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Thymol is a phenol monoterpene with potential antifungal, antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Due to the low water solubility and high volatility of thymol, encapsulation serves as an effective tool during application. In the present study, cyclodextrin (CD)-based metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs) were synthesized using α-CD, β-CD, and γ-CD as organic building blocks, and further complexed with thymol to produce three CD-MOF-THY inclusion complexes (ICs). The encapsulation content, release kinetics and fruit preservation effect of ICs were analyzed. Results showed that thymol was well embedded in γ-CD-MOFs, with the highest encapsulation content of 286.7 ± 8.4 mg/g. Release kinetics revealed that CD-MOFs exhibited a controlled release effect toward thymol for 35 days. The release kinetics of three ICs fit the Rigter–Peppas model well, with γ-CD-MOF-THY showing the lowest release rate constant of 2.85 at 50 °C, RH 75%. Moreover, γ-CD-MOF-THY exhibited a remarkable preservation performance on cherry tomatoes with the lowest decay index (18.75%) and weight loss (5.17%) after 15 days of storage, suggesting this material as a potential fresh-keeping material for fruit and vegetable preservation.

The shelf life of cherry tomatoes is short so that new and efficient preservation techniques or procedures are required to reduce postharvest losses. This study focused on the development of a sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) film incorporated with amidated graphene oxide (AGO), for the storage of cherry tomatoes in modified atmosphere packaging. The mechanical properties, gas permeability, and moisture permeability were subsequently tested. The evolution of attributes related to shelf life, such as gas composition, physicochemical properties, and sensory properties were also monitored during storage trials. AGO, as an inorganic filler, increases the thermal stability and mechanical properties of SPEEK-based films, while it reduces the water absorption, swelling rate, and moisture permeability. Importantly, all the AGO/SPEEK films exhibited enhanced gas permeability and selective permeability of CO2/O2 relative to the SPEEK film. Moreover, 0.9% (w/w) AGO/SPEEK film showed an enhanced permeability coefficient of CO2, corresponding to an increase of 50.7%. It could further improve the selective coefficient of CO2/O2 to 67.1%. The results of preservation at 8 °C revealed that: 0.9% (w/w) AGO/SPEEK film was significantly effective at maintaining the quality and extending the shelf life of cherry tomatoes from 15 to 30 days, thereby suggesting the potential for applying AGO-incorporated SPEEK films for food packaging materials.

Trichomoniasis in humans, caused by the protozoal parasite Trichomonas vaginalis, is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease, while Tritrichomonas foetus causes trichomonosis, an infection of the gastrointestinal tract and diarrhea in farm animals and domesticated cats. As part of an effort to determine the inhibitory effects of plant-based extracts and pure compounds, seven commercially available cherry tomato varieties were hand-peeled, freeze-dried, and pounded into powders. The anti-trichomonad inhibitory activities of these peel powders at 0.02% concentration determined using an in vitro cell assay varied widely from 0.0% to 66.7% against T. vaginalis G3 (human), from 0.9% to 66.8% for T. foetus C1 (feline), and from 0.0% to 81.3% for T. foetus D1 (bovine). The organic Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme (D) peels were the most active against all three trichomonads, inhibiting 52.2% (G3), 66.8% (C1), and 81.3% (D1). Additional assays showed that none of the powders inhibited the growth of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, pathogenic fungi, or non-pathogenic lactobacilli. Tomato peel and pomace powders with high content of described biologically active compounds could serve as functional food and feed additives that might help overcome adverse effects of wide-ranging diseases and complement the treatment of parasites with the anti-trichomonad drug metronidazole.

This study aimed to assess bioactive compounds contents in cherry tomatoes and classify samples according to cultivation techniques. Simple and cost-effective analyses were conducted on 128 samples cultivated using hydroponic, organic, and conventional practices. An HPLC-FD method was validated in-house for eight biogenic amines while antioxidants were evaluated using total phenolic content and anti-radical activity assays (DPPH• and ABTS•+ assays). Chemometric evaluation was applied to extrapolate significant information from data-sets. Variable selection using correlation matrix and the Fisher test was performed. Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis were used to construct a mathematical model to classify samples. Correct classifications were achieved in training (95.2%), validation (98.5%), and testing (100%). The results showed that cherry tomatoes cultivated using different techniques could be discriminated based on bioactive profiles using chemometric approaches.

