2016-12-24T18:10:15

No abstract

`Solar Set' tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were harvested at the mature-green stage of development and treated with 50 μL·L-1 ethylene at 20 °C. Breaker-stage fruit were dropped from 40 cm onto a solid surface to induce internal bruising and held along with undropped fruit at 20 °C. At the ripe stage, pericarp, locule, and placental tissues were analyzed for soluble sugars, vitamin C, pigments, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, pericarp electrolyte leakage, extractable polygalacturonase activity, and locule tissue consistency. Bruising significantly affected chemical composition and physical properties of pericarp and locule tissues, but not placental tissue. For bruised locule tissue, carotenoids, vitamin C, and titratable acidity were 37%, 15%, and 15%, lower, respectively, than unbruised fruit. For bruised pericarp tissue, vitamin C content was 16% lower than for unbruised tissue, whereas bruising increased electrolyte leakage and extractable polygalacturonase activity by 25% and 33%, respectively. Evidence of abnormal ripening following impact bruising was confined to locule and pericarp tissues and may be related to the disruption of cell structure and altered enzyme activity.

Vegetable crops as functional foodAlthough a very old concept, the relationship between food and health has never been as close as it is today. Diets rich in fat, salt, and sugar and poor in complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals in association with a more sedentary lifestyle, are responsible for an increase in diet-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, hypertension, osteoporosis, and cancer. It is believed that the ingestion of fruits and vegetables helps in the prevention of these diseases. Vegetables are an important component of the diet, usually in association with protein-and starch-rich foods. They are responsible not only for adding variety of color and texture to meals, but also for providing important nutrients. Vegetables are low fat and low calorie foods, with relatively small amounts of protein, but they are rich in carbohydrates and fibers and add significant amounts of micronutrients to the human diet. They are also a source of functional substances, which might benefit one or more physiological functions in the body, besides adequate nutritional effects. Functional elements might play a role in improving health and wellbeing, as well as reducing the risk of the onset of diet-related diseases. The development of vegetable cultivars with greater amounts of these substances is one of the main goals of modern breeding programs. Many of these programs, working on different vegetables, are currently underway in Brazil and other countries, aiming to improve the amount and variety of carotenoids present in the diet. In the present paper, the main aspects of vegetable crops as functional foods are discussed. The most important achievements of tomato and carrot breeding programs in Brazil aiming to improve the amount and types of functional compounds are also presented.

No abstract

RESUMOA cada dia que passa o consumidor está mais consciente que a saúde está diretamente relacionada a uma dieta balanceada e segura. A preocupação com o consumo de alimentos com propriedades funcionais vem crescendo pelo fato dos alimentos apresentarem atividades antioxidantes. Entretanto, o consumo de hortaliças in natura também podem apresentar riscos à saúde. Os principais riscos potenciais de frutas e hortaliças estão relacionados às contaminações química e microbiológica, que podem ocorrer no vegetal durante a sua produção. Com o aumento da competitividade nas diferentes cadeias agroindustriais, os produtores têm buscado oferecer produtos com maior qualidade e de maior valor agregado, sem perderem de vista a segurança dos alimentos. Uma forma de gerenciar perigos para a segurança dos alimentos é monitorar todo o processo desde a produção até a sua distribuição. Para tanto, é necessário implementar um sistema de rastreamento combinado com procedimentos de garantia de qualidade do tipo APPCC (Análise de Perigos e Pontos Críticos de Controle), a fim de minimizar as possibilidades de contaminação alimentar, e identificar rapidamente qualquer fonte de contaminação. A adoção de Boas Práticas Agrícolas (BPA) durante a produção de produtos hortícolas é pré-requisito para que o plano de APPCC obtenha sucesso. A Produção Integrada (PI) tem como objetivo principal elevar os padrões de qualidade e competitividade da olericultura e fruticultura brasileiras aos níveis de excelência requeridos pelo mercado internacional. O foco atual é a busca pela manutenção dos valores funcionais das hortaliças após a colheita, por meio da utilização de técnicas de manuseio que assegurem a inocuidade e a rastreabilidade, sem prejuízo de todos os atributos de qualidade anteriormente garantidos. O presente trabalho aborda um conjunto de tecnologias que disponibiliza ao consumidor produtos seguros e rastreáveis, sem que haja perda de seu valor nutritivo e com qualidade sensorial ótima.Palavras-chave: segurança dos alimentos, boas práticas agrícolas, rastreabilidade, APPCC, BPA. ABSTRACT Safe production and traceability of vegetablesConsumers all over the world are aware about the strict relation among health and the necessity of a balanced diet, based on safe products. Nevertheless, interest in food functional properties and, especially, in its antioxidant activity has been increasing. However, the consumption of in natura food may present some risks, which are mainly related to chemical and microbiological contamination during the crop growing season. Considering the high competitiveness of the different productive chains, growers are working to offer products with superior value and quality, with emphasis in food safety and traceability. The hazards in food chain can be managed by monitoring the whole process, from production to distribution, so, in order to minimize the possibility of contamination, ,the implementation of traceability systems and procedures of quality assurance, such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Poin...

No abstract

Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas L.), 'Brazlândia Roxa', 'Brazlândia Branca' and 'Princesa' were harvested at optimum maturity to evaluate respiratory activity and browning susceptibility of minimally processed roots. After harvest, non-blemished roots were graded for size (18±2cm) and diameter (5±1cm), and minimally processed inside a cold room. Processed roots were placed in sealed glass jars and stored at 3±0.5°C to evaluate respiratory activity during a 4-hour period or were packed in plastic films with partial vacuum to evaluate development of browning. Packages were stored under refrigerated conditions (3±0.5°C) for 5 days. Daily, minimally processed roots were evaluated for browning according to a scale ranging from 0 (extremely browned) to 5 (no browning) and using an objective assay (absorbance at 340 nm). Minimally processed roots showed a pronounced increase in carbon dioxide evolution immediately after processing. 'Princesa' had the highest respiratory activity among the evaluated cultivars, being 40% higher two hours after processing than the other cultivars. 'Brazlândia Roxa' and 'Brazlândia Branca' were significantly less susceptible to browning compared to 'Princesa', which was rated as unacceptable for commercial use at the end of the storage period. 'Brazlândia Roxa' and 'Brazlândia Branca' were still marketable at the end of the storage period.