Exploring Italian Autochthonous L. Accessions: Pomological, Physicochemical, and Aromatic Investigations.

Autochthonous Italian pomegranate accessions are still underexplored, although they could be an important resource for fresh consumption, processing, and nutraceutical uses. Therefore, it is necessary to characterize the local germplasm to identify genotypes with desirable traits. In this study, six old Italian pomegranate landraces and a commercial cultivar (Dente di Cavallo) were investigated, evaluating their fruit pomological parameters, physicochemical (TSS, pH, TA, and color) characteristics, sugar content, and aromatic profiles (HeadSpace Solid-Phase MicroExtraction (HS-SPME)) coupled with Gas Chromatographyass Spectrometry (GC-MS) of pomegranate juices.

Sarcoidosis in an Italian province. Prevalence and environmental risk factors.

Background And Aim: Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous inflammatory disease whose causes are still unknown and for which epidemiological data are often discordant. The aim of our study is to investigate prevalence and spatial distribution of cases, and identify environmental exposures associated with sarcoidosis in an Italian province.

Methods: After georeferentiation of cases, the area under study was subdivided with respect to Municipality and Health Districts and to the altitude in order to identify zonal differences in prevalence.

Authentication of Punica granatum L.: Development of SCAR markers for the detection of 10 fruits potentially used in economically motivated adulteration.

The large commercial success of pomegranate increase the likelihood of economically motivated adulteration (EMA), which has been gradually spotted with the undeclared addition of anthocyanin-rich plants or cheaper fruit juices used as bulking and diluting agents. A method based on Sequence-Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs) was developed to detect the presence of Aristotelia chilensis, Aronia melanocarpa, Dioscorea alata, Euterpe oleracea, Malus×domestica, Morus nigra, Sambucus nigra, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vitis vinifera as bulking agents in Punica granatum. The method enabled the unequivocal detection of up to 1% of each adulterant, allowing the preemptive rejection of suspect samples.

Ultra-HPLC-MS(n) (Poly)phenolic profiling and chemometric analysis of juices from ancient Punica granatum L. Cultivars: a nontargeted approach.

This study deals with the qualitative characterization of the phenolic profile of pomegranate juices obtained from ancient accessions. Composition data, together with genetic, morphological, and agronomical parameters, may lead to a full characterization of such germplasm, with the aim of its retrieval and biodiversity valorization. Environmental adaptation, indeed, may contribute to an enrichment of the phenolic content in pomegranate, with important effects on its nutritional properties.