The detection of cherry tomatoes in greenhouse scene is of great significance for robotic harvesting. This paper states a method based on deep learning for cherry tomatoes detection to reduce the influence of illumination, growth difference, and occlusion. In view of such greenhouse operating environment and accuracy of deep learning, Single Shot multi-box Detector (SSD) was selected because of its excellent anti-interference ability and self-taught from datasets. The first step is to build datasets containing various conditions in greenhouse. According to the characteristics of cherry tomatoes, the image samples with illumination change, images rotation and noise enhancement were used to expand the datasets. Then training datasets were used to train and construct network model. To study the effect of base network and the input size of networks, one contrast experiment was designed on different base networks of VGG16, MobileNet, Inception V2 networks, and the other contrast experiment was conducted on changing the network input image size of 300 pixels by 300 pixels, 512 pixels by 512 pixels. Through the analysis of the experimental results, it is found that the Inception V2 network is the best base network with the average precision of 98.85% in greenhouse environment. Compared with other detection methods, this method shows substantial improvement in cherry tomatoes detection.

Because of significant yield losses caused by fungal pathogens, new efficient and environmentally safe methods of pest control are needed, and amphiphilic compounds (biosurfactants) produced by many microbes are considered a good alternative. In the present study, biosurfactants produced by the rhizosphere isolate Bacillus mojavensis P1709 were assessed for their ability to protect postharvest cherry tomatoes from decay and mycotoxin contamination caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. It was demonstrated that the genome of B. mojavensis P1709 contained the fenD and srfAA genes, which are responsible for the synthesis of compounds of the fengycin and surfactin families. APF (acid-precipitated fraction) of B. mojavensis P1709 culture medium at a concentration of 20 g L−1 inhibited pathogen radial growth on agar plates by 93%, and T-2 and HT-2 mycotoxin production by 98%, after 5 days of cultivation. APF also suppressed fungal growth in the in vivo test on cherry tomato fruits by 93% and 25% on the 2nd and 7th days of incubation, respectively. The results obtained demonstrate that biosurfactants produced by B. mojavensis P1709 are an efficient tool for protecting postharvest cherry tomatoes from fungal mold decay and mycotoxin contamination.

Combination of novel technologies for post-harvest processing can have advantages in terms of food safety and quality to reduce food waste. In this work the combination of cold plasma treatment and an equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) for cherry tomatoes was investigated under controlled temperature (10 and 20 °C) throughout storage. Results show that applying a plasma treatment to cherry tomatoes preserved the sensorial quality characteristics of the treated product. A reduction of microbial load on the product surface due to the plasma treatment was demonstrated. Package was important to prevent weight loss and changes in total soluble solid content over 14 days of storage. A higher microbiological growth was detected within the packed cherry tomatoes, while a plasma treatment before packing reduced microbiological growth during the early days of storage. The combination of a cold plasma treatment, storage temperature and EMAP design ensured the quality retention of cherry tomatoes, which suggests that they have potential to be used as hurdle technology. The right combination of different preservation technologies is able to reduce food waste and prolong the shelf life and quality of highly perishable vegetable goods.

Estimating the influence of bioaccessibility of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables on dietary exposure is a challenge for human health risk assessment. This study investigated the bioaccessibility of pesticide residues in cherry tomatoes and contributing factors (digestion time, pH, solid/liquid ratio, and dietary nutrition) using an in vitro test simulating the human gastrointestinal tract. pH had the largest effect on triazolone precipitation in the simulated gastric intestinal juice, which had a significant impact on the bioaccessibility. The bioaccessibility of triazolone in the intestinal stage was slightly higher than that in the stomach stage, owing to bile salts and pancreatic enzymes present in the intestinal juice. The bioaccessibility of triazolone did not change significantly with digestion time. In the gastric stage, there was a logarithmic relationship between the bioaccessibility and solid/liquid ratio (R2 = 0.9941). The addition of oil significantly changed the bioaccessibility in the gastrointestinal stage. Protein and dietary fiber only affected bioaccessibility in the stomach stage. Dietary nutrition can reduce the release of pesticides from fruits and vegetables into the stomach, sharply reducing the bioaccessibility, and the dietary exposure of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables can be properly evaluated.

