Monitoring the Shelf-Life of Minimally Processed Fresh-Cut Apple Slices By Physical–Chemical Analysis and Electronic Nose

Fresh-cut apples, in slices or in cubes, are minimally processed products, which are currently collecting a great interest by fruit marketers for their promising diffusion. Their shelf life, from a microbiological point of view, has been fixed about 2 or 3 weeks under refrigeration. However in a few days they undergo biochemical degradations with production of off-flavors and texture breakdown. In this work, the change of aromatic fingerprint of apple slices packaged in air and in a modified atmosphere (with 100% N2) and stored at 4°C was measured, by using a commercial electronic nose. The obtained data were also compared with sensory evaluation of judge’s panel. Moreover, quality paramete…

Nutraceutical Value of Pantelleria Capers (Capparis spinosa L.)

Abstract: Unopened flower buds of Capparis spinosa L. (capers), generally used in the Mediterranean area as food flavoring, are known to be a good source of bioactive compounds. The aim of this work was to evaluate the nutraceutical value of salt-fermented capers collected from different areas of Pantelleria Island (Italy), testing their methylglyoxal and glyoxal trapping capacity and antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), [2,2-azinobis(3-ethylben- zothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] diammonium salt (ABTS), and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assays. Hydrophilic extracts were also characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography–electrospray ionization/ma…

Seasonal variations of antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of essential oils extracted from three Citrus limon L. Burm. cultivars

In order to investigate the seasonal variations of antimicrobial properties and chemical composition of essential oils (EOs), three different cultivars of Citrus limon L. Burm. spp. (Femminello Santa Teresa, Monachello and Femminello Continella) were collected at 6-week intervals, from December 2012 to April 2013, for a total of four harvests. The EOs were extracted from lemon peel by hydro-distillation. The antimicrobial activity, tested by paper disc diffusion method, was evaluated against common food-related pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica and Enterobacter spp.). EOs were more effective against Gram-positive than Gram-negative bacte…

Inhibition of foodborne pathogen bacteria by essential oils extracted from citrus fruits cultivated in Sicily

Abstract The antagonistic activity of the essential oils (EOs) extracted by hydrodistillation from the fruit peel of several citrus genotypes (pummelo, grapefruit, orange, kumquat, mandarin and lemon) was evaluated against foodborne pathogen bacteria (43 strains of Listeria monocytogenes , 35 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 14 strains of Salmonella enterica ). Five commercial EOs were used for comparison. Most of the EOs were more effective against the Gram-positive bacteria rather than Salmonella . EOs of lemon genotypes 14 and 15 showed the best results in terms of number of strains inhibited and width of the inhibition zone. The most susceptible strain of each species ( L. monocytog…

Studio preliminare sulle caratteristiche qualitative e salutistiche di 4 cultivar di mango (Mangifera indica L.) coltivate in Sicilia.

FRUIT QUALITY EVALUATION OF FOUR LOQUAT CULTIVARS GROWN IN SICILY

Chemical (soluble solids content, titratable acidity, pH), morphological (weight, longitudinal and transversal diameter, thickness of the flesh, number of seeds, peel colour), and sensorial characteristics of four loquat cultivars (‘Algerie’, ‘Claudia’, ‘Nespolone di Trabia’ and ‘Sanfilippara’) from mature, organically-grown trees in Sicily, were analysed. The determinations were carried out by traditional instrumental techniques, by a panel test and by an electronic olfactory system. A panel of 10 trained judges was used to determine intensity of some attributes in the sensory profile of the different cultivars, while the electronic olfactory system was used to identify possible difference…

Effetto antimicrobico della componente volatile dell’olio essenziale di mandarino.

Gli oli essenziali, estratti dalle piante, sono composti lipofili contenenti una ampia varietà di elementi volatili. Vengono normalmente ottenuti per distillazione o estrazione con solventi. Trovano impiego nella preparazione di cosmetici, per aggiungere sapore ai cibi e alle bevande e per la formulazione di profumi sia personali che per l’ambiente. Gli oli essenziali hanno recentemente trovato impiego nelle biotecnologie applicate al settore agroalimentare. Sono stati, infatti, utilizzati per ottimizzare le proprietà nutrizionali degli alimenti e per prolungarne la shelf life [1,2]. Gli oli essenziali ottenuti da mandarino sono tradizionalmente usati come antidolorifici, sedativi e curativ…

Naso Elettonico con sensori MOS per discriminare 3 cultivar di Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.

