The Influencing Factors on the Production of Alcoholic Drinking from Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.)

The large amount of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam) harvested and their short use time caused many difficulties for the farmers. Fortunately, the high sugar content in jackfruit meat is a hopeful substance for wine production. This study aimed to consider the effect of yeast strains and their concentration on fermented jackfruit solution. Jackfruit juice with 14 °Brix is ​​fermented using 0.005 to 0.015% (w/v) Saccharomyces cerevisiae RV002, Mauri Instant Dry Yeast yeast under anaerobic conditions for 1 to 4 days at 30 °C. Survey samples were checked once a day to analyze the indicators. The functional report of the sugar in the fermentation time, shows that the higher incidence of yeast cultures and the initial sugar concentration inhibited yeast growth. The results showed that fermentation from jackfruit meat with 25 °Brix using Saccharomyces cerevisiae RV002 yeast with concentration of 0.01% for 3 days is the best to create a good quality with ethanol content 4,9% and characteristic aroma of jackfruit.

Revitalizing the ethanologenic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis for sugar reduction in high-sugar-content fruits and commercial products

The excessive consumption of sugars can cause health issues. Different strategies have been developed to reduce sugars in the diets. However, sugars in fruits and commercial products may be difficult to reduce, limiting their usage among certain populations of people. Zymomonas mobilis is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) probiotic bacterium with the capability to produce levan-type prebiotics, and thrives in high-sugar environments with unique characteristics to be developed for lignocellulosic biofuel and biochemical production. In this study, the sugar reduction capabilities of Z. mobilis ZM4 were examined using two fruits of pear and persimmon and three high-sugar-content commercial products of two pear pastes (PPs) and one Chinese traditional wine (CTW). Our results demonstrated that Z. mobilis ZM4 can utilize sugars in fruits with about 20 g/L ethanol and less than 5 g/L sorbitol produced within 22 h using pears, and about 45 g/L ethanol and 30 g/L sorbitol produced within 34 h using persimmons. When PPs made from pears were used, Z. mobilis can utilize nearly all glucose (ca. 60 g/L) and most fructose (110 g/L) within 100 h with 40 ~ 60 g/L ethanol and more than 20 g/L sorbitol produced resulting in a final sorbitol concentration above 80 g/L. In the high-sugar-content alcoholic Chinese traditional wine, which contains mostly glucose and ethanol, Z. mobilis can reduce nearly all sugars with about 30 g/L ethanol produced, resulting in a final ethanol above 90 g/L. The ethanol yield and percentage yield of Z. mobilis in 50 ~ 60% CTW were 0.44 ~ 0.50 g/g and 86 ~ 97%, respectively, which are close to its theoretical yields—especially in 60% CTW. Although the ethanol yield and percentage yield in PPs were lower than those in CTW, they were similar to those in fruits of pears and persimmons with an ethanol yield around 0.30 ~ 0.37 g/g and ethanol percentage yield around 60 ~ 72%, which could be due to the formation of sorbitol and/or levan in the presence of both glucose and fructose. Our study also compared the fermentation performance of the classical ethanologenic yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4743 to Z. mobilis, with results suggesting that Z. mobilis ZM4 had better performance than that of yeast S. cerevisiae BY4743 given a higher sugar conversion rate and ethanol yield for sugar reduction. This work thus laid a foundation for utilizing the advantages of Z. mobilis in the food industry to reduce sugar concentrations or potentially produce alcoholic prebiotic beverages. Graphical Abstract

Effect of biostimulants on the growth, yield and nutritional value of Capsicum annuum grown in an unheated plastic tunnel

Recent years have witnessed an increased interest in the cultivation and consumption of peppers. Therefore, new solutions are being sought to provide pepper plants with the most favorable conditions for growth and development. In view of the above, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of selected biostimulants on the biometric parameters, yield and nutritional value of Capsicum annuum fruit. The research hypothesis postulates that biostimulants can increase the yield and improve the nutritional quality of pepper fruit. The experiment was conducted in an unheated plastic tunnel. The experimental materials comprised three sweet (‘Solario F1’, ‘Turbine F1’ and ‘Whitney F1’) and two hot (‘Cyklon’ and ‘Palivec’) cultivars of C. annuum. It was found that the combined application of environmentally-friendly microbial-based biostimulants (BB Soil, BB Foliar, Multical, MK5 and Biocin F) did not clearly improve the morphological traits of pepper fruit, yield or the concentrations of sugars and organic acids in fruit, therefore their use is not economically justified. Hot peppers had a higher content of dry matter, total sugars and L-ascorbic acid than sweet peppers. The analyzed biostimulants increased nitrate (V) concentrations in the fruit of both hot and sweet peppers. ‘Turbine F1’ and ‘Solario F1’ were particularly prone to nitrate (V) accumulation in fruit, therefore the use of biostimulants should be limited in their cultivation. Pepper fruits with the largest horizontal diameter and the thickest skin should be preferred because these traits are associated with high sugar content.

