A micro industry with closed energy and water cycles for sustainable rural development

Sustainable development requires combining economic viability with energy and environment conservation and ensuring social benefits. It is conceptualized that for designing a micro industry for sustainable rural industrialization, all these aspects should be integrated right up front. The concept includes; (a) utilization of local produce for value addition in a cluster of villages and enhancing income of the target population; (b) use of renewable energy and total utilization of energy generated by co and trigeneration (combining electric power production with heat utilization for heating and cooling); (c) conservation of water and complete recycling of effluents; (d) total utilization of all wastes for achieving closure towards a zero waste system. Enhanced economic viability and sustainability is achieved by integration of appropriate technologies into the industrial complex. To prove the concept, a model Micro Industrial Complex (MIC) has been set up in a semi arid desert region in Rajasthan, India at village Malunga in Jodhpur district. A biomass powered boiler and steam turbine system is used to generate 100-200 KVA of electric power and high energy steam for heating and cooling processes downstream. The unique feature of the equipment is a 100-150 kW back-pressure steam turbine, utilizing 3-4 tph (tonnes per hour) steam, developed by M/s IB Turbo. The biomass boiler raises steam at about 20 barg 3 tph, which is passed through a turbine to yield about 150 kW of electrical power. The steam let out at a back pressure of 1-3 barg has high exergy and this is passed on as thermal energy (about 2 MW), for use in various applications depending on the local produce and resources. The biomass fuel requirement for the boiler is 0.5-0.75 tph depending on its calorific value. In the current model, the electricity produced is used for running an oil expeller to extract castor oil and the castor cake is used as fuel in the boiler. The steam is used in a Multi Effect Distillation (MED) unit for drinking water production and in a Vapour Absorption Machine (VAM) for cooling, for banana ripening application. Additional steam is available for extraction of herbs such as mint and processing local vegetables. In this paper, we discuss the financial and economic viability of the system and show how the energy, water and materials are completely recycled and how the benefits are directed to the weaker sections of the community.

Surface microbial consortia from Livarot, a French smear-ripened cheese

The surface microflora (902 isolates) of Livarot cheeses from three dairies was investigated during ripening. Yeasts were mainly identified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Geotrichum candidum was the dominating yeast among 10 species. Bacteria were identified using Biotype 100 strips, dereplicated by repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR (rep-PCR); 156 representative strains were identified by either BOX-PCR or (GTG) 55-PCR, and when appropriate by 16S rDNA sequencing and SDS-PAGE analysis. Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 65% of the isolates and were mainly assigned to the genera Arthrobacter, Brevibacterium, Corynebacterium, and Staphylococcus. New taxa related to the genera Agrococcus and Leucobacter were found. Yeast and Gram-positive bacteria strains deliberately added as smearing agents were sometimes undetected during ripening. Thirty-two percent of the isolates were Gram-negative bacteria, which showed a high level of diversity and mainly included members of the genera Alcaligenes, Hafnia, Proteus, Pseudomonas, and Psychrobacter. Whatever the milk used (pasteurized or unpasteurized), similar levels of biodiversity were observed in the three dairies, all of which had efficient cleaning procedures and good manufacturing practices. It appears that some of the Gramnegative bacteria identified should now be regarded as potentially useful in some cheese technologies. The assessment of their positive versus negative role should be objectively examined.

Biodiversity of the surface microbial consortia from Limburger, Reblochon, Livarot, Tilsit, and Gubbeen cheeses