CARATTERIZZAZIONE DEL PROFILO AROMATICO E PROVE PRELIMINARI DI INIBIZIONE MICROBICA PER L’OLIO ESSENZIALE ESTRATTO DALLE BUCCE DI CITRUS RETICULATA cv. “TARDIVO DI CIACULLI”

Il mandarino denominato “Tardivo di Ciaculli” ha avuto origine e viene prodotto in provincia di Palermo (Sicilia) nei pressi della contrada Ciaculli. Ha un’epoca di maturazione tardiva che si concentra nei mesi da febbraio ad aprile. I frutti sono piccoli e con buccia di medio spessore [1]. In generale gli oli essenziali di mandarino sono particolarmente apprezzati per le loro proprietà chimico-fisiche costituendo un fondamentale ingrediente nell’industria cosmetica e alimentare come esaltatori di sapore in cibi e bevande. Inoltre trovano un impiego sempre maggiore nelle biotecnologie applicate al settore agroalimentare per ottimizzare le proprietà nutrizionali degli alimenti e prolungarne …

Monitoring the Shelf-Life of Minimally Processed Fresh-Cut Apple Slices By Physical Chemical Analysis and Electronic Nose

Fresh-cut apples, in slices or in cubes, are minimally processed products, which are currently collecting a great interest by fruit marketers for their promising diffusion. Their shelf life, from a microbiological point of view, has been fixed about 2 or 3 weeks under refrigeration. However in a few days they undergo biochemical degradations with production of off-flavors and texture breakdown. In this work, the change of aromatic fingerprint of apple slices packaged in air and in a modified atmosphere (with 100% N2) and stored at 4°C was measured, by using a commercial electronic nose. The obtained data were also compared with sensory evaluation of judge’s panel. Moreover, quality paramete…

Effect of the lemon essential oils on the safety and sensory quality of salted sardines (Sardina pilchardus Walbaum 1792)

The main aim of this research was to investigate the biopreservative effects of lemon essential oil (EO) micro-emulsions on salted sardines. The experimental design included two experimental trials, SR1 and SR2 carried out with 25 ml of lemon EO micro-emulsion at 0.3 and 1.0% (v/v), respectively, and a control trial performed without EO addition. Chemical analyses on salted sardines inoculated with the EOs clearly showed a substantial persistence of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs) belonging to groups of monoterpene hydrocarbons, oxygenated monoterpenes and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons derived from EOs during the entire period of ripening. In particular, the molecules mostly represen…

Naso elettronico con sensori Mos per discriminare 3 cultivar di Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.

Attività antifungina e composizione chimica di oli essenziali estratti da agrumi coltivati in Sicilia.

Risulta comprovata nell’industria agroalimentare l’efficacia di oli essenziali di agrumi quale tecnologia per esaltare la sapidità di cibi e bevande. Ad oggi, il rinnovato interesse verso gli oli essenziali deriva dalle loro proprietà antibatteriche ed antifungine, che possono trovare ampia applicazione in sistemi hurdle-technology ai fini di prolungare la shelf-life di agroprodotti, specie in cibi minimally-processed e di IV gamma. Infatti, la necessità di ricercare nuove sostanze non di sintesi con proprietà antimicrobiche deriva dai cambiamenti legislativi in campo alimentare, dalla tendenza dei consumatori ad acquistare cibi processati naturalmente e dalla crescente resistenza dei patog…

Seasonal variations of antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of Citrus limon L. Burm. spp. essential oils

The interest towards the application of essential oils (EOs) is increasing due to the antimicrobial potential to be used as “natural” alternative to the chemical preservation of foods [1]. EOs are aromatic oily liquids produced as secondary metabolites in various plants exerting different biological properties, such as antibacterial, antiviral, antimycotic and insecticidal. EOs are complex mixtures of lipophilic substances and the chemical composition, thereby the biological activities, is influenced by the raw plant material (genotype, part of the plant, harvest time, geographical, ecological conditions and cultural techniques) and extraction method [2].

