Sensory and Physicochemical Quality, Residual Fungicide Levels and Microbial Load in 'Florida Radiance' Strawberries from Different Disease Control Treatments Exposed to Simulated Supply Chain Conditions.

Strawberries are greatly appreciated for their flavor and health-promoting properties. However, current agricultural and postharvest handling practices may result in decreased fruit quality. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of conventional or reduced fungicide applications on the quality of 'Florida Radiance' strawberries exposed to supply chain conditions.

Sensory Quality, Physicochemical Attributes, Polyphenol Profiles, and Residual Fungicides in Strawberries from Different Disease-Control Treatments.

Using alternative agricultural practices in combination with proper postharvest handling has become a major goal to improve fresh produce quality. Here, two different strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa) genotypes were used as a model to study the impact of repeated, reduced-fungicide or no-fungicide applications on the sensory quality, physicochemical attributes, polyphenol profiles, and residual fungicide in strawberries. Strawberries grown under reduced-fungicide applications had similar or better physicochemical quality than conventionally and organically grown fruit and lower levels of fungicide residues than conventional fruit.

Imidacloprid Extraction from Citrus Leaves and Analysis by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).

A procedure was developed to extract Imidacloprid (IMD) from newly-flushed and fully-expanded citrus leaves. The extraction was conducted in a bullet blender, using a small sample mass (0.5 g of fresh tissue), stainless-steel beads (24 g), and methanol as extractant (10 mL).

Enzyme release of phenolics from muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.) skins and seeds.

Enzyme degradation of plant cell wall polysaccharides can potentially enhance the release of bioactive phenolics. The aim of this study was to evaluate various combinations of solvent and enzyme, enzyme type (cellulase, pectinase, ß-glucosidase), and hydrolysis time (1, 4, 8, 24 h) on the release of muscadine grape skin and seed phenolics, and their antioxidant activities. Results showed that pre-treated muscadine skins and seeds with enzymes decreased total phenolic yield compared with solvent (50% ethanol) alone.

Investigation of NeutrAvidin-tagged liposomal nanovesicles as universal detection reagents for bioanalytical assays.

Ligand-tagged liposomes, obtained by covalent conjugation of ligands to the liposomal surface, have been widely used as detection reagents in bioanalytical assays. A non-covalent conjugation method where IgG was attached to protein G-tagged liposomes has been recently utilized. To enlarge the application of non-covalent methods to a greater variety of ligands, including peptides, proteins, and nucleic acids, we developed and optimized a new method for the preparation of NeutrAvidin-tagged liposomes with subsequent attachment of biotinylated ligands.

Peanut Allergy, Peanut Allergens, and Methods for the Detection of Peanut Contamination in Food Products.

  Attention to peanut allergy has been rising rapidly for the last 5 y, because it accounts for the majority of severe food-related anaphylaxis, it tends to appear early in life, and it usually is not resolved. Low milligram amounts of peanut allergens can induce severe allergic reactions in highly sensitized individuals, and no cure is available for peanut allergy. This review presents updated information on peanut allergy, peanut allergens (Ara h1 to h8), and available methods for detecting peanuts in foods.

Development of a competitive liposome-based lateral flow assay for the rapid detection of the allergenic peanut protein Ara h1.

A competitive lateral flow assay for detecting the major peanut allergen, Ara h1, has been developed. The detector reagents are Ara h1-tagged liposomes, and the capture reagents are anti-Ara h1 polyclonal antibodies. Two types of rabbit polyclonal antibodies were raised either against the entire Ara h1 molecules (anti-Ara h1 Ab) or against an immunodominant epitope on Ara h1 (anti-peptide Ab).

Pisatin metabolism in pea (Pisum sativum L.) cell suspension cultures.

Cell suspension cultures were established from germinating pea (Pisum sativum L.) seeds. This cell culture, which accumulated pisatin, consisted mostly of single cells containing a few cell aggregates.