Comprehensive collaborative studies from our laboratories reveal the extensive biodiversity of the microflora of the surfaces of smear-ripened cheeses. Two thousand five hundred ninety-seven strains of bacteria and 2,446 strains of yeasts from the surface of the smear-ripened cheeses Limburger, Reblochon, Livarot, Tilsit, and Gubbeen, isolated at three or four times during ripening, were identified; 55 species of bacteria and 30 species of yeast were found. The microfloras of the five cheeses showed many similarities but also many differences and interbatch variation. Very few of the commercial smear microorganisms, deliberately inoculated onto the cheese surface, were reisolated and then mainly from the initial stages of ripening, implying that smear cheese production units must have an adventitious "house" flora. Limburger cheese had the simplest microflora, containing two yeasts, Debaryomyces hansenii and Geotrichum candidum, and two bacteria, Arthrobacter arilaitensis and Brevibacterium aurantiacum. The microflora of Livarot was the most complicated, comprising 10 yeasts and 38 bacteria, including many gram-negative organisms. Reblochon also had a very diverse microflora containing 8 yeasts and 13 bacteria (excluding gram-negative organisms which were not identified), while Gubbeen had 7 yeasts and 18 bacteria and Tilsit had 5 yeasts and 9 bacteria. D. hansenii was by far the dominant yeast, followed in order by G. candidum, Candida catenulata, and Kluyveromyces lactis. B. aurantiacum was the dominant bacterium and was found in every batch of the 5 cheeses. The next most common bacteria, in order, were Staphylococcus saprophyticus, A. arilaitensis, Corynebacterium casei, Corynebacterium variabile, and Microbacterium gubbeenense. S. saprophyticus was mainly found in Gubbeen, and A. arilaitensis was found in all cheeses but not in every batch. C. casei was found in most batches of Reblochon, Livarot, Tilsit, and Gubbeen. C. variabile was found in all batches of Gubbeen and Reblochon but in only one batch of Tilsit and in no batch of Limburger or Livarot. Other bacteria were isolated in low numbers from each of the cheeses, suggesting that each of the 5 cheeses has a unique microflora. In Gubbeen cheese, several different strains of the dominant bacteria were present, as determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and many of the less common bacteria were present as single clones. The culture-independent method, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, resulted in identification of several bacteria which were not found by the culture-dependent (isolation and rep-PCR identification) method. It was thus a useful complementary technique to identify other bacteria in the cheeses. The gross composition, the rate of increase in pH, and the indices of proteolysis were different in most of the cheeses.

Stabilization of catalyst particles against sintering on oxide supports with high oxygen ion lability exemplified by Ir-catalyzed decomposition of N2O

Iridium nanoparticles deposited on a variety of surfaces exhibited thermal sintering characteristics that were very strongly correlated with the lability of lattice oxygen in the supporting oxide materials. Specifically, the higher the lability of oxygen ions in the support, the greater the resistance of the nanoparticles to sintering in an oxidative environment. Thus with γ-Al2O3 as the support, rapid and extensive sintering occurred. In striking contrast, when supported on gadolinia-ceria and alumina-ceria-zirconia composite, the Ir nanoparticles underwent negligible sintering. In keeping with this trend, the behavior found with yttria-stabilized zirconia was an intermediate between the two extremes. This resistance, or lack of resistance, to sintering is considered in terms of oxygen spillover from support to nanoparticles and discussed with respect to the alternative mechanisms of Ostwald ripening versus nanoparticle diffusion. Activity towards the decomposition of N2O, a reaction that displays pronounced sensitivity to catalyst particle size (large particles more active than small particles), was used to confirm that catalytic behavior was consistent with the independently measured sintering characteristics. It was found that the nanoparticle active phase was Ir oxide, which is metallic, possibly present as a capping layer. Moreover, observed turnover frequencies indicated that catalyst-support interactions were important in the cases of the sinter-resistant systems, an effect that may itself be linked to the phenomena that gave rise to materials with a strong resistance to nanoparticle sintering.

Determination of Arsenic Species in Water and Grape-Based Beverages

Arsenic is a human carcinogen that has been found in various waters and wines throughout the world. Therefore, close examination of these liquids is necessary to prevent the intoxication of animals and humans. Wines and waters often contain significant amounts of toxic arsenic species. The source of arsenic in wines and waters is generally believed to be the result of arsenic-based pesticides and herbicides. Recent studies have also shown that toxic arsenic may be used in the cultivation and acceleration of the ripening process of fruit, ultimately contaminating fruit-based beverages. The determination of total arsenic can be found by using several methods, including AFS or ICP/MS. No pretreatment of water is necessary, except for filtering by means of a Fisherbrand PTFE 0.45 connected to a Becton-Dickinson 10 mL syringe to filter particles from water. The pretreatment of the wine includes ethanol evaporation and an addition of 0.1% nitric acid. A number of commercial drinking waters and regional lake water were analyzed. Since we have confirmed the presence of arsenic in a variety of waters and wines from different countries, we decided to test a number of commercially available beverages for the presence of arsenic. The focus ofthis project is to establish the presence of arsenic in various commercially available beverages. ICP-MS was used to determine total arsenic using certified standards. Internal standards Indium and Yttrium were also used to verify the concentration readings, which varied from 0- 20 ppb.

