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Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a hepatocarcinogenic metabolite produced by certain strains of Aspergillus section Flavi, is one of the major contaminants in red chili products that affect human health. This study determined the level of AFB1 in chili traded in Oman. In addition, a survey was conducted among 260 respondents to assess consumers' knowledge and awareness of aflatoxin contamination in chili. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed on 58 samples of dried red chili pods, red chili flakes, and red chili powder collected from various markets in Oman. The ELISA results showed the presence of AFB1 in all the samples analyzed. None of the dried red chili pod samples exceeded 10 ppb AFB1, the maximum permissible limit adopted by the Oman Legislation for foods, whereas a few red chili flakes and red chili powder samples exceeded 10 ppb. However, AFB1 content in all the samples was below the maximum tolerance limit of 20 ppb set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The survey results revealed that most respondents were unaware of aflatoxins, as education, gender, and social media were found to be significant determinants of aflatoxin awareness. This study provides valuable insights into the level of AFB1 contamination in red chili products, raises the need for aflatoxin awareness in Oman, and urges for safe culinary practices in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cucumbers are a popular vegetable consumed worldwide and are known for their nutritional value, containing carbohydrates, antioxidants, vitamin C, etc. The abundance of a high moisture content is correlated to cucumber perishability, which encourages investigation into ways to maintain its quality and increase shelf-life. This study was carried out to determine the effect of a moringa oil–beeswax coating on the quality of fresh cucumber at different storage temperatures for 27 days of storage. Freshly harvested cucumbers were divided into two groups: the first group was coated with the moringa oil–beeswax edible coating, while the other one was not coated (control). Each group was divided into three other subgroups, for storage at 4, 10, and 22 °C. Different quality parameters, including weight loss, color change, firmness, total soluble solid (TSS), vitamin C, and pH, were evaluated. The findings showed that the weight loss of cucumber was highly increased in non-coated samples stored at high temperature. After 27 days of storage, the highest and lowest weight reduction % were recorded for non-coated cucumbers stored at 22 °C (38.09%) and moringa oil–beeswax-coated cucumbers stored at 10 °C (12.35%), respectively. Color analysis revealed that coating had a significant impact on color values, with distinct patterns in lightness, redness-greenness, and yellowness values for both treatments at various temperatures and days. The lightness values showed minimal fluctuations and stabilized at 13.65 at both 4 °C and 10 °C. Temperature and coating had a significant impact on pH levels, with the coating potentially exhibiting a protective effect on pH stability, particularly at lower temperatures (4 °C). Additionally, both groups' total acidity levels held steady over time and at various temperatures, with the coating having a highly significant effect on total acidity levels. The amount of vitamin C varied significantly with temperature and storage period, but the coating did not affect vitamin C content. At 22 °C, there were notable variations in the vitamin C content over the storage period, with a final value of 37.7 mg/L on coated samples. Temperature and the duration of storage (p < 0.05) had a significant impact on the levels of total soluble solids (TSS), whereas firmness values changed significantly over the storage period only. Moringa oil–beeswax edible coating has the potential to preserve the nutritional value and quality attributes of cucumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study used the fractal dimension (FD), browning incidence, and grayscale values using machine vision to describe the bruise magnitude and quality of mechanically damaged 'Fard' bananas bruised from 20, 40, 60 cm drop heights by 66, 98, and 110 g ball weights conditioned at different storage temperatures (5, 13, 22 °C) after 48 h. Conventional analyses like bruise area (BA), bruise volume (BV), and bruise susceptibility (BS) were also conducted. A correlation was performed to determine the relationship between image processing and conventional assessment of bruise damage in bananas. Weight, firmness, color, sugar content, and acidity were investigated. The results demonstrated that bananas bruised from the highest force and stored at 5 and 22 °C reported the lowest FD with values of 1.7162 and 1.7403, respectively. Increasing the level of damage reduced the fractal dimension and grayscale values and increased browning incidence and bruise susceptibility values after 48 h of storage. The total color change values showed a strong Pearson's correlation coefficient (r ≥ -0.81) with image analysis fractal dimension and grayscale values. The findings also indicated that higher bruising and temperature can induce weight loss, firmness reduction, lightness, and yellowness increment, and sugar and acidity changes. Overall, the fractal image analysis conducted in this study was highly effective in describing the bruising magnitude of bananas under different conditions. • Fractal dimension (FD) by imaging was used to evaluate banana bruising. • After 48 h of storage, grayscale and FD reduced, and browning incidence increased. • Temperature controlled the magnitude of bruising after storage. • The performance of storage at 13 °C was promising. • Higher damage levels and storage conditions accelerate weight and firmness reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postharvest loss is one of the main obstacles for ensuring food security in Oman as it leads towards reduced fresh produce quantity, quality and market value. The aim of this study was to determine the postharvest losses due to quality reduction in fresh produce of tomato during storage at market level in Oman. This paper consisted of two separate studies. Firstly, a semi-structure survey was conducted to collect the data from the market vendors. Secondly, fresh tomatoes were also purchased from the market and were stored in the laboratory at 10oC and 22oC for 12 days. All data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software. The results of the survey showed that 35% of respondents suggested that the color and texture are the most important quality attributes attracted by the consumers. Two days period was the best duration to store fresh produce in the current market. About 55% of the respondents mentioned that the nature of the produce was the most important factor causing postharvest losses along the supply chain. The results of the experiments showed a significant (p<0.05) changes of color attributes such as lightness (L*), redness or greenness (a*), total color change (ΔE), weight loss and firmness during 12 days at both temperature conditions. However, no significant impact of both factors on yellowness or blueness (b*), chroma, hue and total soluble solid (TSS) values was observed. This study indicated high changes in weight loss, lightness, redness, total color change and firmness in tomato stored at 22°C. The lower was the lightness (4.96) and firmness (11.18 N) and the greater was the redness (12.22) and weight loss (16.6%), caused the greater the rejection by the customers of the tomato at market level. Accordingly, storage temperature played a critical role on the improvement and development of tomato and any perishable fresh produce along the supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]