Desiccation tolerance of four seedlots from Euterpe edulis Mart.

In order to identify the desiccation tolerance of E. edulis seeds, four fruitlots were collected from the Campinas Agronomic Institute Palmae collection, located at Ubatuba, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and taken in moisture-proof containers to the College of Agriculture in Botucatu, state of Sao Paulo. There, the fruits were shelled and the seeds were dried, either under silica gel conditions or in a drying chamber. The effects of dehydration were evaluated by measurements of the germination, embryo protrusion, germinative button, plumule, speed of emergence, seedling length, seed dry matter and water content. Differences among seedlots and between harvest season for most of the traits were observed. Euterpe edulis seedlots seem to tolerate water content reductions until 39% without significant reduction in germination and vigor. Below this value, most of the evaluated traits were negatively affected. Total loss of germination was observed whenever seed water content was reduced to values below 21%.

Isolation of lignans glycosides from Alibertia sessilis (Vell.) K. Schum. (Rubiaceae) by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography

Enantiomeric aglycone lignans contained in a mixture were separated from a fraction of the extract of the stems of Alibertia sessilis (Vell.) K. Schum. (Rubiaceae) by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography. An efficient and fast separation can be achieved with methanol-water (30:70, v/v). Their structures were identified as (+)-lyoniresinol 3α-O-β-glucopyranoside and (-)-lyoniresinol 3α-O-β-glucopyranoside, being reported for the first time in Rubiaceae.

A new ent-kaurane diterpene from stems of Alibertia macrophylla K. Schum. (Rubiaceae)

Phytochemical investigations of the stems of a specimen of Alibertia macrophylla led to the isolation and characterization of the new diterpene ent-kaurane-2β,3α,16α-triol (1), along with triterpenes 2-8, iridoids 9-12, and phenolic acids 13-15. The structure of 1 was established based on spectroscopic studies (1H- and 13C-NMR, IR, and HR-ESI-MS). This is the first report of the isolation of a diterpene from the Alibertia genus in Rubiaceae. © 2007 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG.

A new antifungal phenolic glycoside derivative and iridoids and lignans from Alibertia sessilis (Vell.) K. Schum. (Rubiaceae)

A new antifungal phenolic glycoside, 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl-1-O-β-D- (5-O-syringoyl)-apiofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (1), together with four known iridoids, geniposidic acid (2), geniposide (3), 6α-hydroxygeniposide (4) and 6β-hydroxygeniposide (5); two lignans, (+)-lyoniresinol-3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), (-)-lyoniresinol- 3α-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (7); and two phenolic acids, chlorogenic (8) and salicylic acids (9) and D-manitol (10), were isolated from the ethanolic extract of the stems of Alibertia sessilis. Structures of 1 and of the known compounds were determined by spectroscopic analysis. All compounds isolated were evaluated for their antifungal activities against two phytopathogenic fungi strains Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum by direct bioautography. ©2007 Sociedade Brasileira de Química.

Shelf Life of Fresh and Pasteurized Organic Passion Fruit (Passiflora Edulis F. Flavicarpa Deg.) Pulp

The shelf life of the organic passion fruit pulp, both fresh and pasteurized at 70C and 90C and stored under refrigeration, was evaluated. The heat treatment did not affect the sensory and physicochemical characteristics of the pasteurized pulps when compared with the fresh pulp, except for the ascorbic acid content. The pulps were also microbiologically safe. The pulps pasteurized at 70 and 90C were suitable for consumption for a minimum shelf-life period of 207 days of storage under refrigeration and for the fresh pulp it was attributed a shelf-life period of 60 to 90 days. The pulp pasteurized at 70C showed higher acceptance scores for all the attributes and purchase intention scores, suggesting a more stable behavior and higher sensory quality. Practical Applications: This work intended to evaluate the influence of the minimum pasteurization on the sensory acceptance and microbiological and physicochemical characteristics of the organic passion fruit pulp stored under refrigeration, with the aim to identify the shelf life. Heat treatment is one of the processes used for food preservation. Lower pasteurization temperature than that used by the Brazilian industries and storage under refrigeration showed to be appropriate for passion fruit pulp quality. In this way, the microbiological, physicochemical and sensory features of passion fruit were preserved. This work can be used as a reference for passion fruit pasteurization, which is able to increase the shelf life of this fruit while preserving its desirable original features. Journal Compilation © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Differential seed germination of a keystone palm (Euterpe edulis) dispersed by avian frugivores

