Search results for "Litchi"
showing 10 items of 13 documents
Fruit production and quality evaluation of four litchi cultivars (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) grown in Mediterranean climate
2017
Introduction - The agronomic and qualitative responses of the litchi fruit (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) grown in Mediterranean climate are not yet studied. In this study, yield components, physico-chemical and sensory traits of four commercial litchi cultivars were recorded over two productive seasons. Materials and methods - Fruits of the cvs Tai So, Wai Chee, Brewster and Kwai Mai were collected at commercial maturity stage and subjected to productive (yield, efficiency, number of fruits, crop load), analytical (fruit weight, transversal diameter, longitudinal diameter, moisture, total soluble solid content (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), TSS/TA ratio, seed weight, peel weight, percentage of …
Effects of gellan-based coating application on litchi fruit quality traits
2018
The use of gellan-based coating formulation on litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn. ‘Wai Chee’) fruit was investigated in order to determine its ability to improve color conservation and to maintain the overall quality. Fruits were treated with gellanbased coating (0.5% w/v) and glycerol (3% w/v) after dipping in ascorbic acid (1.5% w/v) and then stored at 5°C and 90% relative humidity for 15 days. Changes in peel color, soluble solid content, tritatable acidity, weight loss, antioxidant activity and phenolic content, were measured. Formulations containing gellan-based coating exhibited slightly improved water barrier properties and showed their active role in maintaining color characteristics an…
Litchi chinensis as a Functional Food and a Source of Antitumor Compounds: An Overview and a Description of Biochemical Pathways.
2017
Litchi is a tasty fruit that is commercially grown for food consumption and nutritional benefits in various parts of the world. Due to its biological activities, the fruit is becoming increasingly known and deserves attention not only for its edible part, the pulp, but also for its peel and seed that contain beneficial substances with antioxidant, cancer preventive, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory functions. Although literature demonstrates the biological activity of Litchi components in reducing tumor cell viability in in vitro or in vivo models, data about the biochemical mechanisms responsible for these effects are quite fragmentary. This review specifically describes, in a comprehe…
Sicilian Litchi Fruit Extracts Induce Autophagy versus Apoptosis Switch in Human Colon Cancer Cells
2018
Litchi chinensis Sonnerat is a tropical tree whose fruits contain significant amounts of bioactive polyphenols. Litchi cultivation has recently spread in Sicily where the climate conditions are particularly favorable for this crop. Recent findings have shown that Litchi extracts display anti-tumor and pro-apoptotic effects in vitro, but the precise underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we report for the first time the effects of Sicilian litchi fruit extracts on colon cancer cells. The results indicated that litchi exocarp, mesocarp and endocarp fractions reduce the viability and clonogenic growth of HT29 cells. These effects were due to cell cycle arrest in t…
Evaluation of gliadins-diglycosylated cyanidins interaction from litchi pericarp through ultraviolet and fluorescence measurements
2017
The low stability of anthocyanins limits their use in industry, which can be surpassed by gliadins linkage. This work was aimed to study the anthocyanins-gliadins bonding properties. HPLC-DAD-ESI-M...
Modulation of lipid metabolism and colonic microbial diversity of high-fat-diet C57BL/6 mice by inulin with different chain lengths
2019
Abstract The physicochemical properties, biological functions and microbial degradation of inulins differ according to their degree of polymerization. However, the relationship between inulin activities and its effect on gut microbiota remains unknown. In this study, high fat diet with inulin (1 or 5 g/kg·bw), either with short or long chains groups were administered to different groups of mice (n = 10) for 10 weeks in order to investigate the effect of inulin on the microbial diversity of the animals. Litchi pericarp procyanidins (LPPC) were used for comparison purposes. Furthermore, the lipid metabolism and key regulator genes in mice were determined. The results indicated that natural in…
Direct and indirect measurements of enhanced phenolic bioavailability from litchi pericarp procyanidins by Lactobacillus casei-01
2017
Litchi pericarp procyanidins (LPP) are dietary supplements with high antioxidant activity, but poor oral bioavailability and efficacy. Lactobacillus casei (L. casei-01) can transform flavan-3-ols from litchi pericarp and increase their antioxidant ability; thus, L. casei-01 with LPP was administered to rats for four and eight weeks to study the effect of such a combination on metabolic parameters and on phase II metabolism and detoxification pathways in the liver as an indirect measure for phenolic bioavailability. Our data indicated that the T-AOC of the plasma, the liver GSH-Px and GSH-ST activity, and the expression of UGT and SULT isoforms in the liver of the rats were all enhanced afte…
Il sostegno e il miglioramento delle coltivazioni sub-tropicali in Sicilia traggono vantaggio dallo studio e dalla promozione delle loro proprietà nu…
2015
Negli ultimi decenni si è assistito a un continuo progresso scientifico in ambito nutrizionale che ha trovato le sue basi da una parte nella scoperta dei principi nutritivi contenuti negli alimenti e dall'altra nell'elaborazione di precise linee guida a larga diffusione. Un'inadeguata alimentazione, infatti, oltre a incidere sul benessere psicofisico, rappresenta uno dei principali fattori di rischio per l'insorgenza di numerose patologie croniche. Secondo l'Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità (OMS) il rischio di insorgenza di malattie cardiovascolari, metaboliche e di alcuni tumori si abbassa considerevolmente grazie a una corretta e sana alimentazione.
La confezione in atmosfera controllata migliora la qualità post-raccolta del lici
2018
La coltivazione del frutto in Sicilia è una realtà in espansione e su cui in futuro puntare. Necessario affinare le tecniche di conservazione per allungare la shelf-life dei frutti di lici
I frutti tropicali e sub-tropicali
2020
I fruttiferi di origine tropicale più diffusi in Italia sono il mango, l’avocado, il litchi e la papaya, ai quali fanno da corollario poche altre specie, definibili minori per la loro diffusione sporadica in micro aree vocate, come il nespolo del Giappone, l’anona, il banano e la passiflora. La coltivazione di queste specie esotiche in Italia è concentrata al Sud Italia con la quasi totalità degli impianti di mango, avocado e litchi sulle coste tirreniche della Sicilia. In queste aree hanno trovato condizioni vocate che permettono alle piante di vegetare, seppur con alcuni adattamenti fisiologici ed agronomici, permettendo buone rese ed eccellente qualità dei frutti. La diffusione di queste…