Variations in the Community Structure of Fungal Microbiota Associated with Apple Fruit Shaped by Fruit Bagging-Based Practice

The various fungal communities that adhere to apple fruit are influenced by agricultural practices. However, the effects of fruit bagging-based management practice on the fungal microbiota are still unknown, and little is known about the fungal communities of bagged apple fruit. We conducted a study using apple fruit grown in a conventionally managed orchard where pesticide use is an indispensable practice. Fungal communities were collected from the calyx-end and peel tissues of bagged and unbagged fruit and characterized using barcode-type next-generation sequencing. Fruit bagging had a stronger effect on fungal richness, abundance, and diversity of the fungal microbiota in comparison to non-bagging. In addition, bagging also impacted the compositional variation of the fungal communities inhabiting each fruit part. We observed that fruit bagging had a tendency to maintain ecological equilibrium since Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were more distributed in bagged fruit than in unbagged fruit. These fungal communities consist of beneficial fungi rather than potentially harmful fungi. Approximately 50 dominant taxa were detected in bagged fruit, for example, beneficial genera such as Articulospora, Bullera, Cryptococcus, Dioszegia, Erythrobasidium, and Sporobolomyces, as well as pathogenic genera such as Aureobasidium and Taphrina. These results suggested that fruit bagging could significantly increase fungal richness and promote healthy fungal communities, especially the harmless fungal communities, which might be helpful for protecting fruit from the effects of pathogens. This study provides a foundation for understanding the impacts of bagging-based practice on the associated fungal microbiota.

Traditional varieties and wild pear from Serbia: A link among antioxidant, antidiabetic and cytotoxic activities of fruit peel and flesh

This study was aimed at evaluating the antioxidant and antidiabetic activities of methanolic extracts of peel, flesh and mixed peel, and flesh, as well as the cytotoxic activity of mixed peel and flesh extracts obtained from fruits of six traditional pear varieties (Vidovaca, Lubenicarka, Karamanka, Jeribasma, Loncara and Takisa), one commercial variety (Williams Bartlett) and a wild pear (Pyrus communis) from Serbia. The tested extracts showed strong antioxidant activity regarding the prevention of ?-carotene bleaching and high ?-glucosidase inhibition, and no significant cytotoxic potential, with the exception of the Williams Bartlett and Pyrus communis extracts. Overall, the most potent fruit part was shown to be the peel. The most active variety in all of the applied antioxidant and antidiabetic assays was Takisa, while the wild pear, P. communis, was the most effective in inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. In conclusion, several methanolic extracts of pear fruit are promising candidates for further studies regarding the prevention and treatment of pathological conditions associated with the effects of oxidative stress, such as diabetes and even colorectal cancer.

Properties of corn husk fibre reinforced epoxy composites fabricated using vacuum-assisted resin infusion

Corn husk is a non-fruit part of the corn and an agricultural waste. This research focuses on fabricating composite material from the corn husk fibre by using a vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) technique. The corn husk fibre was extracted using water retting method and treated with alkali and bleaching treatments using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Then, those fibres were made into nonwoven fibre mat using water laid method. The fibre mat was infused with epoxy resin to make a composite. The mechanical result has shown that the composite with 20% of fibre has higher tensile strength and modulus compared to neat epoxy. Both treatments have removed the non-cellulose content, such as hemicellulose and lignin. Moreover, the treatments also promoted better interfacial adhesion between fibre and matrix. Thus, the NaOH treated and H2O2 treated composites showed approximately 56% and 82%, respectively, higher tensile strength than untreated composite. Both treated composites were also stiffer and exhibited lower water absorption compared to untreated composite.

Analysis of Some Heavy Metals and Organic Acids in Ficus carica Growing Adjacent in the Serpentine Soil in Sulaimani/Kurdistan, Iraq

Serpentine soil refers to soil having magnesium-rich minerals such as chrysotile, lizardite, and antigorite. Fig (Ficus carica) is a plant of major importance in the world. It is a nourishing food and is used in industrial productions. This study analyzes the distribution of heavy metal contents such as nickel, cobalt, zinc, and manganese in different parts of this plant, such as its leaves, stems, and fruits. Furthermore, the organic acid content, including citric acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, and oxalic acid, was estimated. The studied area is known as Kunjirin which is a village located in the northwestern extension of the Zagros-fold-thrust belt in Mawat town, northeast of Sulaimani Province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The results show that there are significant differences in heavy metal contents among the plant organs except for zinc. The lowest level of heavy metals is in the fruits, while the highest amount of the heavy metal content is in the leaves. Moreover, the organic acids were unequally distributed in the plant organs. However, the lowest level of organic acids are found in the stem, while the highest concentration of the organic acids are found in the fruit part of the plant. The present study concludes that the level of heavy metals in the fruit part is within the legally admitted limits. This indicates that it is normal for human beings and animals to consume such fruits.

