only minor. It may be concluded, that preharvest 1-MCP application makes it possible not only to obtain better results for ‘Szampion’ cultivar apples’ quality parameters, but also allows delayed harvesting without deterioration in quality.


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