Optimisation of Retsina Wine Quality: Effects of Resin Concentration, Yeast Strain, and Oak Chip Type.

Retsina, Greece's most renowned traditional wine, has been produced for millennia, with archaeological and historical evidence supporting its legacy. It is legally defined as wine made exclusively in Greece using grape must infused with Aleppo pine resin (). This study examines the effects of varying resin concentrations (0.

Synthesis and characterization of polysaccharide- and protein-based edible films and application as packaging materials for fresh fish fillets.

The rising packaging industry together with global demand for sustainable production has increased the interest in developing biodegradable packaging materials. The aim of the study was to develop edible films based on pectin, gelatin, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and evaluate their applicability as biodegradable packaging materials for gilthead seabream fillets. Mechanical properties, water barriers, wettability of the films through contact angle measurement, optical, and UV-Vis barrier properties were evaluated for food packaging applications.

Study of volatile compounds in Greek pistachio ( L. 'Aegina' cultivar) oils using Soxhlet and ultrasound assisted extraction.

Headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) represents the most used solvent-free methodology for the characterization of the complex and heterogeneous mix of volatile compounds. The present study investigates the differences in volatile profile of pistachio oils 'Aegina' cultivar extracted with two different techniques, ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and Soxhlet. Differences were observed both in the pistachio oil yield and the composition of the volatile compounds among these two groups of samples, which were significantly influenced due to the different thermal conditions.

The application of right-angle fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool to distinguish five autochthonous commercial Greek white wines.

White wine is among the most widely consumed alcoholic beverages. Varietal discrimination of wines has received increasing attention. Today's consumers require a sense of authenticity and are deterred by falsehood or misrepresentation in product marketing.

Unifloral Autumn Heather Honey from Indigenous Greek Salisb.: SPME/GC-MS Characterization of the Volatile Fraction and Optimization of the Isolation Parameters.

For long heather honey has been a special variety due to its unique organoleptic characteristics. This study aimed to characterize and optimize the isolation of the dominant volatile fraction of Greek autumn heather honey using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The described approach pointed out 13 main volatile components more closely related to honey botanical origin, in terms of occurrence and relative abundance.

GC-MS, FTIR and Raman spectroscopic analysis of fatty acids of Pistacia vera (Greek variety "Aegina") oils from two consecutive harvest periods and chemometric differentiation of oils quality.

Pistacia vera oil is a rich source of unsaturated fatty acids, whose presence is associated with high quality and nutritional value. According to the literature, fatty acid oil composition is not constant every harvest year, but varies mainly depending on climate conditions. Therefore, the knowledge of oil composition in fatty acids is necessary to assess both its quality and its nutritional value.

Composition, seasonal abundance, and public health importance of mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki, Northern Greece.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are the largest group of blood-feeding insects that disturb not only humans but also other mammals and birds. This study reports the presence of native mosquito species in the regional unit of Thessaloniki and the monitoring of their population. In total, 13 mosquito species belonging to four genera were identified.

Chemometric Study of Fatty Acid Composition of Virgin Olive Oil from Four Widespread Greek Cultivars.

Virgin olive oil (VOO) is one of the key components of the Mediterranean diet owing to the presence of monounsaturated fatty acids and various bioactive compounds. These beneficial traits, which are usually associated with the cultivar genotype, are highlighting the demand of identifying characteristics of olive oil that will ensure its authenticity. In this work, the fatty acid (FA) composition of 199 VOO samples from Koroneiki, Megaritiki, Amfissis, and Manaki cultivars was determined and studied by chemometrics.

Response Surface Methodology to Optimize the Isolation of Dominant Volatile Compounds from Monofloral Greek Thyme Honey Using SPME-GC-MS.

This study aimed at an experimental design of response surface methodology (RSM) in the optimization of the dominant volatile fraction of Greek thyme honey using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). For this purpose, a multiple response optimization was employed using desirability functions, which demand a search for optimal conditions for a set of responses simultaneously. A test set of eighty thyme honey samples were analyzed under the optimum conditions for validation of the proposed model.

Rapid screening on aflatoxins' presence in nuts using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and chemometrics.

Aflatoxin in pistachios has been analyzed in this work, using Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) with chemometrics. Forty-nine Greek pistachio samples of different aflatoxin concentrations were classified into aflatoxin and non-aflatoxin groups using the 3035-2821, 1770-1721, 1570-1481 and 1260-1061 cm spectral regions in Kubelka-Munk conversion and first derivative form. A chemometric model was developed using twenty-eight samples as calibration, 11 as validation and 10 as test set.

Botanical origin discrimination of Greek honeys: physicochemical parameters versus Raman spectroscopy.

Background: The authenticity of honey is of high importance since it affects its commercial value. The discrimination of the origin of honey is of prime importance to reinforce consumer trust. In this study, four chemometric models were developed based on the physicochemical parameters according to European and Greek legislation and one using Raman spectroscopy to discriminate Greek honey samples from three commercial monofloral botanical sources.

Discrimination of botanical origin of olive oil from selected Greek cultivars by SPME-GC-MS and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics.