15 páginas.-- 2 figuras.-- 3 tablas.-- 40 referencias, The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the effect of regulated deficit irrigation, cluster, developmental stages and two seasons (autumn 2015 and spring 2016) on the commercial and functional quality (carotenoids and plenolics levels) in ‘Lazarino’ and ‘Summerbrix’ tomatoes. Autumn had a positive effect on the commercial quality, with larger fruits (22% in ‘Summerbrix’; 26% in ‘Lazarino’) and higher soluble solids (16% in ‘Summerbrix’; 12% in ‘Lazarino’). Total carotenoids did not change significantly with irrigation and variety while total phenolics did with the cluster and season. In most cases, the main amounts of carotenoids and phenolic were found in the higher cluster and carotenoids in ripe fruit. Thus, irrigation of such varieties could be reduced drastically (ca. 80%) without affecting considerably the overall quality of their fruits (changes not greater than 30%)., The authors want to thank the Secretaría Nacional de Educación Superior, Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENESCYT) - Ecuador for its financial support and the technical staff of Biology Service (SGI, Universidad de Sevilla) for the services offered. AJMM acknowledges funding from the Spanish State Secretariat of Research, Development and Innovation (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, project ref. AGL2012-37610, co-funded by FEDER). ECC, DH, AMBG, CMS and AJMM thank the Ibero-American Programme for Science, Technology and Development (CYTED, http://www.cyted.org) for the funding of the IBERCAROT network (http://carotenoides.us.es.ref.112RT0445). AJMM acknowledges funding from the Carotenoid Network: from microbial and plants to food and health (CaRed), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIO2015-71703-REDT).

10 páginas.-- 7 figuras.-- 4 tablas.-- 44 referencias, Cherry tomato varieties are widely consumed in many countries. They contain nutrients and health-promoting compounds like phenolics and carotenoids. The main purpose of this study was to determine how the fruit position on the cluster affected quality parameters of diverse nature (weight, soluble solids, firmness, colour, carotenoids, phenolic compounds and sugars). For this purpose the fourth cluster of two cherry varieties (Summerbrix and Lazarino) were studied. The results indicated that the fruit position on the cluster decreased the fruit size between 14 and 16% and weight 40%; firmness in ʽLazarinoʼ increased 56%; C*ab increased 12% in ʽLazarinoʼ and decreased 13% in ʽSummerbrixʼ; hab increased 9% in ʽSummerbrixʼ. Total carotenoid levels were not statistically different in two positions, and in the other position the contents were higher, with a difference of 36% between these two values. The highest total phenolic levels were observed in the PII position. However, total sugars increased 36%, fructose 36% and glucose 35% from the PI to PIII position in ʽLazarinoʼ, while, in ʽSummerbrixʼ higher values were observed in the PIII position., AJMM acknowledges funding from the Spanish State Secretariat of Research, Development and Innovation (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, project ref. AGL2012-37610, co-funded by FEDER Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional). ECC, DH, AMBG, CMS and AJMM thank the Ibero-American Programme for Science, Technology and Development (CYTED, http://www.cyted.org/) for the funding of the IBERCAROT network (http://carotenoides.us.es/, ref. 112RT0445). AJMM acknowledges funding from the Carotenoid Network: from microbial and plants to food and health (CaRed), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIO2015-71703-REDT).

Changes in the epidermis structure (micro, ultra, and nano), mechanical properties, and surface color of Solanum licopersicum L. fruits (cherry tomatoes) due to hydrogen peroxide (HP) and high-power ultrasound (US) treatments were examined. Both treatments induced small alterations in the epicuticular waxes, the cuticular membrane, and the epidermal and subepidermal cells. Plasmolysis of subepidermal cells, slight epicarp compression, and dense cellulose microfibrils pattern in the non cutinized cellulose layer were documented after US. Looser cellulose microfibrils pattern in the cutinized and non cutinized cellulose layer was detected after HP exposure. Main nanostructure alterations in the cellulose domain affected the morphology and size of cellulose aggregates and nanofractures of cellulose layer in treated fruits. US treatment decreased a*, b*, and chroma values by 10, 5, and 7% and increased L* and hue angle by 2.5 and 3%, respectively, as compared to raw fruits. These small but significant differences were attributed to the disruption of the wax layer; color became brighter, more vivid, and more orange. Treatments slightly affected puncture parameters; the rupture force decreased from 14.8 N to 14.1 N and 13.8 N; the penetration probe at the rupture point increased from 7.6 mm to 7.7 mm and 8.0 mm and the mechanical work decreased from 48.7 mJ to 48.3 mJ and 44.4 mJ in raw fruits and after HP and US exposure, respectively. The mechanical response could be partially explained by the alterations in the micro, ultra, and nanostructure of the tissues. The low impact of US and HP treatments on mechanical and color characteristics would indicate their potential for cherry tomatoes decontamination. Fil: Fava, Joaquín. Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable; Argentina Fil: Nieto, Andrea Bibiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias; Argentina Fil: Hodara, Karina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Agronomía. Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos y Sistemas de Información; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Alzamora, Stella Maris. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Industrias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Castro, María Agueda. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina

