Nutritional value of organic acid lime juice (Citrus latifolia T.), cv. Tahiti

Acid lime can be used as fresh fruit or as juice to increase the flavor of drinks. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze organic acid lime nutritional composition in order to evaluate if there are important differences among those conventionally produced. No significant differences in total titrable acidity, pH, ascorbic acid, sucrose, calcium, and zinc were found between the acid lime juice from organic biodynamic crops and conventional crops. However, the organic biodynamic fruits presented higher peel percentage than the conventional ones leading to lower juice yield. On the other hand, fructose, glucose, total soluble solids contents, potassium, manganese, iron, and copper were higher in the conventional samples. These results indicated few nutritional differences between organic and conventional acid lime juices in some constituents. Nevertheless, fruit juice from biodynamic crops could be a good choice since it is free from pesticides and other agents that cause problems to human health maintaining the levels similar to those of important nutritional compounds.

Assessment of fructooligosaccharides production from sucrose in aqueous and aqueous-organic systems using immobilized inulinase from Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571

This work investigated the fructooligosaccharides (FOS) synthesis by immobilized inulinase obtained from Kluyveromyces marxianus NRRL Y-7571 in aqueous and aqueous-organic systems using sucrose as substrate. The sequential strategy of experimental design was used to optimize the FOS conversion in both systems. For the aqueous-organic system, a 2(6-2) fractional design was carried out to evaluate the effects of temperature, sucrose concentration, pH, aqueous/organic ratio, enzyme activity, and polyethylene glycol concentration. For the aqueous system, a central composite design for the enzyme activity and the sucrose concentration was carried out. The highest fructooligosaccharides yield (Y FOS) for the aqueous-organic system was 18.2 ± S0.9 wt%, at 40 ºC, pH 5.0, sucrose concentration of 60% (w/w), enzyme activity of 4 U.mL-1, and aqueous/organic ratio of 25/75 wt%. The highest Y FOS for the aqueous system was 14.6 ± 0.9 wt% at 40 ºC, pH 5.0, sucrose concentration of 60 wt%, and enzyme activity of 4.0 U.mL-1.

Prevalent fatty acids in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation in different stages of processing

Brazil is one of the three largest producers of fruits in the world, and among those fruit trees, the cashew tree stands out due to the high nutritional and commercial value of its products. During its fruit processing, there are losses in some compounds and few studies address this issue. Over the last decade the conventional system of food production has been substituted for the organic cultivation system, which is a promising alternative source of income given the global demand for healthy food. Therefore, this research aimed to characterize and quantify the prevalent fatty acids found in cashew nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation during various stages of processing. The prevalent fatty acids found were palmitic, linoleic, oleic, and stearic acid. The average of these fatty acids were 6.93 ± 0.55; 16.99 ± 0.61; 67.62 ± 1.00 and 8.42 ± 0.55 g/100 g, respectively. There was no reduction in the palmitic, oleic and stearic fatty acid contents during processing. Very little difference was observed between the nuts obtained from conventional and organic cultivation, indicating that the method of cultivation used has little or no influence on the content of cashew nut fatty acids.

The influence of peeling and type of drying on chemical and sensorial analysis of organic coffee

Organic coffee is characterized by being produced without the use of chemical products and by having a similar or superior quality in comparison to that of coffee produced by traditional methods. The production of organic coffee does not include the use of highly soluble nutrients, which makes consumers concerned with environmental issues and healthy eating habits realize its true value. This paper aims to analyze the influence of harvesting, peeling and drying on the quality of organic coffee, in order to present the best way of producing high quality coffee. Samples of organic coffee were harvested by both conventional and selective ways, and some were peeled. They were then dried on concrete patio and on suspended terraces. The beans were analyzed for potassium leaching, electrical conductivity, titratable acidity, and submitted to coffee cupping-test. The results obtained indicated that the selective harvesting of the peeled or unpeeled cherry coffee dried on concrete terrace is feasible for production of fine coffees. This type of processing effectively influenced the final quality of the organic coffee, thus being an alternative to improve the quality and market value of the product, especially for small producers, cooperatives, and associations of coffee producers.

Bioactive and volatile organic compounds in Southern Brazilian blackberry (Rubus Fruticosus) fruit cv. Tupy

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus, cultivar Tupy), an expanding fruit crop in southern Brazil, is greatly appreciated for its flavor and bioactive potential with limited characterization of its metabolite content. The purpose of this study was to characterize the bioactive and volatile organic compound (VOC) content of mature blackberry fruit of cultivar Tupy. Gallic acid, (-)-epicatechin, ferulic acid, and quercetin were the main phenolic compounds found in mature fruit. Among the VOCs identified in 'Tupy' blackberry were important flavor components characteristic of fruit berries, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and terpenoids. Some of the VOCs had not been previously found in blackberry, while others have been associated with typical blackberry flavor.

Physicochemical composition, minerals, and pesticide residues in organic grape juices

Demand for organic products is intensified in many countries each year. Following this trend, Brazil produces increasing volumes of organic grape juice. In this way, a survey of organic grape juices made from grapes produced according to this system was carried out where physicochemical composition, minerals, trace elements, and pesticide residues were determined. Variables related to grape juice composition were performed by physicochemical procedures; minerals and trace elements, by inductively plasma optical emission spectrometry; pesticide residues, by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Main results show that the physicochemical composition of organic grape juices was in general in accordance to the Brazilian legislation. The mean concentrations of trace elements were very low, varying from 0.002 (Cd) to 0.970 (Ba) mg L–1. Pesticide residues were not detected in any sample analyzed (MRL= 10 µg L–1). These results show that the Serra Gaúcha viticultural region present conditions to produce organic grape juices, despite the adverse climate factors that occurs in some years. Nevertheless, these products should be made with grape varieties, such as the labrusca ones, less susceptibles to the main grapevine pathogens.

Critical levels of organic acids on seed germination and seedling growth of wheat

The objective of this study was to determine the responses of the wheat cultivars CD 108 and CD 111 for tolerance to organic acids. The effects of five concentrations of the three main acids formed in the soil were studied: acetic acid (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mM), propionic acid (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 mM) and butyric acid (0, 2, 4, 8 and 12 mM). Tests included germination, shoot length, root length and dry weight of shoot and root. The variable root length is the most responsive variable for all the acids tested and the critical level of toxicity of acetic, propionic and butyric acids, which reduced root length by at least 50% was 9.0, 8.5 and 4.0 mM respectively. It was concluded that the presence of acetic, propionic and butyric acids in the germination substratum of wheat seeds of the cultivars CD 111 and CD 108 reduced seedling development, mainly by reducing the length of the radicles.