Effetti della defogliazione tardiva sulla composizione della bacca di Sangiovese (Vitis vinifera L.) in un vigneto biologico

In a context of climatic change, where high temperatures are frequent in the first phases of ripening, protecting bunches from solar radiation is essential to preserve berry colors. This thesis reports data collected in 2015 within a 3-year experiment conducted in Tebano (Faenza, Italy) in an organically-managed vineyard. Vines of cv Sangiovese submitted to post-veraison (15 Brix), pre-harvest late defoliation and post-veraison shoot positioning were compared with untreated controls. Treatments did not modify berry skin anthocyanins and flavonols, berry weight, soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity. Data are discussed in terms of the relevance of preserving berry skin anthocyanins and increasing berry skin flavonols through sustainable agronomic approaches for improving the color of young (co-pigmentation) and older (formation of polymeric pigments) wines. The benefits of late defoliations as an effective tool against Botrytis cluster rot are also discussed.

Seven Photographs of Cerridwen Salon events

Inscription: Verso: Cerridwen Salon, New York, ripening ritual.

Adaptability of three newly introduced apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) cultivars to Egyptian conditions

An experiment was conducted in 2013 and 2014 with three newly introduced cultivars of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.), namely “Antonio Errani”, “Tirynthos” and “Ninfa” to study their performance and adaptability under Egyptian conditions. Results indicated that calculating the chilling hours temperature at or below 15°C was more suitable than temperatures at or below 7.2°C and 10°C. The cultivar with a low chilling requirement started with the opening of vegetative and flower buds earlier when compared to other cultivars. Furthermore, the cultivar Ninfa required less heat units as compared to the other two cultivars. Thus, the accumulated growing degree-days (GDDs) from the time of the flower bud break l until fruit maturity was low in early matured Ninfa cultivar. However, Antonio Errani and Tirynthos cultivars were late in the date of fruit ripening. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference in the opening percentage of vegetative and flower buds, trunk circumference, fruit drop, fruit number and yield weight among cultivars during the two seasons. Conversely, the leaf drop of Antonio Errani cultivar was earlier while Ninfa cultivar started it’s leaf drop later in the two seasons. Tirynthos gave the highest fruit weight, fruit size and fruit surface lightness. Meanwhile, the Antonio Errani cultivar was the highest in fruit firmness and total soluble solids. The appearance and behavior of cultivars under the study varied from one season to another with shoot length, leaf area, percentage of fruit set and acidity. It can be recommended from the present study that, Antonio Errani, Tirynthos and Ninfa cultivars are well adapted under Egyptian conditions. Further, fruits from the cultivars mature early and late in the season and can fulfill the demands of the market.

Effet de réduction en sodium sur la texture et la bioaccessibilité des protéines d’un fromage à pâte molle à croûte fleurie

Le sel (NaCl) joue plusieurs rôles importants dans les fromages aux niveaux technologique, microbiologique et organoleptique. Cependant, le sodium, un facteur de risque des maladies cardiovasculaires, est consommé en trop grande quantité par les Canadiens. Comme la réduction du sodium pourrait affecter la texture des fromages à pâte molle à croûte fleurie et la libération des nutriments pendant la digestion, l’impact de la réduction du sodium sur la bioaccessibilité des protéines dans le fromage Brie a été étudié. Ainsi, la composition et les caractéristiques texturales de fromages Brie ayant différentes teneurs en sodium (standard, réduite, substituée au KCl) ont été analysées. Une réduction du sodium de 23 % a été obtenue pour les fromages réduits en sodium. Le temps d’affinage affecte la protéolyse et la texture des fromages. La cinétique de dégradation de la matrice fromagère et la libération des protéines ont été déterminées par une approche de digestion in vitro. La désintégration de la matrice fromagère et la libération des protéines pendant la digestion in vitro ne sont pas différentes entre les fromages expérimentaux. Ces travaux démontrent qu’il est possible de réduire le sodium sans affecter le profil de protéolyse et la texture pendant l’affinage du fromage Brie ainsi que son comportement à la digestion.

