Search results for "Quality"
showing 10 items of 8136 documents
Discrimination of common defects in loquat fruit cv. ‘Algerie’ using hyperspectral imaging and machine learning techniques
2021
Abstract Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica L.) is an important fruit for the economy of some regions of Spain that is very susceptible to mechanical damage and physiological disorders. These problems depreciate its value and prevent it from being exported. Visible (VIS) and near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging was used to discriminate between external and internal common defects of loquat cv. ‘Algerie’. Two classifiers, random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boost (XGBoost), and different spectral pre-processing techniques were evaluated in terms of their capacity to distinguish between sound and defective features according to three approaches. In the first approach the fruit pixels were c…
Effect of Harvest Date on Mango (Mangifera Indica L. Cultivar Osteen) Fruit’s Qualitative Development, Shelf Life and Consumer Acceptance
2021
The qualitative characteristics of mango fruits change throughout their development process and are also influenced by their duration. Harvesting at different times after the fruit set affects external and internal quality and the post-harvest behavior and management possibilities of the fruits. The objective of this study was to assess the evolution of the most important physicochemical and organoleptic parameters of cv. Osteen fruits concern the length of their stay on the plant and also to their post-harvest management. For this reason, fruits were harvested progressively in ten pickings. The study showed that mango fruits that are kept on the tree reach the best quality traits, correspo…
Non-conventional osmotic solutes (honey and glycerol) improve mass transfer and extend shelf life of hot-air dried red carrots: Kinetics, quality, bi…
2020
The effect of solutes (sucrose, honey and glycerol) on mass transfer kinetics, physico-chemical and biological quality, and shelf life of red carrot slices (RCSs) obtained by hot-air drying at 60 degrees C/6-8 h was studied. RCSs were osmosed for 24 h in sucrose (S), sucrose + honey (SH), honey (H) and sucrose + glycerol (SGL) before drying. Honey and glycerol enhanced the water loss (WL) and solute gain (SG), giving higher values for Peleg's model constants (k(1), WL = 6.9 and 6.5, for H and SGL, respectively; k(1), SG = 92.8 and 73.5, for H and SGL, respectively). Decreased viscosity of osmotic solutions corresponded with the solute effect on WL and SG, reaching equilibrium after 16 h. Di…
Poplar Biochar as an Alternative Substrate for Curly Endive Cultivated in a Soilless System
2020
Imminent necessity for eco-friendly and low-cost substitutes to peat is a defiance in the soilless plant cultivation systems. Wood biochar could entirely or partly substitute peat as a plant growing constituent to produce vegetables. Nevertheless, knowledge concerning potential plant performance of leafy green vegetables grown on wood biochar is restricted. The present study assessed the main physicochemical traits of various growing media constituted by decreasing the content of peat and by increasing the percentages of poplar wood biochar. Yield, nutritional and functional properties of curly endive plants cultivated in a protected environment were also tested. Biochar was pyrolyzed from …
Integrated membrane bioreactors modelling: A review on new comprehensive modelling framework
2021
International audience; Integrated Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) models, combination of biological and physical models, have been representing powerful tools for the accomplishment of high environmental sustainability. This paper, produced by the International Water Association (IWA) Task Group on Membrane Modelling and Control, reviews the state-of-the-art, identifying gaps for future researches, and proposes a new integrated MBR modelling framework. In particular, the framework aims to guide researchers and managers in pursuing good performances of MBRs in terms of effluent quality, operating costs (such as membrane fouling, energy consumption due to aeration) and mitigation of greenhouse gas…
Fruit quality evaluation of affirmed and local loquat (Eriobotrya japonicaLindl) cultivars using instrumental and sensory analyses
2016
Introduction. Fruit quality can be evaluated by combining instrumental and sensory analyses. These methodologies have been affirmed and tested on different fruit tree species, but loquat is still little known from this point of view. Materials and methods. In this trial, conducted in Palermo and Catania (Sicily, Italy), both instrumental and sensory analyses were carried out on fruit of 8 loquat affirmed cultivars (‘Golden Nugget’, ‘Peluche’) and local cultivars (‘Marceno’, ‘Sanfilippara’, ‘Nespolone di Trabia’, ‘Virticchiara’, ‘Bianco Dolce’ and ‘BRT20’) with the aim of assessing their quality traits. Results and discussion. The sensory results agreed quite well with the physicochemical da…
Gene regulation in parthenocarpic tomato fruit.
2009
Parthenocarpy is potentially a desirable trait for many commercially grown fruits if undesirable changes to structure, flavour, or nutrition can be avoided. Parthenocarpic transgenic tomato plants (cv MicroTom) were obtained by the regulation of genes for auxin synthesis (iaaM) or responsiveness (rolB) driven by DefH9 or the INNER NO OUTER (INO) promoter from Arabidopsis thaliana. Fruits at a breaker stage were analysed at a transcriptomic and metabolomic level using microarrays, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and a Pegasus III TOF (time of flight) mass spectrometer. Although differences were observed in the shape of fully ripe fruits, no clear correlatio…
Risk of predation makes foragers less choosy about their food.
2017
18 pages; International audience; Animals foraging in the wild have to balance speed of decision making and accuracy of assessment of a food item's quality. If resource quality is important for maximizing fitness, then the duration of decision making may be in conflict with other crucial and time consuming tasks, such as anti-predator behaviours or competition monitoring. Individuals facing the risk of predation and/or competition should adjust the duration of decision making and, as a consequence, their level of choosiness for resources. When exposed to predation, the forager could either maintain its level of choosiness for food items but accept a reduction in the amount of food items con…
Unexpected increases in rotifer resting egg abundances during the period of contamination of Lake Orta
2016
<p>Despite their ecological importance and rapid response to environmental changes, rotifers are rarely included in palaeolimnological studies. Here, we describe changes in abundance (ABD) and morphotype (MTs) diversity of rotifer resting eggs in the sediments of deep subalpine Lake Orta, Italy, covering a period prior to (pre-) 1926, during long-term ammonia and metal pollution from a rayon factory, and subsequent recovery of water quality. Following the pollution and bacterial oxidation of the ammonia, Lake Orta became the largest and deepest acid lake in Europe. Recovery of water quality followed both a ban on the discharge of industrial wastes, and a liming intervention in 1989 an…
Interannual variation and long-term trends in proportions of resident individuals in partially migratory birds
2016
Partial migration - a part of a population migrates and another part stays resident year-round on the breeding site - is probably the most common type of migration in the animal kingdom, yet it has only lately garnered more attention. Theoretical studies indicate that in partially migratory populations, the proportion of resident individuals (PoR) should increase in high latitudes in response to the warming climate, but empirical evidence exists for few species. We provide the first comprehensive overview of the environmental factors affecting PoR and the long-term trends in PoR by studying 27 common partially migratory bird species in Finland. The annual PoR values were calculated by divid…