Qualità dei frutti di Mango prodotti in Sicilia

Characterization of fruits of four different lemon cultivars, Collected in the northern coast of sicily

The present work is focused on the study of the characteristics of the fruits of four main lemon (Citrus limon L. Burm.) varieties cultivated in Sicily: 'Femminello Comune', 'Monachello', 'Zagara Bianca', and 'Femminello Santa Teresa'. Physical and chemical properties as well as aroma compounds were analysed as quality discrimination factors. Also the effect of the storage conditions was verified. Standard experimental techniques were used to determine: weight, longitudinal and transverse diameters, pH, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, juice percentage and total polyphenols. The volatile component was analysed by i) a gas chromatographer with a mass spectrometer detector and ii) an…

The influence of the wooden equipment employed for cheese manufacture on the characteristics of a traditional stretched cheese during ripening

Abstract The influence of the wooden equipment used for the traditional cheese manufacturing from raw milk was evaluated on the variations of chemico-physical characteristics and microbial populations during the ripening of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese. Milk from two farms (A, extensive; B, intensive) was processed in traditional and standard conditions. Chemical and physical traits of cheeses were affected by the farming system and the cheese making technology, and changed during ripening. Content in NaCl and N soluble was lower, and paste consistency higher in cheese from the extensive farm and traditional technology, whereas ripening increased the N soluble and the paste yellow and co…

Discrimination of three Citrus paradisi Macf. cultivars by Electronic Nose Discrimination of three Citrus paradisi Macf. cultivars by Electronic Nose.

Electronic Nose to detect off-flavor of drinking water

Simultaneous Determination of Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acids in Green Coffee by UV/Vis Spectroscopy

A simple method for the simultaneous determination of caffeine and chlorogenic acids content in green coffee was reported. The method was based on the use of UV/Vis absorption. It is relevant that the quantification of both caffeine and chlorogenic acids was performed without their preliminary chemical separation despite their spectral overlap in the range 250–350 nm. Green coffee was extracted with 70% ethanol aqueous solution; then the solution was analyzed by spectroscopy. Quantitative determination was obtained analytically through deconvolution of the absorption spectrum and by applying the Lambert-Beer law. The bands used for the deconvolution were the absorption bands of both caffein…

Analisi della variazione del contenuto in polifenoli totali del succo dei frutti di tre varietà di limone (Citrus limon L. Burm) coltivate in Sicilia

Discrimination of hand fresh squeezed and commercial grapefruit juices by electronic nose.

Antilisterial effect of citrus essential oils and their performance inedible film formulations

[EN] The antimicrobial activity of eight essential oils (EOs) extracted from the fruit peel of Citrus genotypes (orange, mandarin and lemon) was evaluated against 76 strains of Listeria monocytogenes, previously isolated from different food matrices. EOs showing the most (EO L2 and EO L8) and least (EO O3 and EO M7) effective inhibition activities were chemically characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to compare their composition. EO L2 and EO L8 were chosen to determine the MIC and to evaluate the cell viability of the most sensitive strains (L. monocytogenes LM35 and LM69) after 1, 2, 4 and 6 h of exposure. The effectiveness of chitosan (CH) and methylc…

The individual contribution of starter and non-starter lactic acid bacteria to the volatile organic compound composition of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese

Abstract The contribution of two starter ( Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Streptococcus thermophilus ) and nine non-starter ( Enterococcus casselliflavus , Enterococcus faecalis , Enterococcus durans , Enterococcus gallinarum , Lactobacillus casei , Lactobacillus paracasei , Lactobacillus rhamnosus , Pediococcus acidilactici and Pediococcus pentosaceus ) species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of Caciocavallo Palermitano cheese was investigated. The strains used in this study were isolated during the production/ripening of the stretched cheese and tested in a cheese-based medium (CBM). The fermented substrates were analyzed for the growth of the single …

ELECTRONIC OLFACTORY SYSTEM TO EVALUATE THE FRUIT QUALITY