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Horticulturae
Special Issues
Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
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Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 20069

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hanne Kristine Sivertsen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consultant, sensory analyses, Davis, CA 95616, USA
Interests: how new emerging sensory methodologies and collaborations among different scientific disciplines can improve quality and safety measurements of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With an increasing focus on environmental issues and a stronger awareness of the importance of eating more plant-based foods and less meat, we can expect increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. 

The consumer is the ultimate user of a product, and taste is the most important quality factor when choosing to buy a fruit or a vegetable. Measurement of taste quality, extrinsic or intrinsic, can be included in any kind of research, whether it involves different post-harvest treatments, shelf life studies, the development of new cultivars and varieties, or safety measurements during transport and handling from harvest to consumption. 

Sensory science is in constant evolution, and it is exciting to see how newer methods can contribute to easier determination of both consumer preferences and important drivers of taste, in addition to being less time consuming than more traditional methods. Artificial intelligence has shown promising results in predicting accurate instrumental as well as sensory measures. 

Using emotion to measure consumer preference from unconscious/autonomic and cognitive responses shows how differentiating between similar products can sometimes produce even more sensitive results than those achieved with the use of traditional hedonic liking scales. 

For this Special Issue, we are interested in research that explores these important products and incorporates new promising ways to highlight quality by taste, in addition to the use of other important quality-related factors.

Dr. Hanne Kristine Sivertsen
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fresh fruit and vegetables
  • quality
  • safety
  • consumer
  • new sensory methodologies
  • emotion
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • instrumental