Increased intake of fast acting carbohydrates in patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Background: Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) regularly report an increased desire for food or beverages with high sugar content. Objective: To verify the hypothesis of an increase intake of fast-acting carbohydrates in PD patients. Methods: This study investigated the consumption of high sugar-content food products in 221 PD patients compared with 184 healthy controls using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Male PD patients reported significant more often a high consumption of chocolate (p=0.005) and other sweets (p<0.001) when compared to healthy controls. Moreover, PD patients with a high intake of these products showed a significant longer disease duration (p=0.002). Conclusion: Our study confirmed changes in intake of fast acting carbohydrates derived from sweets in PD. Future studies should address the observed association with disease progression to understand underlying pathophysiological mechanisms leading to this behavioral change.

Functional disruption of cell wall invertase inhibitor by genome editing increases sugar content of tomato fruit without decrease fruit weight

Sugar content is one of the most important quality traits of tomato. Cell wall invertase promotes sucrose unloading in the fruit by maintaining a gradient of sucrose concentration between source leaves and fruits, while invertase inhibitor (INVINH) regulates this process. In this study, knock-out of cell wall INVINH in tomato (SlINVINH1) was performed by genome editing using, CRISPR/Cas9 and Target-AID technologies. Most of the genome-edited lines set higher soluble solid content (SSC) fruit than the original cultivar ‘Suzukoma’, while fruit weight was different among the genome-edited lines. From these genome-edited lines, three lines (193–3, 199–2, and 247–2), whose SSC was significantly higher than ‘Suzukoma’ and fruit weight were almost the same as the original cultivar, were selected. The fruit weight and overall plant growth of the two lines were comparable to those of the original cultivar. In contrast, the fructose and glucose contents in the mature fruits of the two lines were significantly higher than those of the original cultivar. The mature fruits of genome edited line 193–3 showed the highest sugar content, and the fructose and glucose contents were 29% and 36% higher than that of the original cultivar, respectively. Whole genome sequence data showed no off-target mutations in the genome-edited lines. Non-target metabolome analysis of mature fruits revealed that fructose was the highest loading factor in principal component analysis (PCA) between the genome-edited line and the original cultivar, and no unexpected metabolites appeared in the genome-edited line. In this study, we succeeded in producing tomato lines with high sugar content without a decrease in fruit weight and deterioration of plant growth by knock-out of SlINVINH1 using genome editing technology. This study showed that functional disruption of SlINVINH1 is an effective approach to produce tomato cultivars with high sugar content.

Evaluation of the ecological precability regarding the apple and plum plantations in Olișcani location, Șoldănești district

The results presented refer to the ecological characteristics of apple and plum orchards in Olişcani, Șoldănești district (Republic of Moldova) in order to create agricultural systems – ecological and economic at zonal, microzonal level to maintain soil quality, environment and high productivity. The aim of the research was to examine the abiotic, biotic, favorability and productivity potential factors of the lands suitable for the cultivation of apple and plum fruit species. Apple and plum orchards have specifi c requirements for climate, relief, soil, etc. They have moderate light requirements: they prefer sunny surfaces, but can also grow in partial shade. The leaves and fruits need more light, which in this way acquires a more intense color. Temperatures for apple development are between 13 and 28°C. In hilly areas, with suffi cient humidity and poor heat, the slopes with southern and southwestern exposure are chosen a better quality of fruit, respectively a high sugar content. On the slopes, the middle third is preferred, avoiding the upper third with eroded soil and strong winds, as well as the lower third with excess air and water currents. In the area of hills with an altitude of 300–350 m, the plantations can be located on slopes with western, eastern or even northern exposure, preferably on the middle and lower third of the slope. In the dry steppe and forest-steppe areas, the slopes with north-western and north-eastern exposure are preferred, the orchards being located at their base or even on the valleys without cold currents. The complexity of the problems includes the research of the natural and real components of the agricultural environment in relation to the climate, relief, rock and soil factors for the foundation of fruit plantations with high productivity and the maintenance of the ecological stability.