Polyphenols of fruits and vegetables form an important part of human dietary compounds. Relatively little is known about accumulation of phenolics during fruits ripening process. The goal of this work was to study the changes in antioxidant activity and in content of 30 polyphenols during ripening of tomato fruits. Five organically and conventionally grown tomato cultivars were investigated at three different ripening stages. Phenolic compounds were extracted with methanol and extracts were analyzed by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. During ripening, four different changing patterns were observed: (1) high level in green fruits with minimal changes; (2) continuous increase with maximum level in red-ripe fruits; (3) decrease; (4) increase and achieving maximum level at half-ripe stage. Similar change patterns were found for organic and conventional fruits. The accumulation patterns of phenolic compounds were similar in standard-type tomatoes but differed in several cases in cherry-type cultivar. Although contents of some polyphenols decreased during ripening, total phenolics and free radical scavenging activity increased in all studied cultivars and in case of both cultivation modes. The changes in content of phenolic compounds during ripening were greatly influenced by cultivars, but cultivation mode had only minor impact on dynamics in polyphenols contents in tomato fruits.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ultrasound treatment combined with commercial sanitizers in the decontamination step of minimally processed cherry tomatoes. Previously selected cherry tomatoes were treated with ultrasound (45 kHz) for 10 min in the presence of 20 and 200 mg/L sodium dichloroisocyanurate, 5% hydrogen peroxide, 10 mg/L chlorine dioxide or 40 mg/L peracetic acid. The reduction of natural contaminant microbiota and inoculated Salmonella adhered to the surface of the tomatoes were evaluated. The aerobic mesophilic contamination on the cherry tomatoes was reduced by 0.7e4.4 log10 cfu/g while molds and yeasts were reduced by 1.1e3.4 log10 cfu/g after different sanitization treatments. The combined treatment of ultrasound and 40 mg/L peracetic acid resulted in the highest reduction of the natural contaminant population and a reduction of adherent Salmonella Typhimurium ATCC 14028 by 3.9 log10 cfu/g. These results indicate the potential of using ultrasound as auxiliary strategy in the sanitization of cherry tomatoes.

The effects of passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) achieved with a 30 μm thick continuous oriented polypropylene (OPP) film (Film A) or by the same film either laser-perforated with increasing levels of perforation (Films B–E) or macro-perforated (Film F) on overall qualitative changes and decay was studied on cherry tomatoes cv ‘Dorotea’ and ‘Trebus’ harvested at the red-ripe stage and stored for 7, 14 or 21 d at 20 °C 60% RH. Respiratory activity of both cultivars decreased as permeability of macro- and laser-perforated films decreased but increased in tomatoes sealed with Film A, which led to anaerobic conditions. In laser perforated films average in-package CO2 and O2 were around 3 kPa and above 15 kPa, respectively, with moderate variations among Films B–E, while in Film A average CO2 and O2 were around 12 kPa and 6 kPa, respectively. In-package gas composition of Film F only slightly differed from air. Air composition and high in-package humidity of laser perforated films controlled water loss and delayed loss of firmness and of titratable acidity, total soluble solids, vitamin C, but increased decay of the very susceptible to cracking ‘Dorotea’ tomatoes. The high in-package CO2 of Film A reduced pathogens growth, but decay incidence was lowest in unwrapped tomatoes and packages of Film F. ‘Trebus’ tomatoes were more resistant to decay than ‘Dorotea’ ones. MAP with moderate levels of CO2 (around 3 kPa), O2 not below than 12 kPa and RH not higher than 90% could prolong overall quality and reduce decay of red-ripe cherry tomatoes at 20 °C.

NMR spectroscopy has become an experimental technique widely used in food science. The experimental procedures that allow precise and quantitative analysis on different foods are relatively simple. For a better sensitivity and resolution, NMR spectroscopy is usually applied to liquid sample by means of extraction procedures that can be addressed to the observation of particular compounds. For the study of semisolid systems such as intact tissues, High-Resolution Magic Angle Spinning (HR-MAS) has received great attention within the biomedical area and beyond. Metabolic profiling and metabolism changes can be investigated both in animal organs and in foods. In this work we present a proton HR-MAS NMR study on the typical vegetable foods of Mediterranean diet such as the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) cherry tomato of Pachino, the PGI Interdonato lemon of Messina, several Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) extra virgin olive oils from Sicily, and the Traditional Italian Food Product (PAT) red garlic of Nubia. We were able to identify and quantify the main metabolites within the studied systems that can be used for their characterization and authentication.

