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The increasing impact of climate change poses a serious threat to olive cultivation, particularly through environmental stresses such as ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. This study investigates the use of pollen as a marker to discriminate the UV-B tolerance of four Italian olive cultivars (Frantoio, Leccino, Olivastra Seggianese, and Pendolino). Pollen grains were exposed to UV-B radiation at varying durations (1, 2 and 3 h) and distances (10, 20, 30 and 40 cm) to evaluate viability, germination rate, pollen tube length, and cell wall composition, including the distribution of key structural elements such as pectins, cellulose, callose, arabinogalactan proteins, and polysaccharide-synthesizing enzymes. Results indicate that UV-B stress effects are highly cultivar-specific and exposure-dependent. Frantoio and Leccino show higher sensitivity to short-term, high-intensity UV-B, while Pendolino demonstrates greater resistance to prolonged exposure but unexpected sensitivity to low-intensity, short-duration UV-B. This multidimensional response underscores the complex interaction between cultivar and UV-B stress. These findings contribute to the sustainability of olive cultivation under changing environmental conditions by identifying more resilient cultivars.

The Mediterranean will be one of the focal points of climate change. The predicted dry and hot summers will lead to water scarcity in agriculture, which may limit crop production and growth. The olive tree serves as a model woody plant for studying drought stress and improving water resource management; thus, it is critical to identify genotypes that are more drought tolerant and perform better under low irrigation or even rainfed conditions. In this study, the metabolomic approach was used to highlight variations in metabolites in stems and leaves of three Italian olive cultivars (previously characterized physiologically) under two and four weeks of drought stress. Phenolic and lipophilic profiles were obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, respectively. The findings identified the leaf as the primary organ in which phenolic variations occurred. The Maurino cultivar exhibited a strong stress response in the form of phenolic compound accumulation, most likely to counteract oxidative stress. The phenolic compound content of ‘Giarraffa’ and ‘Leccino’ plants remained relatively stable whether they were exposed to drought or not. Variations in the lipid profile occurred in leaves and stems of all the cultivars. A high accumulation of compounds related to epicuticular wax components was observed in the leaf of ‘Giarraffa’, while a strong reduction of lipids and long-chain alkanes occurred in ‘Maurino’ when exposed to drought stress conditions.

In discontinuous crop soil coverage condition, as for many horticultural crops (e.g. fruit or olive orchard), the low spatial resolution of freely available reflectance data acquired from satellites, affects their agronomic use. Each reflectance pixel value is influenced not only by the reflectance response of the target crop but also by the percentage of pixel covered by the crop, as bare soil and/or spontaneous vegetation strongly affects whole pixel reflectance.In this context, when the analysis of crop conditions is the main agronomical target, the measurement of Leaf Area Index (LAI), supporting the estimation of the area covered by the discontinuous crop, could represent a crucial step helping the interpretation of remote sensed spectral data including related vegetation indices.From this perspective, a field experiment has been conducted on an 8.30 ha super intensive hedgerow olive orchard, monitoring (i) variation of NDVI from an 830 pixels’ grid of the Sentinel-2 imagery (10×10 m) during two years (2020–2021); (ii) LAI estimated by destructive measurement, and (iii) LAI estimated by light transmittance at soil level under the crop measured by a commercial low cost field instrument (LAI-Pen LP 100) with two light sensors (400 - 700 nm and 400 - 500 nm bands).Mean NDVI elaborated from Sentinel-2 imagery and referred to the whole orchard, varies from 0.28 to 0.81, along the two years, and was quite stable during the summer months for each year (0.28–0.36 in 2020 and 0.39–0.41 in 2021). LAI estimated by destructive measurements on single plants, ranged between 2.17 and 4.38. LAI estimated by LAI-Pen, was strongly related to LAI estimated by destructive measurements (R2=0.9473 n = 9)Finally, the average of LAI-Pen measurements referred to all the plants (n = 16) included in each pixel of the Sentinel 2 measurements’ grid, resulted directly correlated to pixel NDVI values collected in the same date.

Olive leaves are an abundant by-product of olive oil production. Olive leaf extracts (OLEs) are rich in polyphenols, which can be used for health benefits. As polyphenols are the main antioxidant molecules in plants, plants typically increase their polyphenol content when exposed to drought stress. However, the phenolic profile of OLEs can vary in relation to the origin and variety of the plant material. In this work, olive leaf extracts from three different Italian olive cultivars (Giarraffa, Leccino, and Maurino) both exposed and not exposed to drought stress were studied in terms of antioxidant properties and profile, intestinal permeation, and protection against oxidative stress of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), since HUVECs are considered a model to study a wide range of diseases. OLEs from stressed Maurino and Giarraffa plants showed the highest increase in antioxidant capacity compared to controls. The phenolic profile of Maurino’ was mainly increased by water deficit, with a large increase in the compounds oleuropein and luteolin-7-O-rutinoside. All tested extracts exposed to a water deficit protected HUVECs against oxidative stress by reducing ROS production, and this effect was more pronounced in OLEs from Giarraffa and Maurino exposed to drought stress compared to all other extracts. Finally, OLE from the stressed Giarraffa group showed a higher apparent permeability of antioxidant molecules than that of Maurino.