Background: Consumers today wish to know the botanical origin of the olive oil they purchase. The objective of the present study was the development of robust chemometric models based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) for the purpose of botanical differentiation of three commercial Greek olive oil cultivars.

Results: Using the solid-phase microextraction technique (SPME), volatile compounds (VC) were obtained and analyzed by GC-MS.

Study of the Quality Parameters and the Antioxidant Capacity for the FTIR-Chemometric Differentiation of Oils.

The aim of this work was to characterize the pistachio oil of the Greek variety, "Aegina", evaluate its various quality indices, and investigate the potential use of FTIR as a tool to discriminate different oil qualities. For this purpose, the antioxidant capacity, the tocopherol content and the oxidation and degradation of fatty acids, as described by k, Δk, R-values, and free acidity were evaluated using 45 samples from eight different areas of production and two subsequent years of harvesting. The antioxidant capacity was estimated using 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid diammonium salt (ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazine (DPPH) assays, and the tocopherol content was quantified through HPLC analysis.

Differentiation and identification of grape-associated black aspergilli using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis of mycelia.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of FT-IR spectroscopy as a high-throughput method for rapid differentiation among the ochratoxigenic species of Aspergillus carbonarius and the non-ochratoxigenic or low toxigenic species of Aspergillus niger aggregate, namely A. tubingensis and A. niger isolated previously from grapes of Greek vineyards.

Comparative evaluation of an ISO 3632 method and an HPLC-DAD method for safranal quantity determination in saffron.

The aim of this work was a comparison of the ISO 3632 (2011) method and an HPLC-DAD method for safranal quantity determination in saffron. Samples from different origins were analysed by UV-vis according to ISO 3632 (2011) and by HPLC-DAD. Both methods were compared, and there was no correlation between the safranal content obtained by UV-vis and HPLC-DAD.

Impact of fluctuating temperatures on development of the koinobiont endoparasitoid Venturia canescens.

The effect of temperature on the biology of Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) is well understood under constant temperature conditions, but less so under more natural, fluctuating conditions. Herein we studied the influence of fluctuating temperatures on biological parameters of V. canescens.

Direct determination of rosmarinic acid in Lamiaceae herbs using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and chemometrics.

For the determination of rosmarinic acid (RA) directly in pulverized plant material, a method is developed using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) without any physicochemical pretreatment of samples. The RA content of 11 samples of eight different Lamiaceae herbs, as determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), varied between 86 ± 1 mg/g (in lemon balm) and 12.0 ± 0.

Rapid strain classification and taxa delimitation within the edible mushroom genus Pleurotus through the use of diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy.

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy has been successfully applied for the identification of bacteria and yeasts, but only to a limited extent for discriminating specific groups of filamentous fungi. In the frame of this study, 73 strains - from different associated hosts/substrates and geographic regions - representing 16 taxa of the edible mushroom genus Pleurotus (Basidiomycota, Agaricales) were examined through the use of diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy. A binary matrix, elaborated on the basis of presence/absence of specific absorbance peaks combined with cluster analysis, demonstrated that the spectral region 1800-600 cm(-1) permitted clear delimitation of individual strains into Pleurotus species.

Quantitative determination of pulegone in pennyroyal oil by FT-IR spectroscopy.

Pulegone constitutes a monoterpene occurring in Mentha species and primarily in Mentha pulegium L. (pennyroyal). A major source of human exposure to pulegone is the use of pennyroyal essential oil in flavorings, confectionery and cosmetics.

Comparison of distillation and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods for the isolation of sensitive aroma compounds from garlic (Allium sativum).

A comparative study of traditional simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE), microwave assisted hydrodistillation extraction (MWHD) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (USE) is presented, for the extraction of essential oils from fresh garlic (Allium sativum) cloves. Each method is evaluated in terms of qualitative and quantitative composition of the isolated essential oil. The highly reactive sulfur molecules of the garlic volatile fraction show variable response to the different isolation methods.

FT-Raman spectroscopic simultaneous determination of fructose and glucose in honey.

A new method for mass percentage determination of fructose and glucose based on FT-Raman spectroscopy is evaluated with a standard HPLC-based method. FT-Raman spectra manipulation is done via the spectrometer software, and a PLS (partial least squares) method is developed with the TQ Analyst software (Ver 1. 1a).

Rapid method for simultaneous quantitative determination of four major essential oil components from oregano (Oreganumsp.) and thyme (Thymus sp.) using FT-Raman spectroscopy.

A simple and rapid method for the quantitative determination of four major components found in oregano and thyme essential oils is presented. The method correlates the Raman peak intensity in the spectral region from 1800 to 600 cm(-1) and the concentration percentage of each particular constituent in the sample. To achieve accurate quantification results and avoid the risk of overlapping peaks of unknown Raman-active substances in natural essential oils, the peaks must be analyzed.

Spectroscopic determination of the degree of esterification of pectic substances from kenaf.

Pectins were isolated from bark, wood and pith of four kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) varieties. The degree of esterification of isolated pectins was studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Isolation and spectroscopic study of pectic substances from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.).

Pectins were isolated from bark, wood and pith of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) variety Cuba108. Imidazole was used as extractant.