For any food, it is important to know consumption, preference, and the characteristics as quality parameters that are important to consumers of a product. The descriptive methodologies are an important tool to know the quality attributes of the products. Within these methodologies is the flash profile (FP), which is based on the generation of the distinctive attributes of the products without any expensive and time-consuming training sessions. The aim of this research was to study the consumption and preference of flour tortillas by consumers and to develop the descriptive characterization of the tortillas by using the flash profile method. The wheat flour tortillas used were two commercial and two handcrafted samples. Ten experienced panelists participated as the FP panel. The panelists generated 22 descriptors, six for texture, seven for appearance, five for odor, and four for flavor. These descriptors differentiate the samples of the flour tortillas. The panelists’ performance was assessed using the consensus index (Rc = 0.508). The first two dimensions of the Generalized Procrustes Analysis represent 83.78% of the data variability. Flash profile proved to be an easy and rapid technique that allowed the distinctive attributes of flour tortillas to be obtained.

The objective of this study was to determine the oxidative stress and the physiological and antioxidant responses of coriander plants (Coriandrum sativum) grown for 58 days in soil with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) at concentrations of 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg of Zn/kg of soil. The results revealed that all Zn compounds increased the total chlorophyll content (CHLt) by at least 45%, compared to the control group; however, with 400 mg/kg of ZnSO4, chlorophyll accumulation decreased by 34.6%. Zn determination by induction-plasma-coupled atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES) showed that Zn absorption in roots and shoots occurred in plants exposed to ZnSO4 at all concentrations, which resulted in high levels of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Only at 400 mg/kg of ZnSO4, a 78.6% decrease in the MDA levels was observed. According to the results, the ZnSO4 treatments were more effective than the ZnO NPs to increase the antioxidant activity of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and peroxidases (POD). The results corroborate that phytotoxicity was higher in plants subjected to ZnSO4 compared to treatments with ZnO NPs, which suggests that the toxicity was due to Zn accumulation in the tissues by absorbing dissolved Zn++ ions.

Vegetable production in greenhouses is preferred when soil quality is degraded by high salinity or incidence of pests and diseases. In these soils with abiotic and biotic issues, it is a challenge to increase the yield and quality of fruits. The use of rootstocks and organic substrates are effective and environmentally friendly techniques to solve that challenge. The objective was to study the effect of rootstocks on yields and quality in bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) grown in either soil or coconut fiber substrate, in greenhouses. Using a randomized block design with three repetitions, the resulting treatment groups consisted of three rootstocks (Foundation-F1, Yaocali-F1, CLX-PTX991-F1 (Ultron), and non-grafted controls) with four hybrids as scions (Lamborghini, Bambuca, DiCaprio, and Ucumari). The yield of fruit per plant (YFP) and number of fruit per plant (NFP) obtained in coconut fiber were 85% and 55% greater, respectively, than in soil. The CLX-PTX991-F1 rootstock was superior to the hybrids without rootstock (p ≤ 0.05) in YFP and NPF (30% and 19.5%, respectively). The Lamborghini hybrid had significantly greater YFP and NFP than the Ucumari. We concluded that the use of coconut fiber significantly improves the yields of bell pepper and that the use of rootstock improves plant vigor and plant yield.

