The impact of wounding and postharvest storage conditions on retention of soluble protein in sugar beet leaves.

Sugar beet leaves can be a viable and economically interesting source of high-quality protein for the food industry. We investigated how storage conditions and leaf wounding at harvest affect the content and quality of the soluble protein. After collection, leaves were either stored intact or shredded to mimic wounding induced by commercial leaf harvesters.

The association between the susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea and the levels of volatile and non-volatile metabolites in red ripe strawberry genotypes.

The relations between physical and chemical characteristics (e.g., color, firmness, volatile and non-volatile metabolites) of red ripe strawberry fruit and the natural spoilage caused by Botrytis cinerea were investigated.

High CO Reduces Spoilage Caused by in Strawberry Without Impairing Fruit Quality.

High CO (> 20 kPa) conditions are beneficial for suppressing spoilage caused by in strawberry fruit; however, these conditions are often accompanied by discoloration, off-flavors, and faster softening. Stepwise increments of CO concentrations have been proposed to alleviate injuries in fruits caused by high CO. In this study, we investigated whether stepwise increments of CO, up to 30 kPa and under a reduced O concentration, are beneficial for reducing fungal spoilage without inducing CO injury symptoms in strawberry fruit.

Lack of Blue Light Regulation of Antioxidants and Chilling Tolerance in Basil.

Blue light, measuring from 400 to 500 nm, is generally assumed to increase the content of antioxidants in plants independent of the species. Blue light stimulates the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds such as flavonoids and their subclass anthocyanins from the phenylpropanoid pathway. Flavonoids, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids are strong reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers and may lessen the symptoms of abiotic stresses such as chilling.

Additional Blue LED during Cultivation Induces Cold Tolerance in Tomato Fruit but Only to an Optimum.

Tomato is a chilling-sensitive fruit. The aim of this study is to examine the role of preharvest blue LED lighting (BL) to induce cold tolerance in 'Foundation' tomatoes. Blue and red supplemental LED light was applied to achieve either 0, 12 or 24% additional BL (0B, 12B and 24B).

Predicting sensitivity of recently harvested tomatoes and tomato sepals to future fungal infections.

Tomato is an important commercial product which is perishable by nature and highly susceptible to fungal incidence once it is harvested. Not all tomatoes are equally vulnerable to pathogenic fungi, and an early detection of the vulnerable ones can help in taking timely preventive actions, ranging from isolating tomato batches to adjusting storage conditions, but also in making right business decisions like dynamic pricing based on quality or better shelf life estimate. More importantly, early detection of vulnerable produce can help in taking timely actions to minimize potential post-harvest losses.

Handling batch-to-batch variability in portable spectroscopy of fresh fruit with minimal parameter adjustment.

Near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy models for fresh fruit quality prediction often fail when used on a new batch or scenario having new variability which was absent in the primary calibration. To handle the new variability often model updating is required. In this study, to solve the challenge of updating NIR models related to fresh fruit quality properties, the use of a semi-supervised parameter-free calibration enhancement (PFCE) approach was proposed.

High light intensity at End-Of-Production improves the nutritional value of basil but does not affect postharvest chilling tolerance.

Basil suffers from chilling injury (CI) when stored at temperatures below 10-12 °C which seems related to the imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. We hypothesized that increased light intensity applied shortly before harvest (EOP, End-Of-Production) increases nutritional value i.e.

Low Oxygen Storage Improves Tomato Postharvest Cold Tolerance, Especially for Tomatoes Cultivated with Far-Red LED Light.

We investigated the effects of low oxygen storage on chilling injury development, colour development, respiration and HO levels of 'Merlice' tomatoes cultivated with and without far red (FR) LED lighting during 20 days of shelf-life. Mature green (MG) and red (R) tomatoes were stored at 2 °C in combination with 0.5, 2.

Blue Light Improves Photosynthetic Performance during Healing and Acclimatization of Grafted Watermelon Seedlings.

To investigate the importance of light on healing and acclimatization, in the present study, grafted watermelon seedlings were exposed to darkness (D) or light, provided by blue (B), red (R), a mixture of R (68%) and B (RB), or white (W; 35% B, 49% intermediate spectra, 16% R) LEDs for 12 days. Survival ratio, root and shoot growth, soluble carbohydrate content, photosynthetic pigments content, and photosynthetic performance were evaluated. Seedling survival was not only strongly limited in D but the survived seedlings had an inferior shoot and root development, reduced chlorophyll content, and attenuated photosynthetic efficiency.

High Light Intensity Applied Shortly Before Harvest Improves Lettuce Nutritional Quality and Extends the Shelf Life.

The effect of light intensity applied shortly before harvest on the nutritional quality, postharvest performance, and shelf life of loose-leaf lettuce ( L. cv. Expertise RZ Salanova) was investigated.

Monochromatic red light during plant growth decreases the size and improves the functionality of stomata in chrysanthemum.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) now enable precise light quality control. Prior to commercialisation however, the plant response to the resultant light quality regime ought to be addressed. The response was examined here in chrysanthemum by evaluating growth, chlorophyll fluorescence (before and following water deficit), as well as stomatal anatomy (density, size, pore dimensions and aperture heterogeneity) and closing ability.

Response of Basil Growth and Morphology to Light Intensity and Spectrum in a Vertical Farm.

Vertical farming is becoming increasingly popular for production of leafy vegetables and herbs, with basil ( L.) as one of the most popular herbs. In basil most research has focused on increasing secondary metabolites with light spectra.