Stromule formation is dependent upon plastid size, plastid differentiation status and the density of plastids within the cell

Stromules are motile extensions of the plastid envelope membrane, whose roles are not fully understood. They are present on all plastid types but are more common and extensive on non-green plastids that are sparsely distributed within the cell. During tomato fruit ripening, chloroplasts in the mesocarp tissue differentiate into chromoplasts and undergo major shifts in morphology. In order to understand what factors regulate stromule formation, we analysed stromule biogenesis in tobacco hypocotyls and in two distinct plastid populations in tomato mesocarp. We show that increases in stromule length and frequency are correlated with chromoplast differentiation, but only in one plastid population where the plastids are larger and less numerous. We used tobacco hypocotyls to confirm that stromule length increases as plastids become further apart, suggesting that stromules optimise the plastid-cytoplasm contact area. Furthermore, we demonstrate that ectopic chloroplast components decrease stromule formation on tomato fruit chromoplasts, whereas preventing chloroplast development leads to increased numbers of stromules. Inhibition of fruit ripening has a dramatic impact on plastid and stromule morphology, underlining that plastid differentiation status, and not cell type, is a significant factor in determining the extent of plastid stromules. By modifying the plastid surface area, we propose that stromules enhance the specific metabolic activities of plastids. This is an electronic version of an Article published in The Plant Journal, August 2004, Volume 39, pp. 655-667. Copyright 2004 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and The Society for Experimental Biology.

Seleção e divergência genética de pessegueiros e nectarineiras e susceptibilidade a danos causados pelo frio na Estación Experimental de Aula Dei (CSIC)

The peaches and nectarines are highly appreciated by consumer, but it is climacteric fruits, with availability in the market in small time. It is necessary to invest to obtain genotypes with fruit quality and small perishability or that it presente less physiological disorders after storage. The aims of this work were i) to evaluate the genetic divergence among 40 peach and nectarine trees genotypes based on postharvest quality and select posible parents; ii) to evaluate the susceptibility to chilling injury in peaches and nectarines after cold storage; iii) to evaluate divergence of peaches and nectarines on the basis in the susceptibility for chiling injury and select superior genotypes; iv) evaluate the correlations between quality and susceptibility to chilling injury of peaches and nectarines v) select parents with the combination of lower susceptibility to chilling injury and higher quality fruit. The study was carried out in EEAD-CSIC, Zaragoza - Spain, during the production cycle 2013/2014. A total of 40 peaches and nectarines genotypes from germplasm collection were evaluated. The quality characteristics as flesh firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, rippining index and flesh color parameters were evaluated. The fruits were submitted to cold storage at 0 °C and 5 °C, with 95% average relative humidity. The evaluations were after 14 and 28 days, it being observed the presence of symptoms, such as wooliness through mealiness, flesh grainy, leatheriness and flesh color changes, through browning, bleeding and off flavor. As a selection parameter was adopted 20% of genotypes that had a higher frequency of superiority for quality characteristics, susceptibility to chilling injury and the combining of both. For quality characteristic presented greater divergence the ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Sudanel Blanco’ and ‘Borracho de Jarque’. Based on the quality the eight genotypes were selected, ‘Andross’, ‘San Jaime’, ‘San Lorenzo’, ‘Borracho de Jarque’, ‘Sudanell 1’, ‘Carson’, ‘Baby Gold 6’ and ‘Stanford’. All genotypes studied exhibited susceptibility to one or more symptoms caused by cold storage during 28 days, independent of temperature. For 14 days, the ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘Flavortop’ and ‘Queen Giant’ genotypes did not show any physiological disorder caused by cold. In general, the temperature of 0 °C favored fruit postharvest conservation, it have a lower incidence and severity of symptoms caused by cold storage. The storage for 14 days contributed for the lower incidence of damage in the genotypes fruits studied. For 14 days, with both temperatures, it was observed divergence for ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Sudanell Blanco’, ‘Baby Gold 6’ ‘GF3’, ‘Baby Gold 8’, ‘Campiel’ and ‘Campiel Rojo’ genotypes. For 28 days, in the 5 °C condition, ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Flavortop’ and ‘Redhaven’ genotypes were divergents. Based on susceptibility to chilling injury at 0 °C, the eight genotypes were selected, it being these, ‘Queen Giant’, ‘Keimoes’, ‘Flavortop’, ‘Big Top’, 'Redhaven', 'Sudanell 3', 'Bonet I' and ‘Carson’. The quality parameters as rippining index, soluble solids, firmness and titratable acidity presented correlation among them. These, also it had correlation with woolines and bowning, what it indicate that fruits with more ripening can have this symptoms more easily. The browning, mealiness, flesh grainy and off flavor variables were correlationed with the time period and temperartures, what it confirm that these symptoms are the main disorders caused by cold storage. The quality characteristics together susceptibility to chilling injury allowed selected ‘Baby Gold 6’, ‘Sarell’, ‘Keimoes’, ‘GF3’ ‘San Jaime’, ‘Big Top’, ‘Sudanell 1’, ‘Carson’, ‘Baby Gold 8’, and ‘San Lorenzo’ genotypes.

