Abstract – Introduction. The susceptibility of banana fruit to crown rot and anthracnose, the two main banana post-harvest diseases, is influenced by many pre-harvest abiotic factors. Mycosphaerella leaf spot diseases (MLSD) of bananas are biotic pre-harvest factors, which have an influence on fruit physiology. The fruit’s susceptibility to post-harvest diseases may also be influenced by foliar diseases caused by M. fijiensis, responsible for black leaf streak disease (BLSD), and M. musicola, which causes sigatoka disease (SD). The aim of our study was to determine the influence of these biotic pre-harvest factors on banana fruit’s susceptibility to crown rot and anthracnose. Materials and methods. A disease severity gradient was established in two experimental fields (Cameroon for BLSD and Guadeloupe for SD) where, at the flowering stage, six different levels of MLSD severity were selected. Fruit susceptibility was determined through necrotic surface assessments after artificial inoculation by Colletotrichum musae on the 3rd hand of harvested bunches. Results and discussion. BLSD significantly influenced banana sensitivity to crown rot (P < 0.001) but only had a slight effect on the development of anthracnose ( P = 0.041). SD had no effect (P > 0.05) on banana susceptibility to either post-harvest disease. These results are discussed with emphasis on the influence of variations in the source-sink ratio on fruit physiology. The influence of BLSD on crown rot disease suggests the need to take into account the management of these foliar diseases for an alternative control method of post-harvest diseases through integrated pest management programs.

Abstract – Introduction. Mango fruits grown under high-density planting show a progressive decline in crop yield after 14–15 years, due to overcrowding of canopies, which suggests regular canopy management is necessary. Hence, the effects of pruning treatment on fruit yield and quality of ‘Amrapali’ mango were studied in India over two consecutive years, 2010 and 2011. Materials and methods. Mango trees were subjected to pruning (removal of 50 cm of shoot from the apex) in the month of September 2009 with unpruned trees serving as control. Fruits were harvested at the commercial maturity stage and quality parameters were assessed both in fresh fruits and following ripening at room temperature [(35 ± 2) °C and (80 ± 5)% RH)]. Results and discussion. Fruit yield of pruned trees was found to decrease during the first year compared with the fruit yield of unpruned trees; later on, it increased during the second year. Pruning resulted in significantly higher fruit weight, fruit firmness, total carotenoids, antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content. Early maturity of fruits was observed from unpruned trees with faster color change, higher total soluble solids and lower titratable acidity. The fruits harvested from pruned trees showed slower ripening, and lower respiration, ethylene evolution rate and enzyme activity as compared with fruits from unpruned trees. Both anthracnose and stem-end rot disease percentage were reduced in ripe fruits from pruned trees. Conclusion. Pruning treatment appears to be an alternative strategy to obtain better yield and quality in densely populated old mango orchards.

Abstract – Introduction. The Cerrado is a Brazilian biome that has a large plant heterogeneity. Among the fruit species of the Cerrado, the tamarind stands out due to its economic potential and use in human feeding. Our study evaluated the physical and physicochemical characteristics, and occurrence and content of vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin E and folates in tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) from the Cerrado of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Materials and methods. The length, diameter, mass and fruit yield of tamarind were evaluated. Titratable acidity was determined by volumetric neutralization, pH by potentiometry, soluble solids by refractometry, moisture using an oven, ash using a muffle furnace, protein by the micro-Kjeldhal method, total dietary fiber by the gravimetric non-enzymatic method, and lipids with a Soxhlet extractor. Vitamin C and carotenoids were analyzed by HPLC-DAD, and vitamin E and folates by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Results and discussion. Tamarind pulp is composed mainly of carbohydrates (50.07 g·100 g–1) and moisture (35.29 g·100 g–1); it can be considered a good source of dietary fiber (4.13 g·100 g–1). The pH, titratable acidity and soluble solids are 2.95, 18.52 g tartaric acid·100 g–1 and 44.00 °Brix, respectively. Contents of vitamin C (4.79 mg·100 g–1) and folates (59.35 µg·100 g–1) in the tamarind are higher than those observed in traditional fruits. However, the fruit presents low vitamin E content (108.78 µg·100 g–1). Conclusion. The tamarind stands out due to its nutritional value, being a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, and an excellent source of folates.

 Introduction. Pithecellobium dulce is a legume native to tropical America that produces edible arils which can be white or red. The plant is also grown in Asia and, to date, predominantly fruits produced in Asia have been the subject of scientific studies. We studied white and red arils produced in America. Materials and methods. White aril and red aril fruits were evaluated in an array of reagent-based assays to determine nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Results and discussion. White arils and red arils showed similar physicochemical characteristics, with high content of vitamin C (79.7–82.6 mg·100 g–1 fresh weight) and dietary fiber (5.83–6.12% fw). The anthocyanin content of red arils (29.5 mg·100 g–1 fw, as cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents) was similar to that of strawberry. Total phenolics (517 mg·100 g–1 fw, as gallic acid equivalents) and antioxidant activities (ABTS, 224 mg; DPPH, 223 mg, as vitamin C equivalents) of red arils were 1.3 times higher than those in white arils. The methanolic extract of red arils showed a higher α-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 2.9 mg·mL–1) than acarbose (IC50 4.9 mg·mL–1). The methanolic extract [(50, 100 and 500) μg per tube] of red and white arils showed positive-strong antimutagenic activities (inhibition in the range 25–70%) in the assay (Salmonella typhimurium YG1024 strain, 1-nitropyrene as mutagen, 200 ng per tube). We are reporting for the first time remarkably high characteristics (i.e., antioxidant, inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase and content of dietary fiber) of P. dulce fruits, mainly of the red ones; properties which combined permit us to suggest that consumption of these fruits could have beneficial health effects in people with diabetes.