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1694 KiB  
Article
Consideration of Maillard Reaction-Based Time–Temperature Indicator (TTI) to Visualize Shelf Life of Cold-Stored Strawberries
by Byeong-Hyo Cho and Jung-Hyun Lee
Horticulturae 2022, 8(10), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8100979 - 21 Oct 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1436
Abstract
In this paper, the potential of a Maillard reaction-based time–temperature indicator (TTI) as a device for the visualization of shelf life was evaluated by comparing the quality variations of cold-stored strawberries and the color changes of Maillard reaction solutions. The color variations of [...] Read more.
In this paper, the potential of a Maillard reaction-based time–temperature indicator (TTI) as a device for the visualization of shelf life was evaluated by comparing the quality variations of cold-stored strawberries and the color changes of Maillard reaction solutions. The color variations of the Maillard reaction solutions stored in the same storage environment as the cold-stored strawberries showed suitable characteristics for the visualization of shelf life, such as pronounced color changes, a wide-ranging color variation rate, and activation energy. In particular, the concentrations of the reaction solutions with the combinations of 3.0 M D-xylose, 1.5 M glycine, and 0.3 M Na2HPO4; 2.0 M D-xylose, 1.5 M glycine, and 0.3 M Na2HPO4; and 4.0 M D-xylose, 1.0 M glycine, and 0.3 M Na2HPO4 were suitable for the visualization of the weight loss variation, color difference variation, and appearance damage. These concentrations showed similar color variations and Arrhenius activation energies to the variation of the quality characteristics, such as weight loss and color difference. Additionally, a Maillard reaction-based time–temperature indicator (TTI) has a wide applicability to other agricultural products using the wide range of the color change rate and the activation energy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
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19 pages, 2032 KiB  
Article
Chemometric Comparison and Classification of 22 Apple Genotypes Based on Texture Analysis and Physico-Chemical Quality Attributes
by Andruța E. Mureșan, Adriana F. Sestras, Mădălina Militaru, Adriana Păucean, Anda E. Tanislav, Andreea Pușcaș, Mădălina Mateescu, Vlad Mureșan, Romina A. Marc (Vlaic) and Radu E. Sestras
Horticulturae 2022, 8(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8010064 - 10 Jan 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5658
Abstract
The large number of cultivars belonging to the cultivated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) reflects an extremely wide range of variability, including for fruit quality traits. To evaluate some characteristics of fruit quality, 22 apple genotypes were selected from a collection of [...] Read more.
The large number of cultivars belonging to the cultivated apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) reflects an extremely wide range of variability, including for fruit quality traits. To evaluate some characteristics of fruit quality, 22 apple genotypes were selected from a collection of germplasms containing more than 600 accessions, based on different considerations, including the use of fruits (dessert, cooking, processing, juice, cider, multipurpose). The mean water content of the studied apple genotypes was 85.05%, with a coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.74%; the mean ash content was 2.32% with a CV of 22.1%, and the mean total soluble solids was 16.22% with a CV of 17.78%, indicating a relatively small difference between genotypes for these indices. On the contrary, relatively large differences were registered between genotypes for fruit weight, volume, and titratable acidity with means of 119.52 g, 155 mL, and 0.55% malic acid, and CVs of 35.17%, 34.58%, and 54.3%, respectively. The results showed that peel hardness varied between 3.80 and 13.69 N, the toughness between 0.2 and 1.07 mm, the flesh hardness between 0.97 and 4.76 N, and the hardness work between 6.88 and 27.84 mJ. The current study can emphasize the possibility of choosing the appropriate apple cultivars to cross in the breeding process and how future strategies can help apple breeders select breeding parents, which are essential key steps when breeding new apple cultivars. In addition, multivariate analysis has proven to be a useful tool in assessing the relationships between Malus genetic resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
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18 pages, 2791 KiB  
Article
UV-B Radiation as Abiotic Elicitor to Enhance Phytochemicals and Development of Red Cabbage Sprouts
by Lorena Martínez-Zamora, Noelia Castillejo and Francisco Artés-Hernández
Horticulturae 2021, 7(12), 567; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7120567 - 9 Dec 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2944
Abstract
Background: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of periodical UV-B illumination during red cabbage germination on morphological development and the phenolics and carotenoid accumulation. Methods: During a sprouting period of 10 days at 20 °C in darkness, seedlings [...] Read more.
Background: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of periodical UV-B illumination during red cabbage germination on morphological development and the phenolics and carotenoid accumulation. Methods: During a sprouting period of 10 days at 20 °C in darkness, seedlings received 5, 10, or 15 kJ m−2 UV-B (T5, T10, and T15) applied in four steps (25% on days 3, 5, 7, and 10). UV untreated sprouts were used as control (CTRL). After 10 days of germination, the sprouts were harvested and stored 10 days at 4 °C as a minimally processed product. Phenolic and carotenoid compounds were analysed 1 h after each UV-B application and on days 0, 4, 7, and 10 during cold storage. Results: The longest hypocotyl length was observed in T10-treated sprouts. The total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) increased during germination following a sigmoidal kinetic, especially in the UV-B-treated samples, which reported a dose-dependent behaviour. In this way, T10-treated sprouts increased the TPC by 40% after 10 days at 4 °C compared to CTRL, while TAC and TFC increased by 35 and 30%, respectively. Carotenoids were enhanced with higher UV-B doses (T15). Conclusions: We found that UV-B stimulated the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds, and a dose of 10 kJ m−2 UV-B, proportionally applied on days 3, 5, 7, and 10 days, is recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
