Artículo de publicación ISIThe pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a temperate climate species requiring high temperatures for proper and complete ripening. The species is consumed as a fresh fruit, but also can be used to obtain transformed products such as juice, jam, or preserve. It is a fruit tree species with a high degree of diversity, but the identification of cultivars by morphological traits is very difficult. Thus, the characterization of genotypes through molecular markers is of great value for germplasm preservation, genetic studies, and plant breeding. The number of simple sequence repeat (SSR or microsatellite) markers developed for this genus is too low, so in this work we report the development of 117 microsatellite loci from a CT/AG-enriched pomegranate genomic library. In order to check their utility, eleven accessions were analyzed. The polymorphism information content (PIC) value across all loci ranged between 0.09 and 0.71, with an average of 0.37. These markers will facilitate genetic diversity studies, mapping, and genotyping of pomegranate

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High quality fruits are increasingly demanded along with the need to ensure this attribute to consumers. Thus, this study was aimed at characterizing a melting ('Elegant Lady') and a non-melting flesh ('Carson') peach (Prunus persica (L.) Batsch) varieties by considering both their bioactive compound contribution and their sensory quality in ripe fruit at harvest and after a prolonged period of cold storage. Cultivars were evaluated at harvest (F0) and after 30 d of cold storage (F30), as well as after a maturation period at 20 °C for both F0 and F30 (R0 and R30, respectively). Fruit weight, flesh firmness, soluble solid content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), and background color (Hue) were recorded at each stage. Furthermore, total phenol content was measured and a phenolic characterization by HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) was performed for both varieties to detect the major low molecular weight phenolic compounds present in the fruit. Finally, a trained panel assessed the main sensorial parameters at R0 and R30. Total phenol content did not change significantly as a result of cold storage and differences were probably attributed only to genotype. Low molecular weight phenolic compounds were detected in 'Elegant Lady' and 'Carson', 15 and 12, respectively; (+)-catechin was the major compound found in both cultivars, but in higher concentrations in 'Elegant Lady'. In the phenolic characterization, 'Elegant Lady' was observed more closely than 'Carson' for flavonoids. After 30 d of cold storage, 'Elegant Lady' was unacceptable for consumption due to the appearance of physiological disorders such as wooliness while 'Carson' showed a mean score within the acceptability range.

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Lemon verbena leaves are used as herbal infusion due to their aromatic, digestive and antispasmodic properties. The aim of the present study was to determine the sensory quality of lemon verbena infusions prepared with fresh leaves, dried leaves at 30°C and 60°C. Infusion aroma and taste was determined through a trained sensory panel and an electronic nose (e-nose). Infusion acceptability was evaluated through a consumer test. All drying treatments on day 0 were grouped together regarding the e-nose determination. 'Floral' descriptors were related to leaves not submitted to store. When the leaves were stored for 30 days, aroma attributes were lost. Differences on the infusion acceptability were ascribable to the drying method. Infusions prepared with fresh leaves showed the highest acceptability. E-nose could be used as a reliable tool for characterising the quality of aromatic herbs.

Fruit quality has been described as a property that depends on many factors. Harvest time is one such factor, described as negatively affecting the fruit quality of peaches and nectarines when carried out at early stages of maturity. In order to assess this, fruit from peach cultivars '2B40', 'Elegant Lady' and 'Sweet September', and nectarine cultivars 'Antares' and '5A29' were harvested at three maturity levels, based on ground skin colour (M1 0 green-yellow, M2 0 pale yellow and M3 0 yellow), and evaluated at harvest and after a ripening period. Evaluations included instrumental characterization, sensorial analysis and e-nose. Flesh firmness was the parameter that best segregated the three maturity levels. Sensorial attributes and acceptability did not show differences between stages of maturity, while e-nose data clustered M1, M2 and M3 into different groups. These results suggest that the maturity level at harvest, within the range evaluated in this research, does not affect the sensory quality of the product, in spite of the aroma assessed with an e-nose revealing differences among them.