The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) appears as an income alternative to the producers of the northeastern region of Brazil, however limited by the salinity present in the waters of the region, which makes it necessary to select cultivars that are more adaptable to this situation. On this, the objective was assessing the development of two cultivars of cutting ornamental sunflower with waters of different salinities. The experiment was performed in conditions of protected environment at UFCG, CCTA-Pombal-PB. It was performed in outline of blocks in factorial scheme 5 × 2, being five saline levels (N1 = 0.3, supply water; N2 = 1.5; N3 = 2.7; N4 = 3.9; and N5 = 5.1 dS m-1) and two cutting ornamental sunflower cultivars (Red Sun and Vincents II), with four repetitions and two plants by portion, with a total of 80 experimental units. The irrigation water salinity affected all the analyzed variables, up to estimate level of 2.7 dS m-1 acceptable reductions happen of 10% in the inflorescence and stem of cultivars of ornamental sunflower. The Red Sun cultivar when compared with cultivar Vincents II demonstrated better results in the studied variables.
The juazeiro (Ziziphus joazeiro Mart.) is a typical plant from Northeastern Brazil that has edible fruits, with sweet taste and rich in vitamin C. Some research is directed to the physical characterization of these fruits, however, little is known about the their respiratory nature. In this way, the objective was to evaluate the respiratory activity (CO2) and the physicochemical characteristics of juazeiro fruits in different stages of development. For this, fruits in five maturation stages (I, II, III, IV and V) were harvested from plants located at the Center for Science and Agri-Food Technology, at the Federal University of Campina Grande, Campus Pombal-PB, and evaluated according to titratable acidity, pH, soluble solids, ratio, ascorbic acid, total chlorophyll, total carotenoids and respiratory rate. The juazeiro fruits of stage IV maturation obtained low acidity, high levels of soluble solids and ascorbic acid. In the sensory and nutritional aspect, these characteristics are important for fresh consumption and processing. The respiratory rate increased with storage time for all stages of maturation. The fruits of stage IV maturation showed climacteric peak at 16 hours of storage, proposing that juazeiro fruits have a climacteric nature.
Tomato fruits are highly perishable. In this sense, adopting techniques to maintain and extend its shelf life is essential. Recent studies have used microalgae as an edible coating for fruit, as it is a nutrient-rich alternative and reduces fruit mass loss and respiration, delaying senescence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the application of microalgae-based coatings with or without the use of modified atmosphere packaging, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), in post-harvest tomato conservation. The design used was completely randomized, in a 4x2 factorial arrangement, with four coatings (no coating, coating composed of Spirulina platensis sp., Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp.) and two conditions (with and without PVC), totalizing 8 treatments, with four replicates, consisting of one fruit each. Stored for 7 days at 10±2ºC and 55±5% UR and evaluated at harvest and on the last day of storage. The fruits coated with Chlorella sp. without PVC and Scenedesmus sp. associated with PVC, showed the lowest mass losses, representing a reduction of 73.79% and 78.47%, respectively, in relation to the control. In addition to mass loss, the levels of ascorbic acid (18.91 and 16.97 mg/100 g), citric acid (4.02 and 4.01), respectively, and the SS/AT ratio also stood out. The microalgae Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. can be used in coating ‘Santa Clara’ tomato fruits to maintain their physicochemical characteristics over 7 days of storage. The use of PVC film coating helped maintain these characteristics, reducing the perishability of the fruits.
Ziziphus joazeiro is endemic to the brazilian Caatinga and its fruits can be used as a food supplement by accelerating the ethanol metabolism in the body and reducing the alcohol harmful effects due to high alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activity. The objective was to determine the kinetics of ADH activity, in different incubation times, of Z. joazeiro mature fruits as a food supplement. Ziziphus joazeiro fruits, at the fourth maturation stage, were incubated for 0 (no incubation), 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 hours at room temperature. The ADH activity was determined. ADH activity was higher in fruits incubated for 0 and 3 h. The ADH activity was higher in the early incubation times, probably due to the greater availability of NAD+, which after being reduced to NADH delayed regeneration. Without the cofactor in the oxidized form, the enzymatic activity decreases. Ziziphus joazeiro fruit has the potential to be used as a food supplement accelerating the alcohol metabolism and reducing the harmful effects.
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