Foram analisados os dados experimentais da curva e da cinética de secagem para desidratação parcial do tomate-cereja ovalado, Lycopersicum sp. Mill., e foi verificado o desempenho na aplicação de um secador em leito fixo e em leito vibrado na sua secagem. A umidade inicial do tomate-cereja foi de 94,01% (15,7 kg água/kg massa seca) e utilizou-se um secador de bandejas vibradas operando com reciclo até que no tomate restasse 15% da quantidade de água inicial ou umidade em base úmida de 70,15% (2,35 kg de água/kg de massa seca). Para a identificação dos frutos amostrados, estes foram dispostos em cinco cestos feitos de tecido de polietileno, com diâmetros de abertura de cerca de 0,01 m. Os tomates-cereja processados foram seccionados radialmente em duas metades, perpendicularmente ao eixo de maior comprimento de cada fruto. A temperatura, a vazão de ar e a quantidade de tomate alimentada foram ajustadas em 67,6 °C, 6 kg/min e 4,025 kg, respectivamente. O processo de secagem iniciou-se com operação em batelada sem recirculação dos frutos, até que se atingiu o teor de umidade de aproximadamente 85% (5,67 kg água/kg tomate seco); seguiu-se a adição de esferas de porcelana com 0,0235 m de diâmetro, as quais forçaram o escoamento das partículas de tomate e o processo passou a ocorrer com recirculação. Na cinética de secagem obtida dos resultados experimentais, três períodos foram identificados: dois períodos em que os tomates secaram em taxas constantes, intercalados por um período com taxa variável. Para as taxas de secagem constantes, quantificaram-se os valores do coeficiente de correlação superiores a 0,99, ao ajustar uma reta aos pontos experimentais. Comparando-se o processo de secagem de leito fixo com o vibrado, observou-se que, no processo com aplicação de vibração, ocorreu diminuição em 30% do tempo de secagem. A esfericidade do tomate variou do valor unitário (início da secagem) para 0,53 ao final da secagem. A contração do tomate na secagem foi de 80% e o diâmetro médio inicial das partículas, de 2,32 cm, modificou-se para 1,34 cm, no final da secagem. Os resultados indicaram que as influências simultâneas da vibração e das esferas de porcelana intensificam o processo de secagem, resultando em uma cinética de secagem não convencional. The kinetics and drying curve of the partial dehydration of oval cherry tomatoes, Lycopersicum sp. Mill., were analysed. The initial moisture content was 94.01% (15.7 kg water/kg dry mass) and the performances of both fixed and vibrating bed dryers were determined. In the latter case, a vibrated tray dryer with recycle was used, recycling the product until the tomato was left with only 15% of the initial amount of water, that is a moisture content of 70.15% (2.35 kg water/kg dry mass) on a wet weight basis. For identification purposes, the fruits sampled were arranged in five baskets made of polyethylene fabric with a mesh of about 0.01 m in diameter. The cherry tomatoes were cut into two halves perpendicular to the axis of greatest length. The temperature, air flow and the amount of tomato fed in were adjusted to 67.6 °C, 6 kg/min and 4.025 kg, respectively. The initial part of the drying process was a batch operation with no recirculation of the fruit, until the moisture content reached about 85% (5.67 kg water/kg dry tomatoes). Porcelain balls with a diameter of 0.0235 m were then added which forced the flow of tomato particles, and as from this point the process occurred with recirculation. Three periods were identified in the drying kinetics obtained using the experimental results: two periods during which the tomatoes showed steady state drying rates, intercalated with one period showing a variable rate. For the constant drying rates, correlation coefficients with values above 0.99 were quantified on fitting a straight line through the experimental points. A comparison of the behaviours of the fixed and vibrating beds showed that the application of vibration decreased the drying time by 30%. The sphericity of the tomatoes ranged from a value of unity (start of drying) to 0.53 at the end of drying. Shrinkage of the tomatoes during drying was 80%, the initial average particle diameter of 2.32 cm reducing to 1.34 cm at the end of drying. The results indicated that the simultaneous influence of vibration and porcelain balls intensified the drying process, resulting in non-conventional air drying kinetics.