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF APPLE FRUITS OF ALTAI VARIETIES AS A SOURCE OF NUTRITIOUS AND BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES

A comparative analysis of the varietal variability of the fruits of 71 varieties of apple trees of Altai selection in terms of biochemical composition, according to generally accepted methods using statistical variation analysis based on long-term research, was carried out. Correlations were revealed between the content of chemical elements depending on other characteristics of the fruit and the period of ripening. The average content of soluble dry matter in fruits is from an average 15.5% in summer varieties to a high 16.2–16.3% in varieties with autumn and winter ripening. On average, the content of total sugars in fruits is high and varies insignificantly from 12.7 to 12.9%, the content of titratable acids in fruits is high – 1.0%. The content of ascorbic acid is higher in fruits of varieties with summer ripening and is 24.0 mg / 100 g, with autumn – 19.6 mg / 100 g, with winter – 22.0 mg / 100 g. As a result of selection for the qualitative improvement of fruits apple trees in Altai revealed a negative correlation of the biochemistry of the fetus, depending on its size for all indicators. Fruits of a significant part of varieties created in Altai have good taste, of which 27 have a sugar-acid index of 15–25. The fruits of the varieties Alpek, Altai Velvet, Altai New Year, Altai ruddy, Altai sweet, Gornoaltayskoe, Zolotaya taiga, Pepinka Altai have a very high sugar content of more than 15%, a high value of the sum of sugars – in fruits of 59 varieties from 10.0 to 14.9%. Varieties with high biochemical characteristics are their sources in breeding for improved biochemical composition of fruits.

Chocolate as Carrier to Deliver Bioactive Ingredients: Current Advances and Future Perspectives

Consumer demand for healthier foods with improved taste and convenience has urged the food industry to develop functional foods added with bioactive ingredients that can supplement basic nutrition (food supplement) or exert a pharmacological effect (nutraceuticals). Chocolate could be used as an ideal carrier to deliver bioactive ingredients, mainly due to its high acceptability by consumers. However, a drawback of using chocolate as functional food is its high sugar content, which impedes its commercialization with the diabetic population. Therefore, there is need to develop sugar-free chocolate formulations added with bioactive ingredients. Nevertheless, sugar replacement and bioactive ingredients addition is a major technological challenge that affects texture, rheology, and sensory properties of chocolate. This review is designed as a practical guide for researchers and food industries to develop the next generation of functional chocolates. Different functional chocolate formulations, including sugar-free, are reviewed as potential carriers for the delivery of bioactive compounds. The physicochemical properties and sensory acceptability of the functional chocolates presented are also highlighted. Finally, future perspectives, such as the use of nanotechnology to improve the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of active ingredients, as well as the need for clinical trials to validate the pharmacological effect of functional chocolates, are also discussed.

Study of Oenological Fermentation: Which Strategy and Which Tools?

Wine fermentation is a specific and complex research subject and its control is essential to ensure full process completion while improving wine quality. It displays several specificities, in particular, (i) musts with a very high sugar content, low pH, and some limiting nutrients, as well as a great variability in must composition according to the year, grape variety, and so on; (ii) atypical fermentation conditions with non-isothermal temperature profiles, a quasi-anaerobiosis and legal constraints with a limited and predefined list of authorized operations. New challenges have emerged, related to the increasing diversity of commercially available yeast strains; the fluctuating composition of musts, particularly owing to climate change; and sustainability, which has become a key issue. This paper synthesizes approaches implemented to address all these issues. It details the example of our laboratory that, for many years, has been developing an integrated approach to study yeast diversity, understand their metabolism, and develop new fermentation control strategies. This approach requires the development of specific fermentation devices to study yeast metabolism in a controlled environment that mimics practical conditions and to develop original fermentation control strategies. All these tools are described here, together with their role in the overall scientific strategy and complementary approaches in the literature.

Chitosan That Renewable Film and Coatings, Evaluation in Terms of Drosophila

The dried mulberry (Morus alba) is among the fruits that occurrence a high risk of storage pests due to its high sugar content. Coating materials slow down the chemical spoilage that will occur in foods. The effect of the coating material used in the study on mulberry and Drosophila melanogaster was determined. The insect’s weight, texture, and biochemical analysis (Total oxidant- TOS; total antioxidant levels-TAS; oxidative stress index-OSI; Glutathione-S-transferase-GST and Catalase-CAT enzymes) were determined as a result of the application. In terms of weight, it was observed that the weight of individuals fed with 1% chitosan-coated mulberry was higher in female and male individuals. In terms of texture, the highest hardness was measured in males fed 0.2% chitosan and females fed 1% chitosan. Because of the biochemical analysis, the insect does not create resistance. The GST, CAT and TAS enzymes are synthesized close to normal. The OSI is low without increasing TOS, indicating that 1 and 2% coated mulberries are usable in environments and insects.