Desenvolvimento de filmes nanocompósitos de isolado protéico de corvina (micropogonias furnieri) e argila organofílica

O desenvolvimento de filmes e coberturas é um processo de transformação que utiliza polímeros capazes de formar uma matriz contínua. As proteínas de pescado apresentam propriedades que são vantajosas no preparo de biofilmes, como habilidade para formar redes, plasticidade e elasticidade, apresentando boa barreira ao oxigênio, mas sua barreira ao vapor de água é baixa devido à sua natureza hidrofílica. Estas propriedades podem ser melhoradas aplicando nanotecnologia, incluindo materiais como as nanoargilas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi desenvolver filmes nanocompósitos a partir de biopolímeros protéicos provenientes de isolados protéicos de corvina (Micropogonias furnieri) e argilas organofílicas. O isolado protéico de corvina (IPC) foi obtido utilizando processo de variação de pH para solubilizar e isolar proteína. Os filmes poliméricos foram desenvolvidos pela técnica de “casting”. Para o desenvolvimento de filmes nanocompósitos de isolado protéico de corvina (IPC) e montmorilonita foi executado um planejamento experimental de 3 níveis e 3 fatores com 3 réplicas no ponto central. Os resultados foram submetidos à metodologia de superfície de resposta (MSR) para estudar os efeitos simultâneos das variáveis independentes, concentração de IPC (IPC = 2; 3,5 e 5 g/100 g de solução filmogênica); concentração de montmorilonita (MMT = 0,3; 0,5 e 0,7 g/100 g de solução filmogênica); e plastificante glicerol (G = 25, 30 e 35 g/100 g de IPC em base seca) sobre as respostas resistência à tração (MPa), elongação (%), força na ruptura (N), permeabilidade ao vapor de água (g mm m-2 d -1 KPa-1 ) e solubilidade (%). O isolado protéico obtido de carne mecanicamente separada de corvina apresentou 97,87% de proteína (em base seca), boa capacidade de retenção de água e solubilidade. Os valores de resistência à tração variaram entre 7,2 e 10,7 MPa e os valores de elongação de 39,6 a 45,8%. Os valores encontrados para PVA no presente trabalho encontram-se entre 3,2 e 5,5 g mm m-2 d -1 KPa-1 . Os filmes nanocompósitos produzidos a partir de IPC e MMT foram promissores, do ponto de vista das propriedades mecânicas, aparência visual e fácil manuseio, bem como baixa permeabilidade ao vapor de água e a baixa solubilidade. Com relação às propriedades mecânicas, a concentração de IPC e MMT foi o principal fator que influenciou no desenvolvimento dos filmes nanocompósitos. O planejamento experimental utilizado determinou que 3,5 g de IPC; 0,5 g de MMT e 30 (g/100g de IPC) de glicerol seriam os parâmetros ideais para desenvolvimento de filmes nanocompósitos utilizando a técnica de “casting”. As coberturas de isolado protéico de corvina (IPC) e as coberturas de IPC e MMT foram aplicadas em mamão minimamente processado para avaliar sua vida- útil. O revestimento com cobertura de isolado protéico de corvina e montmorilonita aplicado em mamão minimamente processado apresentou menor perda de massa 5,26%, menor crescimento microbiano e menor diminuição de firmeza, luminosidade e pH conseqüentemente apresentou os melhores resultados na cobertura de mamão minimamente processado, quando comparados com a amostra controle sem cobertura.