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14 pages, 1819 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Storage Characteristics in Maintaining the Overall Quality of Whole and Fresh-Cut Romaine Lettuce during MA Storage
by In-Lee Choi, Joo-Hwan Lee, Dam-Hee Choi, Li-Xia Wang and Ho-Min Kang
Horticulturae 2021, 7(11), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7110461 - 3 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2411
Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effect of modified atmosphere (MA) storage on the quality and storability of romaine lettuce. Whole and fresh-cut romaine lettuce were packaged with 1300; 10,000; 50,000; 100,000 cc m−2·day−1·atm−1 O2 transmission rate [...] Read more.
This study aimed to examine the effect of modified atmosphere (MA) storage on the quality and storability of romaine lettuce. Whole and fresh-cut romaine lettuce were packaged with 1300; 10,000; 50,000; 100,000 cc m−2·day−1·atm−1 O2 transmission rate (OTR) films and stored at 2 or 8 °C for 15 days. The respiration and ethylene production rates before pre-cooling were higher in fresh-cut lettuce than in whole romaine lettuce. The reduction in fresh weight for whole and fresh-cut romaine lettuce during storage was less than 0.5%. The CO2 concentration was less than 2%, except for the 1300 cc treatment (at 8 °C for whole and fresh-cut lettuce) and 10,000 cc (in fresh-cut lettuce). At the end date of storage, the overall quality of the whole lettuce was good, the off-odor was lower in the 10,000 cc treatment, and the 50,000 cc treatment at 8 °C led to good overall quality in the fresh-cut lettuce. The chlorophyll content of the whole lettuce was maintained at a higher level in the treatment of 10,000 cc at 8 °C, while it was higher in the 50,000 cc treatments at 2 and 8 °C in the fresh-cut lettuce. Correlation and PCA confirmed that the main factors affecting the storability and quality of romaine lettuce were fresh weight loss rate, off-odor, and the concentration of CO2. In addition, the storage characteristics of whole and fresh-cut lettuce were opposite to 0 in PC1 and PC2, indicating that the storage characteristics were different depending on the processing type. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
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24 pages, 1506 KiB  
Article
Influence of Ecklonia maxima Extracts on Growth, Yield, and Postharvest Quality of Hydroponic Leaf Lettuce
by Alessandro Miceli, Filippo Vetrano and Alessandra Moncada
Horticulturae 2021, 7(11), 440; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7110440 - 1 Nov 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3873
Abstract
Ecklonia maxima is a brown algae seaweed largely harvested over the last years and used to produce alginate, animal feed, fertilizers, and plant biostimulants. Their extracts are commercially available in various forms and have been applied to many crops for their growth-promoting effects [...] Read more.
Ecklonia maxima is a brown algae seaweed largely harvested over the last years and used to produce alginate, animal feed, fertilizers, and plant biostimulants. Their extracts are commercially available in various forms and have been applied to many crops for their growth-promoting effects which may vary according to the treated species and doses applied. The aim of the study was to characterize the effect of adding an Ecklonia maxima commercial extract (Basfoliar Kelp; 0, 1, 2, and 4 mL L−1) to the nutrient solution of a hydroponic floating system on growth, yield, and quality of leaf lettuce at harvest and during cold storage (21 days at 4 °C). The supplementation of the E. maxima extract through the mineral nutrient solutions, especially between 2 and 4 mL L−1, enhanced plant growth and improved the yield and many morphological and physiological traits (biomass accumulation, leaf expansion, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency, nitrogen use efficiency, etc.). Preharvest treatments with E. maxima extract were effective in delaying leaf senescence and extending the shelf-life of fresh-cut leaf lettuce. The delay in leaf decay of treated samples allowed to retain an overall quality over the threshold of marketability for up to 21 d of cold storage, especially using 2 mL L−1 of extract. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
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12 pages, 725 KiB  
Article
HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS as a Tool for Carotenoid Assessment of Wild and Cultivated Cherry Tomatoes
by Lina M. Londoño-Giraldo, Mónica Bueno, Eduardo Corpas-Iguarán, Gonzalo Taborda-Ocampo and Alejandro Cifuentes
Horticulturae 2021, 7(9), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7090272 - 31 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2339
Abstract
Carotenoids are naturally occurring fat-soluble pigments found in many organisms. Because of their extensively conjugated carbon–carbon double bond system, carotenoids are potent antioxidants. Although the most abundant carotenoid and best singlet oxygen quencher found in red tomatoes is lycopene, carotenoid profiles may vary [...] Read more.
Carotenoids are naturally occurring fat-soluble pigments found in many organisms. Because of their extensively conjugated carbon–carbon double bond system, carotenoids are potent antioxidants. Although the most abundant carotenoid and best singlet oxygen quencher found in red tomatoes is lycopene, carotenoid profiles may vary between genotypes. The objective of this work was to perform carotenoid profile indentification using HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS in ten wild cherry tomato accessions and one cultivated tomato. A mixture of hexane/acetone/ethanol (50:25:25) and 0.1% BHT was used for carotenoid extraction. For separation, a C30 column at 30 °C with a gradient consisting of methanol, methyl-tert-butyl ether, and water was used for their analysis. Ten major carotenoids were quantified within cherry tomato samples. All accessions present different profiles and quantities of carotenoids. Wild red tomatoes had more lycopene content that commercial tomato, whereas yellow tomatoes present no lycopene. From a functional viewpoint, higher concentrations of carotenoids that could play an antioxidant activity were measured from accessions IAC401, IAC426, LA1480, IAC391, and LA2692. This trait means that these germplasms may be targets for commercial activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that HPLC-DAD-APCI-MS has been used to analyze these accessions of wild cherry tomatoes that are both functionally promising and suitable for projects with social implementation at a local scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Quality and Safety of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables)
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