scholarly journals Ethylene Sensor-Enabled Dynamic Monitoring and Multi-Strategies Control for Quality Management of Fruit Cold Chain Logistics

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5830
Author(s):  
Xuepei Wang ◽  
Xinwu Li ◽  
Daqi Fu ◽  
Rajko Vidrih ◽  
Xiaoshuan Zhang

Due to the presence of bioactive compounds, fruits are an essential part of people’s healthy diet. However, endogenous ethylene produced by climacteric fruits and exogenous ethylene in the microenvironment could play a pivotal role in the physiological and metabolic activities, leading to quality losses during storage or shelf life. Moreover, due to the variety of fruits and complex scenarios, different ethylene control strategies need to be adapted to improve the marketability of fruits and maintain their high quality. Therefore, this study proposed an ethylene dynamic monitoring based on multi-strategies control to reduce the post-harvest quality loss of fruits, which was evaluated here for blueberries, sweet cherries, and apples. The results showed that the ethylene dynamic monitoring had rapid static/dynamic response speed (2 ppm/s) and accurately monitoring of ethylene content (99% accuracy). In addition, the quality parameters evolution (firmness, soluble solids contents, weight loss rate, and chromatic aberration) showed that the ethylene multi-strategies control could effectively reduce the quality loss of fruits studied, which showed great potential in improving the quality management of fruits in the supply chain.

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.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 545
Author(s):  
Grzegorz P. Łysiak ◽  
Krzysztof Rutkowski ◽  
Dorota Walkowiak-Tomczak

Late pear cultivars, such as ‘Conference’, can be stored for a long period if kept in good storage conditions. A three-year study (2011–2013) compared the impact of six-month storage using four technologies—normal atmosphere, normal atmosphere + 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), controlled atmosphere, and controlled atmosphere + 1-MCP—on the quality parameters of ‘Conference’ pears, such as mass loss, firmness, total soluble solids, acidity, antioxidant capacity, and the incidence of diseases and disorders. Additionally, the study analysed different storage conditions in terms of profitability, based on the market prices for pears in the seasons during which the pears were stored. The storage conditions had a very strong influence on the fruit quality parameters, and were found to affect most visibly the mass loss and the incidence of postharvest diseases and disorders. The storage of ‘Conference’ pears for 180 days in normal atmosphere is not economically viable, even if the fruit is subjected to 1-MCP treatment; at the same time, it is profitable to store ‘Conference’ pears in controlled atmosphere for the same period, no matter whether 1-MCP was applied or not.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 378
Author(s):  
Irene Salinas ◽  
Juan José Hueso ◽  
Julián Cuevas

Papaya is a tropical fruit crop that in subtropical regions depends on protected cultivation to fulfill its climate requirements and remain productive. The aim of this work was to compare the profitability of different climate control strategies in greenhouses located in subtropical areas of southeast Spain. To do so, we compared papayas growing in a greenhouse equipped with active climate control (ACC), achieved by cooling and heating systems, versus plants growing in another greenhouse equipped with passive climate control (PCC), consisting of only natural ventilation through zenithal and lateral windows. The results showed that ACC favored papaya plant growth; flowering; fruit set; and, consequently, yields, producing more and heavier fruits at an affordable cost. Climate control strategies did not significantly improve fruit quality, specifically fruit skin color, acidity, and total soluble solids content. In conclusion, in the current context of prices, an active control of temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse could be a more profitable strategy in subtropical regions where open-air cultivation is not feasible.


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.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1s) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grazia Disciglio ◽  
Francesco Lops ◽  
Antonia Carlucci ◽  
Giuseppe Gatta ◽  
Annalisa Tarantino ◽  
...  

