Effect of mechanical damage on the quality characteristics of banana fruits during short-term storage

Fresh fruits like bananas are very susceptible to mechanical damage during postharvest handling which can result in a substantial decline in quality. The study aims to evaluate the effect of bruise damage and storage temperatures on the quality of banana fruits after 48 h storage. Each ‘Grand Naine’ banana fruit was impacted once by using a drop impact test using three different heights (10, 30, and 50 cm) and storage temperatures (13 and 22 °C) after 48 h of storage. Different quality analyses were measured like bruise measurements (impact energy, bruise area, bruise volume, and bruise susceptibility), weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), color (L*, a*, b*, hue°, chroma, yellowness index, yellowness value) headspace gases (respiration and ethylene production rate). The results showed that bruise measurements (bruise area, bruise volume, and bruise susceptibility) were highly affected by drop height. The quality parameters like weight, color, total soluble solids and headspace gases were affected by drop height and storage condition. Weight loss, total soluble solids, respiration rate, and ethylene production rate increased as drop height and storage temperature rise. Storage at ambient conditions (22 °C) accelerated bruising occurrence in banana fruits. Fewer changes were observed after 48 h of storage. The least value of yellowness index was observed on the non-bruised banana fruits (84.03) under 13 °C storage conditions. The findings of the study can provide baseline data to understand the mechanical damage mechanism on fruit quality, hoping to create awareness and educate farming communities and consumers. Storage temperature management is another approach that needs to be followed to reduce the occurrence of mechanical damage in fresh produce.

Water reuse in the food industry

Due to the significant growing demand for water, it is urgent to those in the food industry to consider a more rational and sustainable use of such a scarce natural resource. This chapter highlights alternative food processing methods that contemplate recycling and reusing water. Based on a systematic literature review, it highlights the adoption of cleaner production methods. The chapter focus on the meat and fresh produce sectors where evidence shows that water sustainability related methods is the most needed. Suggestions are proposed to minimize water waste through the treatment of effluents and decrease the impact of effluent pollution on the environment. In so doing, clear environmental and economic benefits could be achieved through the reduction of costs and value-adding to the final product. Yet, the implementation of Cleaner Production Methods would require support from the industry, policymakers, and consumers to encourage the recycling and reuse of water.

Oecophylla smaragdina (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and Odontotermes sp. (Isoptera: Termitidae) a potential source of antioxidant: the two most preferred edible insects of Arunachal Pradesh, India

Antioxidant potential of weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina (adult & brood) and termite Odontotermes sp the two common species of insects used as food by tribes of Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India. Our findings highlight the antioxidant potential of these two insects. DPPH• scavenging activity IC50 (µg/mL) ranged from 59.56 (weaver ant adult) to 66.30 (termite). Termite species scored higher ABTS•+ scavenging activity (IC50: µg/mL), Ferric reducing power (TPEE µg/g) and phenolics (mg GAE/g) (18.70, 36.60 and 626.92) than weaver ant adult (52.57, 211.21 and 369.69) and weaver ant brood (33.34, 114.32 and 486.04). On the other hand, weaver ant adult scored higher flavonoids (mg RTE/g) (663.43) than its brood (387.19) and termite species (58.04). Weaver ant brood contained substantial amounts of phenolics and flavonoids, comparatively higher than phenolics of weaver ant adult and flavonoids of termite. These two insects may serve as an ideal dietary food supplement for handling oxidative stress and as a replacement for some conventional food products. However, further study is needed to find out the bioactive compound at the individual species level.

Estimated glycemic index of rice increases with the release of new varieties in the middle reach of the Yangtze River

The amylose content of newly-released rice varieties has steadily decreased in rice-growing regions in the middle reach of the Yangtze River during 2006–2021, to parallel increasing consumption of soft-textured rice with low amylose content. We estimated the glycemic index of these newly-released rice varieties and reveal a significantly increasing trend, showing a 0.3 annual increase in estimated glycemic index of new rice varieties released each year. These results highlight the need to assess the potential health risks associated with the development of soft-textured rice with low amylose rice.

Pathway of sodium alginate synthesis from marine brown algae, Sargassum wightii from Sri Lanka

Alginates are natural polysaccharides that are extracted from brown seaweed varieties and it is widely used for their rheological properties. The main step in the extraction protocol of sodium alginate is alkaline extraction. Sodium alginate was produced by dipping the seaweed in 1% formaldehyde and 2.5% of sodium carbonate solution and properties were studied following the standard methods. The amount of sodium alginate yield was 31.7% in Sargassum wightii. The moisture content and the ash content were recorded at 16.82% and 5.20%, respectively. The viscosity and the gel strength were noted as 40 vcP, 4.54 × 10–2 kN with 0.1 M CaCl2 and 6.86 × 10–2 kN with 0.2 M CaCl2 respectively. This study of the extraction method and its properties reveal that Sargassum wightii brown seaweed species have a high affinity to extract the alginate.