Identifying key wavenumbers that improve prediction of amylose in rice samples utilizing advanced wavenumber selection techniques.

This study utilizes advanced wavenumber selection techniques to improve the prediction of amylose content in grounded rice samples with near-infrared spectroscopy. Four different wavenumber selection techniques, i.e.

Sequential fusion of information from two portable spectrometers for improved prediction of moisture and soluble solids content in pear fruit.

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy allows rapid estimation of quality traits in fresh fruit. Several portable spectrometers are available in the market as a low-cost solution to perform NIR spectroscopy. However, portable spectrometers, being lower in cost than a benchtop counterpart, do not cover the complete near infrared (NIR) spectral range.

Blue Light Improves Vase Life of Carnation Cut Flowers Through Its Effect on the Antioxidant Defense System.

Improving marketability and extension of vase life of cut flowers has practical significance for the development of the cut flower industry. Although considerable efforts have been made over many years to improve the vase life of cut flowers through controlling the immediate environment and through post-harvest use of floral preservatives, the impact of lighting environment on vase life has been largely overlooked. In the current study, the effect of three LED light spectra [white (400-730 nm), blue (peak at 460 nm), and red (peak at 660 nm)] at 150 μmol m s on vase life and on physiological and biochemical characteristics of carnation cut flowers was investigated.

Cell death associated release of volatile organic sulphur compounds with antioxidant properties in chemical-challenged tobacco BY-2 suspension cultured cells.

The production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during programmed cell death (PCD) is still insufficiently studied and their implication in the process is not well understood. The present study demonstrates that the release of VOSCs with presumed antioxidant capacity (methanethiol, dimethylsulfide and dimethyldisulfide) accompanies the cell death in chemical-stressed tobacco BY-2 suspension cultured cells. The cells were exposed to cell death inducers of biotic nature mastoparan (MP, wasp venom) and camptothecin (CPT, alkaloid), and to the abiotic stress agent CdSO.

Modulation of the Tomato Fruit Metabolome by LED Light.

Metabolic profiles of tomatoes change during ripening and light can modulate the activity of relevant biochemical pathways. We investigated the effects of light directly supplied to the fruits on the metabolome of the fruit pericarp during ripening. Mature green tomatoes were exposed to well-controlled conditions with light as the only varying factor; control fruits were kept in darkness.

Postharvest Spectral Light Composition Affects Chilling Injury in Anthurium Cut Flowers.

The effect of the lighting environment during postharvest storage of ornamentals has largely been neglected in previous research. Anthurium is a cold-sensitive species originating from tropical climates and is widely cultivated all around the world for its colorful spathes. To investigate the effects of light spectrum on the performance of Anthurium cut flowers under cold storage, two cultivars [Calore (red spathe) and Angel (withe spathe)] were placed at low temperature (4°C), either in darkness (D) or under different light spectra [red (R), blue (B), 70:30% red:blue (RB), and white (W)] at an intensity of 125 µmol.

Light-Induced Vitamin C Accumulation in Tomato Fruits is Independent of Carbohydrate Availability.

L-ascorbate (ASC) is essential for human health. Therefore, there is interest in increasing the ASC content of crops like tomato. High irradiance induces accumulation of ASC in green tomato fruits.

Mango Firmness Modeling as Affected by Transport and Ethylene Treatments.

More and more, tropical fruit are subjected to accelerated ripening at receiving markets until "ready to eat." We propose a kinetic model that incorporates the effects of temperature and ethylene on the firmness behavior of "Keitt" and "Kent" mangoes. Stiffness of individual mangoes, as measured by the acoustic firmness tester, was measured repeatedly over time.

The wound response in fresh-cut lettuce involves programmed cell death events.

In this work, the involvement of programmed cell death (PCD) in the wound-induced postharvest browning disorder and senescence in butterhead lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) fresh-cuts was studied. At the wounded (cut, bruised) sites, rapid browning, loss of chlorophyll and massive cell death, accompanied with accumulation of reactive oxygen species and increased electrolyte leakage occurred in a narrow strip of tissue adjacent the injury.

Xylogenesis in zinnia (Zinnia elegans) cell cultures: unravelling the regulatory steps in a complex developmental programmed cell death event.

Physiological and molecular studies support the view that xylogenesis can largely be determined as a specific form of vacuolar programmed cell death (PCD). The studies in xylogenic zinnia cell culture have led to many breakthroughs in xylogenesis research and provided a background for investigations in other experimental models in vitro and in planta . This review discusses the most essential earlier and recent findings on the regulation of xylem elements differentiation and PCD in zinnia and other xylogenic systems.

Chilling-Induced Changes in Aroma Volatile Profiles in Tomato.

Fruit and vegetables are regularly stored by consumers in the refrigerator at temperatures that may be well below the recommended storage temperatures. Apart from causing visible symptoms such as watery, sunken areas on the skin, chilling may also induce changes in fruit textural properties and flavour. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of low temperature storage on tomato flavour and off-flavour production.

Involvement of phospholipase D-related signal transduction in chemical-induced programmed cell death in tomato cell cultures.

Phospholipase D (PLD) and its product phosphatidic acid (PA) are incorporated in a complex metabolic network in which the individual PLD isoforms are suggested to regulate specific developmental and stress responses, including plant programmed cell death (PCD). Despite the accumulating knowledge, the mechanisms through which PLD/PA operate during PCD are still poorly understood. In this work, the role of PLDα1 in PCD and the associated caspase-like proteolysis, ethylene and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) synthesis in tomato suspension cells was studied.