The root-parasitic weed <em>Phelipanche ramosa</em> (L.) Pomel represents a major problem for processing tomato crops. The control of this holoparasitic plant is difficult, and better understanding of treatment methods is needed to develop new and specific control strategies. This study investigated 12 agronomic, chemical, biological and biotechnological strategies for the control of this parasitic weed, in comparison with the untreated situation. The trial was carried out in 2014 at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Environment of the University of Foggia (southern Italy), using processing tomato plants grown in pots filled with soil from a field that was heavily infested with <em>P. ramosa</em>. After transplantation, top dressing was performed with 70 kg ha<sup>–1</sup> nitrogen. A randomised block design with 3 replicates (pots) was adopted. During the growing cycle of the tomato, at 70, 75, 81 and 88 days after transplantation, the number of parasitic shoots (branched plants) that had emerged in each pot was determined, and the leaf chlorophyll of the plants was measured using a soil-plantanalysis- development meter. At harvesting on 8 August 2014, the major quanti-qualitative yield parameters were determined, including marketable yield, mean weight, dry matter, soluble solids, and fruit colour. The results show lower chlorophyll levels in the parasitised tomato plants, compared to healthy plants. None of the treatments provided complete control against P. ramosa. However, among the methods tested, Radicon® biostimulant (Radicon, Inc., Elk Grove Village, IL, USA), compost activated with <em>Fusarium oxysporum</em>, nitrogen and sulphur mineral fertilisers, Enzone<sup>TM</sup> soil fumigant (Elliott Chemicals Ltd., Auckland, New Zealand), and a resistant tomato genotype mitigated the virulence of the attacks of this parasite. These effects should be improved by combining some of these treatments, especially for gradual and continued reduction in the <em>seed bank</em> of the parasite in the soil. For the tomato yields across the different treatments, there were no significant differences seen; however, the yields showed an improving trend for treatments with lower presence of the <em>P. ramosa</em> weed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaotong Zhu ◽  
Jinhui Jeanne Huang

&lt;p&gt;Remote sensing monitoring has the characteristics of wide monitoring range, celerity, low cost for long-term dynamic monitoring of water environment. With the flourish of artificial intelligence, machine learning has enabled remote sensing inversion of seawater quality to achieve higher prediction accuracy. However, due to the physicochemical property of the water quality parameters, the performance of algorithms differs a lot. In order to improve the predictive accuracy of seawater quality parameters, we proposed a technical framework to identify the optimal machine learning algorithms using Sentinel-2 satellite and in-situ seawater sample data. In the study, we select three algorithms, i.e. support vector regression (SVR), XGBoost and deep learning (DL), and four seawater quality parameters, i.e. dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), turbidity(TUR) and chlorophyll-a (Chla). The results show that SVR is a more precise algorithm to inverse DO (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.81). XGBoost has the best accuracy for Chla and Tur inversion (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; = 0.75 and 0.78 respectively) while DL performs better in TDS (R&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; =0.789). Overall, this research provides a theoretical support for high precision remote sensing inversion of offshore seawater quality parameters based on machine learning.&lt;/p&gt;


Author(s):  
. Chandni ◽  
Deepti Singh ◽  
Shirin Akhtar ◽  
Shiv Shankar Mahesh

Vegetable, due to higher neutraceutical component, are termed as protective food against various major and minor diseases. Scientific agro-techniques under optimum growing condition like temperature, relative humidity and light intensity, positively influence the qualitative and quantitative attributes of most of the vegetable crops including cherry tomato. It is one of potential vegetable crop, which is extensively utilized for table purpose and for preparing recipies in five star restaurants. Cherry tomato fetches higher prices in market due to good taste and higher nutrients, thus making qualitative attributes as an important factor to give higher returns to the farmers. Thus, this experiment was conducted to estimate the qualitative attributes in eighteen genotypes of cherry tomato grown under both open field and polyhouse conditions. The result of the study revealed that under open field condition, BRCT-30 was the best genotype with maximum value for lycopene content (6.62 mg 100-1 g FW) and β-carotene (2.30 mg 100-1 g FW), second maximum value for total soluble solids (7.85°Brix), third maximum value for reducing sugar and fourth highest position for ascorbic acid content (43.65 mg/100 g FW). Under polyhouse condition, the best genotype for quality parameters was BRCT-36 with maximum total soluble solids (10.81°Brix), lycopene (7.48 mg 100-1 g FW) and β-carotene (2.49 mg 100-1g FW) along with average range of values for ascorbic acid (72.36 mg 100-1 g FW) and titrable acidity (0.55 mg 100-1 g FW).


