The increased interest in organic tomatoes production demands breeders to develop new cultivars, which besides suitability in low-input production system and marketable quality, have to exhibit high nutritional value, including health-promoting compounds. In this respect, this paper aimed to assess and compare the nutritional value of four Romanian tomato cultivars, two with determinate growth ('Argeș 11' and 'Argeș 123') and two with indeterminate growth ('Costate 21' and 'Ștefănești 22'), created and recommended for organic production in open field and protected cultivation. The tomato cultivars were laid out in a high plastic tunnel crop and the tomato fruits were evaluated as chemical composition, being determined the following parameters: moisture, ash, soluble solids, pH, acidity and content in some antioxidant compounds, such as vitamin C, polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, lycopene and β-carotene. Considering some chemical parameters important in revealing tomato flavor, such as soluble solids, pH and acidity, 'Ștefănești 22' cultivar showed the best ratio among them. The differences in antioxidant composition among cultivars were not statistically significant (P>0.05) for most of the analyzed parameters, with the exception of lycopene content which showed significant variation. Thus, 'Costate 21' showed the highest amount of lycopene within indeterminate cultivars (17.49 mg 100 g -1 FW), while 'Argeș 11' showed the highest amount of lycopene within determinate cultivars (13.92 mg 100 g -1 FW). According to the nutritional value of cultivars assessed in this study, 'Costate 21' is the best recommendation for greenhouse cultivation while 'Argeș 11' is the best recommendation for open field cultivation.

The walnut leaves and the green walnut husk are been widely used in folk medicine. These vegetal materials have been reported as a source of bioactive molecules such as the phenolic compounds. In this research, there were analysed different quality parameters afferent to several walnut varieties, harvested from the germplasm collection located at S.C.D.P. Vâlcea, Romania. Romanian cultivars ‘Jupâneşti’, ‘Valrex’ and ‘Valmit’ and French one ‘Franquette’ were analyzed. The variation in bioactive compounds content from the walnut leaves and walnut husk at different developmental stages (from June to September) was investigated. The results showed that the content in polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins has significantly increased until the ripening stage, after that a decrease of the values of these parameters follows. Greater values of the three parameters were also observed at walnut leaves and green walnut husk of cultivars attacked by walnut blight, caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj). The findings of this study reveal the mode of variation in the content of polyphenols, flavonoids and tannins during the growing season of the walnut leaves and green walnut husk, emphasizing also the influence of Xaj. The results obtained demonstrated the potential of the walnut leaves and the green walnut husk as an economical source of antioxidant and antimicrobial agents.   ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

The objective of this paper is to examine the use of specific granular activated carbon (GAC) with specific surface of 1376 m 2 /g, as an adsorbent in order to remove o-and p-cresol from their aqueous solutions and to emphasize the influence of ortho and para groups of the substituted benzene on the adsorption process. There were determined the static adsorption capacity, at 25˚C and low pH basic, at the same amount of activated carbon (2 g) and varying concentrations of o-or p-cresol aqueous solutions. The adsorption isotherms for the two cresols on active carbon were represented graphically and from the relative settlement curves could be seen that p-cresol is better adsorbed than o-cresol. A detailed mathematical analysis of the adsorption experimental data was made with Freundlich and Langmuir models. The adsorption equilibrium data of both cresols on active carbon are better represented by the Langmuir equation than the Freundlich equation.

No abstract

Berries of three Romanian Lonicera caerulea cultivars ‘Cera’, ‘Kami’, and ‘Loni’, grown at the Research Institute for Fruit Growing, Pitesti, Romania, were analyzed between 2020 and 2022 in terms of chemical composition. The study aimed to determine the concentrations of some compounds with antioxidant activity, highlight the most valuable cultivar, encourage the consumption of honeysuckle berries, and indirectly stimulate growers’ interest in this little-known species in Romania. Some phenolic compounds—lycopene, β-carotene, and vitamin C—were quantified. As a result of the study, the ‘Loni’ cultivar’s high total phenolic content, flavonoids, anthocyanins, vitamin C, lycopene, chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, catechin, and rutin are to be noted. ‘Cera’ cultivar had the highest cryptochlorogenic acid content, and ‘Kami’ summarized the highest carotenoid level. These characteristics indicated that the three honeysuckle cultivars’ berries could have multiple uses, from fresh consumption, as part of a diet focused on maintaining human health, to being used as raw materials in the para-pharmaceutical industry, to obtain food supplements. The novelty characteristics and the nutritional value of its berries highlighted by this study have indicated that honeysuckle can become a crop of interest and profitability.

Walnut kernels are appreciated not only for their mineral content, vitamins, proteins, and valuable lipids, but also for the presence of polyphenolic compounds and biogenic amines. The temperature and storage time effects on some biochemical compounds from kernels collected from eight walnut genotypes grown at the Fruit Growing Research and Extension Station (SCDP) Valcea, Romania, were studied. In general, the phenolic and carotenoid compounds followed opposite trends during short-term storage and in some cases in medium-term storage. In both cases, there was a reduction in concentration during long-term storage, which was more pronounced for carotenoids. The most efficient method for preserving the walnut kernel’s phenolic content was freezing. Keeping the walnut kernel at room temperature assured the smallest carotenoid content decrease. Depending on the walnut cultivar, the preservation of the walnut kernel can be extended to five months by storage at −20 to −18 °C without loss of phenolic compounds, while a period shorter than five months (but certainly longer than three months) could be recommended for storage at 3–4 °C. Keeping it at room temperature can be an option for a short period (about three months). None of the preservation methods was adequate if the losses recorded for carotenoids were taken into account.

Honey is a concentrated aqueous solution of sugars, especially glucose and fructose, and minor amounts of dextrin, enzymes, volatile oils, organic acids, ethers, and minerals. Honey samples vary in quality according to various factors, such as climate diversity, geographical characteristics, floral supply period, and packaging and storage conditions, which can compromise the quality of the hive's final product. The assessment of honey quality is a major concern that has gained interest internationally because honey has always been subjected to various fraudulent practices which become more sophisticated in the present day. Consumers, beekeepers, and regulatory bodies are interested to have reliable analytical tools and information to allow the detection of adulterated honey. The UV-VIS spectroscopy and FTIR spectroscopy techniques are two analytical methods used to analyze the honey quality nowadays, with hydroxymethylfurfural being used as a standard for testing honey's freshness. The present study was conducted to assess the quality of some floral honey samples (rapeseed, acacia, and polyfloral honey) produced in Argeș, Călărași, Giurgiu, and Teleorman counties from the south of Romania. Differences between honey botanical and geographical origins were analyzed and highlighted with One-way ANOVA (p˂0.05), followed by Duncan`s Multiple Range Test. Our results indicated that honey is a valuable source of bioactive compounds.

No abstract