The effectiveness of seed dispersal by vertebrates has been analysed by examining both quantitative and qualitative components (Jordano & Schupp 2000, Schupp et al. 2010). While the quantitative component is relatively easily assessed in the field (e.g. visitation rate, number of fruits eaten per visit), the qualitative component (e.g. fate of dispersed seeds, seed treatment in the digestive system of the disperser) is rarely studied under natural conditions, because it is difficult to measure the effects on seeds once ingested by the dispersers (Cortes et al. 2009). © Cambridge University Press 2012.

Can overharvesting of a non-timber-forest-product change the regeneration dynamics of a tropical rainforest? The case study of Euterpe edulis

The exploitation of non-timber forest products is often considered a low-impact activity in tropical forests. However, assessments of the impacts of such activity are mostly focused on the harvested species and not on the plant community, thus limiting our understanding for establishing forest management recommendations. We investigated the consequences of Euterpe edulis palm heart harvesting on the seed rain in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. We compared the density of E. edulis individuals, as well as the density of E. edulis seeds, and the density, richness and functional composition of seed rain of the whole plant community, before and after palm heart harvesting in a 10 ha permanent plot. This assessment was carried out in preserved (typical old-growth Atlantic rainforest) and in disturbed (more open habitat dominated by the native bamboo Guadua tagoara) forest patches. Palm harvesting reduced the E. edulis population from 202.16 to 25.67 ind/ha and its seed rain density from 0.362 to 0.3 seeds/m2 and from 2.395 to 0.15 seeds/m2 in preserved and disturbed forest patches, respectively. Seed density of light-dependent climbers, pioneer trees, bamboo and animal-dispersed seeds increased after palm harvesting, especially in the disturbed forest patches, where palm harvesting was more intense and may have changed the light regime of the understory. On the other hand, species richness of the plant community declined by half. We observed a remarkable decline in the number of animal-dispersed species, especially for those with large seeds, suggesting that the activity of seed dispersers, including many species attracted by E. edulis fruits, was reduced. Therefore, harvesting of E. edulis palm heart may change the regeneration dynamics of the Atlantic rainforest, both due to shifts in forest structure, mediated by the removal of individuals from the forest canopy, and in community functioning, mediated by the interference on the activity of seed dispersers. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variação espacial nas interações entre o palmito Euterpe edulis e as aves frugívoras: implicações para a dispersão de sementes

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Respostas fisiológicas e morfológicas de sementes de palmito juçara (Euterpe edulis Mart.) à luz, temperatura, desidratação e aplicação de giberelinas

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Limitações bióticas afetando o recrutamento da palmeira Euterpe edulis em uma ilha continental da Mata Atlântica

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Caracterização da mobilização das reservas das sementes do maracujá-amarelo (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa O. Deg) durante a germinação

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Variação espaço-temporal na fenologia e frugivoria do palmito juçara Euterpe edulis Martius (Arecaceae) em três tipos de floresta atlântica

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Contribuição ao estudo bioquímico de polpa de híbridos da cultivar maracujá amarelo azedo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Degener): enzimas e compostos bioativos

Pós-graduação em Biotecnologia - IQ

Contribuição ao estudo de polifenoloxidase e ascorbato oxidase de polpa de Passiflora edulis (maracujá-amarelo) visando o processamento industrial de suco

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Coléteres dendróides em Alibertia sessilis (Vell.) K.Schum.(Rubiaceae)

Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas (Botânica) - IBB