Author(s):  
T. Rubóczki ◽  
V. Raczkó ◽  
M. Takácsné Hájos

Beetroot consumption based on pickled beets generally in Hungary which is due to the higher yield from second crop harvested in autumn and processed by manufacturing industry. Researches of the past years confirmed its favourable nutritional-physiological effects on human body so demands, as for fresh salad, also increased. The trial aimed at testing the interaction of varieties on quality parameters and in the same time suggestions are made how to use different varieties of beetroot according to its quality. Morphological and sensory evaluations were examined on 10 varieties of beetroot harvested in autumn. The regular spherical shape can reduce the refining loss during the processing of beetroot which is beneficial for the manufacturing industry. In our trial the root shape of Libero, Mona Lisa and Rubin varieties approached most the regular spherical shape (diameter/length – 1.0) which is favoured by not only processing industry but also fresh market. The highest red pigment content (betanin) was observed in Mona Lisa, Akela and Cylindra (34.58–47.66 mg/100 g). A similar trend could be observed in yellow pigments (vulgaxanthins) which proves the close correlation between the quantities of the two pigments (r=0.898). Highest total polyphenol (77.13–83.37 mg GAE/100g) and flavonoid (21.73–22.73 mg CE/100g) contents were detected in Akela, Mona Lisa and Bonel. These varieties are favourable for fresh salad and they can satisfy processing requirements also. Highest water soluble solids content was found in Akela (7.15%). In our conditions nitrate (NO3-N) values below 900 mg/kg were examined in all of the varieties which is favourable in the case of beetroot.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-320
Author(s):  
Monika Chauhan ◽  
N S Thakur ◽  
Abhimanyu Thakur

Wild prickly pear (Opuntia dillenii Haw.) is one of the wild fruit with great importance because of its high antioxidants, colour pigments and other quality parameters besides its medicinal properties. In India, there are only a limited number of reports pertaining to utilization of this fruit which further lack the development of value added novel products. So, the present studies were carried out for the development of spiced squash or appetizer from wild prickly pear fruit and its quality evaluation during storage. Different combinations of fruit juice (25, 30, 35 and 40 %) and sugar syrup (40 and 45 °B) were tried to standardize a proper combination for appetizer. The appetizer prepared by using the best recipe with 35 % juice, 45 °B TSS (Total soluble solids) and 1.20 % acidity was packed in two packaging materials viz. glass and PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) bottles which were further stored for six months under ambient and refrigerated temperature conditions. Appetizer packed in glass as well as in PET packaging material can be stored successfully for a period of six months under both the temperature conditions. However, various quality parameters of appetizer were retained higher in glass bottles stored under refrigerated storage conditions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Anna Korus ◽  
Emilia Bernaś ◽  
Jarosław Korus

The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and health-promoting constituents of several variants of kimchi obtained from Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, white radish, and cucumbers. The level of dry matter, total soluble solids, ash, total acidity, pH, dietary fiber, and vitamins C, B1, and B2, as well as total polyphenols (TP) and antioxidant activity AA (ABTS, DPPH) in kimchi, were determined. In addition, color parameters were determined ( L ∗ , a ∗ , b ∗ , C ∗ , and h o ). Kimchi with the highest proportion of Chinese cabbage (63%) had the highest levels of dry matter (11.01 g), ash (2.57 g), and vitamins: C, B1, and B2 (51 mg, 52 μg, and 242 μg, respectively), expressed per 100 g of fresh weight. In addition, this product showed the highest total AA of 132.3 μmol Tx/g (ABTS) and 49.7 μmol Tx/g (DPPH) due to its high level of TP (194 mg/100 g). Cucumber-derived kimchi (85%) also had a high content of TP (147 mg/100 g) and high AA of 88.7 μmol Tx/g (ABTS) and 36.3 μmol Tx/g (DPPH). Additionally, stuffed kimchi from kohlrabi (88%) had the highest amounts of total dietary fiber, 3.65 g/100 g fresh weight. In all products, red ( a ∗ ) and yellow ( b ∗ ) were the dominant colors, with values of L ∗ ranging between 32.63 and 53.16. In general, our studies have shown that depending on the raw materials used, kimchi is a good source of dietary fiber but also vitamins and polyphenols.


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