GC-MS analysis, antibacterial, antioxidant study and brine shrimp lethality analysis of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague

Fruit part of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague was subjected to extraction of essential oil by hydrodistillation in Clevenger apparatus. So collected essential oil was analyzed by GC-MS for its composition and exhibited the presence of 10 different compounds. The most abundant were γ-terpinene (53.81%) and thymol (29.40%). Antibacterial activity was performed against six bacterial species and Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter cloaceae and Bacillus subtilis were the most susceptible to the essential oil showing zone of inhibition (ZOI) 1.4, 1.5 and 1.4 cm respectively. The IC50 value of the oil against DPPH was found to be 0.94 mg/mL. The LC50 value of essential oil of T. ammi against brine shrimp was found 26.2 μg/mL.

Physico-Chemical and Microstructural Changes during the Drying of Persimmon Fruit cv. Rojo Brillante Harvested in Two Maturity Stages

The physico-chemical and microstructural changes of “Rojo Brillante” persimmons in two maturity stages (S1 and S2) were evaluated during air drying. The maturity stage influences moisture loss. A Moisture level of approximately 50%, a limit at which persimmons are considered semidried, was reached after 21 and 28 days for S1 and S2, respectively. Shrinkage resulting from water removal led to secondary epidermis formation concomitantly to internal flesh gelling, which was related to moisture loss and water activity changes of each fruit part. The thicker epidermis and the lower volume of gelled area inside the S1 fruits led to harder fruit compared to the S2 fruits. The microstructural study revealed parenchyma degradation during drying in both the outermost area (secondary epidermis) and internal flesh, and this process was faster in S1 than in S2. The second peel presented hollows, generated by water outflow, which were bigger in S1 and explained the faster internal dehydration in S1. During drying, slight browning occurred, as reflected in the declining color parameters (L*, h* and C*). Water removal led to soluble solids tannin reduction to non-astringency values on day 28.

OTOMATISASI TINGKAT KUALITAS KAYU KELAPA MENGGUNAKAN GENETIC ALGORITHM

Coconut plantation in South Borneo had a total area of 30,513 ha with 26,633 tons of production result in the year of 2016. But South Borneo is still limited in the utilization of fruit part and leaf, whereas the coconut wood then was often used for construction material. The level of needs for coconut wood material in the industrial world were greatly increased. Indonesia is one of the exporter of coconut wood material into other countries. To determine good quality woods for best quality materials, control for the full process was necessary in order for the product to be ready to use. The visual determination of quality level (grading) for coconut wood need to be automated, with the result that could be used for determination of suitable material for furniture as well as building construction and deacrese the dependency for manual grader. This research produced the proposed enhancement methode for quality image recognition in a visual manner for coconut wood, Genetic Algorithm, that could obtain the necessary accuracy for the quality determination of coconut wood. The benefits of this research was to support coconut plantation on South Borneo in producing coconut wood material as one of the material industry commodities.

Environmental Safety and Quality of Plant Food (Example of Grapes)

Actuality. Growing grapes in recent years has become increasingly popular, especially among ordinary farmers. Grapes are unique in their composition, and also extremely useful. Therefore, the determination of its quality and environmental safety in terms of consumption by population is quite topical. Purpose. Determination of ecological safety and quality of plant food (example of grapes) grown in Vysokiy settlement, Kharkiv district of Kharkiv region. Methods. Field, atomic absorption spectrometry method using the spectrometer MGA-915MD, statistical, analytical, comparative-geographical. Results. Berries, grape seeds of 10 grape varieties and soil samples as grape growing medium, were analysed. Analyses for heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb) concentrations and nitrates content in fruit part were preformed.. It has been determined that heavy metals concentrations in any of the grape varieties does not exceed the normative parameters in berries and seeds. Soil samples also have not shown an excess of MPC. The content of nitrates in the fruit part of the grapes exceeded the standard by 1.5 fold. The coefficient of heavy metals biogeochemical mobility has showed the highest accumulation of Cu and Cr in the fruit part of the grapes. Conclusions. The concentration of heavy metals in the fruit part of the grapes, in the seeds of all grape varieties does not exceed the standards. No clear dependence has been identified to assert the accumulation of heavy metals in grape seeds. Nitrates can accumulate in the fruit part of the grapes. Minor violation of standard for nitrate was identified in the fruit part of the grapes. In general, grapes can be used by the population as a food.

By-Products of Camu-Camu [Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) McVaugh] as Promising Sources of Bioactive High Added-Value Food Ingredients: Functionalization of Yogurts

Camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) McVaugh) is a fruit economically relevant to the Amazon region, mostly consumed in the form of processed pulp. Our aim was to perform an unprecedented comparative study on the chemical composition and bioactivities of the camu-camu pulp and industrial bio-residues (peel and seed), and then the most promising fruit part was further explored as a functionalized ingredient in yogurt. A total of twenty-three phenolic compounds were identified, with myricetin-O-pentoside and cyanindin-3-O-glucoside being the main compounds in peels, followed by p-coumaroyl hexoside in the pulp, and ellagic acid in the seeds. The peel displayed the richest phenolic profile among samples, as well as the most significant antibacterial (MICs = 0.625–10 mg/mL) and anti-proliferative (GI50 = 180 µg/mL against HeLa cells) activities. For this reason, it was selected to be introduced in a food system (yogurt). Taken together, our results suggest the possibility of using the camu-camu peel as a source of food additives.