Introduction. Barberry (Berberis aristata DC.), a small fruit, is found growing in the wild in the temperate region of northern Pakistan. Materials and methods. Three different locations of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, i.e., Topa, Banjosa and Neriyan Sharif, were explored; thirty accessions of barberry were identified and characterized on the basis of their growth habit, flowering, fruiting and chemical composition of fruits. Results. The accessions exhibited high diversity in their phenotypical/morphological traits such as growth habit, intensity and time of flowering, fruit setting, ripening time, productivity, and fruit shape and color. The location had a great impact on quantitative parameters. Accessions collected from Neriyan Sharif had significantly greater plant height, higher number of branches per plant, extended flowering duration (days), took more time to maturity (days) and had high fruit setting (%), while those from Topa had large-sized leaves and fruits with greater average fruit weight. The nutritional composition of fruits indicated that the accessions from Topa had higher carbohydrate, ash, total soluble solids and Mn contents, with significantly higher juice pH, and lower acidity; while the accessions from Neriyan Sharif had significantly higher moisture, protein, fat, fiber, K, Ca, Na, Fe, Cu, Pb and Cr contents and were highly acidic. The accessions collected from Banjosa were almost intermediate for the quantitative characteristics studied. Conclusions. The results suggested that not only the genotype but its growing location as well are the main factors that determine the growing habit, productivity and nutritional composition of barberry fruits, and this ultimately provides important information on how to make the best use of them.

Introduction. Strawberry is rich in health as well as bioactive compounds, and benefits resulting from the use of natural products rich in bioactive substances are receiving increased interest from the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. Materials and methods. Twenty-two cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria ×  ananassa Duch.) grown under a temperate ecosystem were screened for ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, anthocyanins and antioxidant activities (DPPH and FRAP assays). The phenolic content was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent using gallic acid as the standard. Antioxidant activity was determined in terms of DPPH and FRAP assays and expressed as ascorbic acid equivalent. Total anthocyanins and total flavonoid content were determined using a colorimetric method. Titratable acidity (citric acid) was determined by the titration method. The average data of two years was analyzed using SAS 9.2 software. Results and discussion. Significant differences in the health and bioactive compounds were detected among the cultivars. The range of ascorbic acid of the tested samples was (51.03 to 89.40) mg·100 g–1 fresh weight. Titratable acidity varied between 0.73% and 1.44%; however, total anthocyanins ranged between (28.24 and 43.32) mg cyanidin-3-glucoside Eq·100 g–1 fresh weight. Total phenols varied from (380.10 to 888.10) mg gallic acid Eq·100 g–1 and total flavonoids from (31.26 to 55.16) mg catechin Eq·100 g–1. The total antioxidant activity ranged between (203.13 and 471.10) mg ascorbic acid Eq·100 g–1 fresh weight for DPPH, and between (326.06 and 701.13) mg ascorbic acid Eq·100 g–1 fresh weight for FRAP. Total phenols, DPPH and FRAP showed close association; however, PCA clearly categorized the selected cultivars into two broad groups. All of the diverse cultivars were clustered into two clusters which could be exploited for future qualitative breeding programs based on average cluster distance and can act as gene sources for making health foods. Conclusion. The importance of our findings would be significant for farmers, breeders, consumers and industries concerning food quality, disease prevention and healthcare.

Introduction. Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.) is a promising fruit species originating from North America. Among pomaceous fruits, saskatoon berries are a valuable source of chemical compounds with an antioxidant effect. Materials and methods. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and their correlation associated with the total antioxidant capacity of fruit of five particular cultivars were ascertained. Reactive oxygen species (specifically nitric oxide, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical) and antioxidant activity in the liver lipid system of their methanolic extracts were also assessed. Results and discusssion. In saskatoon berry cultivars the total contents of phenolic compounds ranged from (2.52 to 3.82) g gallic acid Eq·kg–1 of fresh mass, while the values of total antioxidant capacity were observed to be from (4.17 to 5.29) g of ascorbic acid Eq·kg–1 of fresh mass. High correlation coefficients between phenolics as well as flavonoids and antioxidant capacity were calculated (r2 = 0.8921 and r2 = 0.9901, respectively). Nitric oxide, superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical and antioxidant activity in the liver lipid system of saskatoon berry fruit methanolic extracts (10%) were provided for the first time. In the case of nitric oxide, the inhibitions were 21.08–27.52%; as regards superoxide anion, they were 25.14–30.73%; concerning hydroxyl radical, 18.25–21.18%, and in respect of antioxidant activity in the liver lipid system, 7.90–8.38%. These inhibitions are stronger than, e.g., in apples which are the most important species of pomaceous fruit worldwide. Conclusions. Saskatoon berry fruit could be a suitable supplement for modern human nutrition. Furthermore, our work contributes to the popularisation of this pomaceous species, with the focus on its potential in relation to high antioxidant strength.