Estudo das propriedades físico-químicas do queijo Serra da Estrela

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características físicas e químicas de queijo Serra da Estrela de pasta semi mole e correlacionar estes resultados com os resultados da análise sensorial. Foram alvo de estudo 29 amostras de queijo Serra da Estrela produzidas com 6 ecótipos de cardo diferentes. Os queijos foram produzidos em várias queijarias da região demarcada para a produção do queijo Serra da Estrela, mais propriamente dos concelhos de Penalva do Castelo, Oliveira do Hospital e Fornos de Algodres. Procedeu-se à avaliação das propriedades químicas como a humidade, o pH, cloretos, cinzas e proteínas, de propriedades físicas, como a textura e a cor e uma avaliação sensorial. Dos resultados obtidos foi possível verificar que os valores da humidade variaram entre 34, 9% e 49,8%. As cinzas e a proteína encontram-se abaixo dos valores na literatura (3,4%–5,5% e 13,0%–21,9%, respetivamente). Os cloretos variaram entre 1,1% e 3,0% e o pH entre 4,8 e 5,7. Verificou-se que com mais dias de maturação, e portanto menor humidade, as amostras apresentam, maior firmeza, menos adesividade e menos pegamento da pasta. Os valores da dureza da casca e da pasta variam entre 1,56N e 9,40N e 0,4 N e 3,4 N, respetivamente. A adesividade é bastante elevada (de -26,29 N.sec a -2,21 N.sec), o que traduz o caráter amanteigado destes queijos. Nas coordenadas de cor os valores de L* variaram entre 53,57 a 64,34, os de a* entre -4,53 e 1,29 e os de b* entre 15,56 e 29,03, revelando uma cor amarelada. Os resultados da análise sensorial não apresentam grande variabilidade entre os diferentes ecótipos e verificou-se que, em geral, as análises instrumentais realizadas acabaram por confirmar a percepção dos provadores.

Effect of different thistle flower ecotypes as milk-clotting in Serra da Estrela cheese

Purpose – Thistle flower( Cynara cardunculus) aqueous extracts, as rich source of milk-clotting peptidases, have been widely used for cheeses marketed under the Registry of the Protected Designation of Origin, as it is the case of Serra da Estrela cheese, manufactured from raw ewes’ milk and without addition of any commercial starter culture. This paper aims at studying the influence of six different ecotypes of thistle flowers in cheese properties during the ripening and of final products. Design/methodology/approach – Cheeses were produced with different thistle flower extracts and then the clotting time, weight and colour of cheeses, as well as texture properties and sensorial characteristics, were evaluated. Findings – The clotting time varied from 47 to 66 min, and the weight loss along ripening varied between 32 and 40 per cent. There was some influence of thistle flower ecotype on the colour during ripening and in the final product. The results of texture analysis revealed significant differences between the thistle ecotypes: crust firmness varying from 2.4 to 5.6 N; inner firmness from 0.82 to 1.82 N; stickiness from 0.5 to 1.60 N; adhesiveness from 3.0 to 11.3 N.s; and Ecotype C was particularly distinguishable. Sensorial evaluation revealed differences among the cheeses, with Ecotype C receiving the highest score for global appreciation. Originality/value – The usage of different extracts of thistle flower to produce Serra da Estrela cheese with different properties is a novelty, and it allows the possibility of manipulating this parameter in the future so as to produce cheeses with specific characteristics, addressed to different consumer targets.

γ-Irradiation effects on appearance and aroma of 'Kensington Pride' mango fruit

γ-Irradiation doses of 0.5 (target) and 1.0 (high) kGy were applied as insect disinfestation treatments to 'Kensington Pride' mango fruit. The effects of these treatments on fruit physicochemical properties and aroma volatile production were investigated and compared to non-irradiated controls. There were no significant effects of the irradiation treatments on flesh total soluble solids content. However, the loss of green skin colour usually associated with fruit ripening was inhibited by irradiation at both 0.5 and 1.0 kGy by approximately 32 and 52%, respectively, relative to non-irradiated fruit. Fruit exposed to 0.5 and 1.0 kGy exhibited a 58 and 80% reduction in emission of a-terpinolene volatiles, respectively. Thus, γ-irradiation at 0.5 and 1.0 kGy can have an adverse effect on 'Kensington Pride' mango fruit aroma volatile production and skin colouration.