ResumenEl tomate de cáscara Physalis ixocarpa Brot. es una de las especies hortícolas más importantes en México, el número limitado de híbridos y variedades mejoradas de alto rendimiento, demanda la búsqueda de genotipos con alta aptitud combinatoria general (ACG) y aptitud combinatoria especifica (ACE) para el desarrollo de variedades o híbridos superiores. El objetivo fue estimar la ACG y ACE en las poblaciones UAN CC-S2, UAN CPP-S2, UAN SE3 y la variedad Rendidora, seis cruzas directas y seis reciprocas, de acuerdo al método i modelo 2 de Griffing. Los cruzamientos fueron realizados en el otoño de 2012 y la evaluación de progenitores e híbridos en la primavera-verano de 2013, en las localidades de Saltillo y General Cepeda Coahuila, bajo un arreglo experimental de bloques al azar con tres repeticiones. El análisis estadístico combinado permitió identificar diferencias significativas en cruzas, ACG, ACE, efectos maternos (EM) y efectos recíprocos (ER), en el rendimiento y sus componentes, se identificó a las poblaciones UAN CPP-S2 y UAN SE3 con altos valores de ACG. Las tres cruzas sobresalientes fueron; UAN CC-S2 x Rendidora (26.25 t ha -1 ) y ACG (-5.718)< ACE (6.925) por lo tanto se recomienda usarla como híbrido, mientras que UAN CPP-S2 x UAN SE3 (36.52 t ha -1 ) tuvo ACG (5.718) ≈ ACE (5.457) y se sugiere su uso como población base para AbstractHusk tomato Physalis ixocarpa Brot, is one of the most important horticultural species in Mexico, the limited number of hybrids and improved high-yielding varieties, demands the search of genotypes with high general combinatory aptitude (ACG) and specific combinatory aptitude (ACE) for the development of varieties or better hybrids. The objective was to estimate the ACG and ACE in UAN CC-S2, UAN CPP-S2, UAN SE3 populations and Rendidora variety; six direct crosses and six reciprocal, according to the i method Model 2 from Griffing. The crosses were conducted in fall 2012 and the evaluation of parents and hybrids during spring-summer 2013, in the towns of Saltillo and General Cepeda Coahuila, under an experimental arrangement randomized blocks with three replications. The combined statistical analysis allowed identifying significant differences in crosses, ACG, ACE, maternal effects (EM) and reciprocal effects (ER), in yield and yield components, populations UAN CPP-S2 and UAN SE3 were identified with high values of ACG. The three crosses were outstanding; UAN CC-S2 IntroducciónEn México, el tomate de cáscara (Physalis ixocarpa Brot.) es de gran importancia, ya que es el sexto cultivo en superficie sembrada entre las hortalizas (SIAP, 2012). Se distribuye en todos los estados de la República Mexicana, desde los 10 hasta 2 600 msnm, creciendo en forma silvestre, cultivada y domesticada, su amplia distribución geográfica, ocasiona que exista amplia diversidad fenotípica y genética (formas, color, tamaño y tolerancia a factores adversos) lo que puede ser útil en los programas de mejoramiento genético (Peña y Márquez, 1990).Actualmente el rendimiento medio es de 14.362...

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar y comparar las características de color, el contenido fenoles totales, flavonoides totales, taninos condensados, antocianinas totales y la capacidad antioxidante de siete líneas experimentales de sorgo pigmentados (color de grano naranja y rojo) cultivados en Coahuila, México. Los resultados revelaron que los valores de luminosidad, la saturación del color y el ángulo de tono (L*, C* y h) se encontraron en un rango de 39 a 64, 14 a 18 y 40 a 80, respectivamente, lo que indica que las muestras analizadas se encontraron en el cuadrante rojo-amarillo del círculo de matices. Por otra parte, los análisis químicos indican un amplio rango de variabilidad en el contenido de fenoles totales (84,77-1203,96 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoides totales (11,70-1012,14 mg CE/100 g), taninos condensados (269,95-2831,61 mg CE/100 g) y antocianinas totales (11,87-29,06 mg C3G/100 g). Las capacidades antioxidantes mostraron diferencias significativas (p ≤ 0,05), con un rango de 447,86 µmol TE/100 g a 7579,17 µmol TE/100 g, y 661,92 µmol TE/100 g a 9435,91 µmol TE/100 g para los ensayos de DPPH (2,2difenil-1-picrylhydrazyl) y ABTS (2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)). Se observó una alta correlación negativa entre el contenido de fenoles totales y los parámetros de color L*, C* y h, lo que sugiere que los granos oscuros presentaron los niveles más altos de compuestos antioxidantes. Los resultados de esta investigación, se utilizarán para seleccionar líneas experimentales de sorgo que puedan ser utilizados en programas de mejoramiento genético para aumentar el contenido de compuestos bioactivos y ampliar sus aplicaciones en la industria para generar alimentos nutracéuticos.