The development of spectral sensors (SSs) capable of retrieving spectral information have opened new opportunities to improve several environmental and agricultural practices, e.g., crop breeding, plant phenotyping, land use monitoring, and crop classification. The SSs are classified as multispectral and hyperspectral (HS) based on the number of the spectral bands resolved and sampled during data acquisition. Large-scale applications of the HS remain limited due to the cost of this type of technology and the technical difficulties in hyperspectral data processing. Low-cost portable hyperspectral cameras (PHCs) have been progressively developed; however, critical aspects associated with data acquisition and processing, such as the presence of spectral discontinuities, signal jumps, and a high level of background noise, were reported. The aim of this work was to analyze and improve the hyperspectral output of a PHC Senop HSC-2 device by developing a general use methodology. Several signal gaps were identified as falls and jumps across the spectral signatures near 513, 650, and 930 nm, while the dark current signal magnitude and variability associated with instrumental noise showed an increasing trend over time. A data correction pipeline was successfully developed and tested, leading to 99% and 74% reductions in radiance signal jumps identified at 650 and 830 nm, respectively, while the impact of noise on the acquired signal was assessed to be in the range of 10% to 15%. The developed methodology can be effectively applied to other low-cost hyperspectral cameras.

Olive drupe traits (i.e., ripening index and pericarp water content) and minor components (i.e., phenols and pigments in both fruit and oil) are important for human health and are affected by agronomic background. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between fruit traits, phenols, and pigments in samples derived from different soil and water management practices. Chromatographic (UHPLC-MS/MS) and spectroscopic (1HNMR and near UV-Vis spectroscopy) techniques were employed for the characterization of olive fruits and oils. The use of various techniques allowed the identification of interesting trace compounds. We observed that most of the fruit phenols (a total of 29 compounds) were correlated with the degree of ripening: most of the phenolic acids (and their derivatives), phenolic alcohols, and secoiridoids were negatively correlated, whereas the majority of the studied flavonoids were positively correlated. The relationship between the ripening index and fruit phenolic compounds appears to be dependent on the metabolic pathway that controls the synthesis of each individual compound. Conversely, the secoiridoids and pigments in olive oil showed a negative correlation with pulp moisture, probably because of the influence of the water content on the extractability and transfer in the oil phase of these minor components.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the levels of antioxidants and polyphenols in pasta enriched with either carrot or olive leaf flours after simulating gastrointestinal digestion. Pasta samples were prepared with fixed amounts of carrot and olive leaf flours (15% and 6% of the total mixture, respectively). We measured the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content at different stages of the pasta production process, starting from the initial flour to the cooked pasta, and tested samples of the liquid component and solid waste resulting from the digestion process. The antioxidant activity was measured by the FRAP method, while the polyphenol content was measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Vitamin E contents were measured by HPLC. The pasta enriched with carrot (1.26 ± 0.05 mmol/100 g) and olive leaf (2.9 ± 0.07 mmol/100 g) exhibited higher antioxidant power compared to the unenriched pasta (0.8 ± 0.1 mmol/100 g). The polyphenol content followed a similar trend, with values of 131.23 ± 3.08 for olive flour-enriched pasta, 79.15 ± 1.11 for carrot flour-enriched pasta, and 67.5 ± 1.39 for the wheat-only pasta. The pasta samples maintained their antioxidant and polyphenol levels even after undergoing the simulated digestion process. Significantly, the liquid component of the pasta with olive leaf flours had the highest levels of antioxidants and polyphenols during all stages of the digestion process. According to the results of this study, pasta enriched with carrot and olive leaf flours shows promising potential for improving nutritional and functional properties by increasing antioxidant and polyphenol content. The samples were also evaluated by a sensory panel, which showed that fortification modified the perception of some organoleptic attributes without affecting the overall taste of the pasta.

Water scarcity in agriculture can limit crop production and trigger the need for more effective water resource management. As a result, it is critical to identify new crop genotypes that are more drought tolerant and perform better under low irrigation or even rain-fed conditions. The olive tree is a high-value crop that is well adapted to dry Mediterranean conditions. However, different genotypes may have developed different mechanisms of tolerance to water stress. To investigate such mechanisms, we examined three Italian olive cultivars (‘Giarraffa’, ‘Leccino’, and ‘Maurino’) grown in a greenhouse under drought stress. We found that single genotypes responded differently to the drought, though not all parameters revealed significant differences. The first major difference among the cultivars was in transpiration: the lower stomatal density and stomatal conductance of ‘Giarraffa’ allow this cultivar to use water more conservatively. In parallel with the reduction in stomatal and mesophyll conductance, the drought-stressed group of ‘Giarraffa’ maintained the electron transport rate and effective efficiency levels of photosystem II similar to those of the control until the fourth week of stress. The fluorescence parameters revealed the earlier closure of reaction photosynthetic centres in ‘Leccino’. Finally, the higher rate of electrolyte leakage in ‘Maurino’ indicated a significant ions loss in this cultivar when it was subjected to the drought. Both water management under stress conditions and the effect of drought on photosynthesis make ‘Giarraffa’ interesting to researchers studying its use in breeding or water-saving programmes.

Recent developments in low-cost imaging hyperspectral cameras have opened up new possibilities for high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), allowing for high-resolution spectral data to be obtained in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. This study presents, for the first time, the integration of a low-cost hyperspectral camera Senop HSC-2 into an HTP platform to evaluate the drought stress resistance and physiological response of four tomato genotypes (770P, 990P, Red Setter and Torremaggiore) during two cycles of well-watered and deficit irrigation. Over 120 gigabytes of hyperspectral data were collected, and an innovative segmentation method able to reduce the hyperspectral dataset by 85.5% was developed and applied. A hyperspectral index (H-index) based on the red-edge slope was selected, and its ability to discriminate stress conditions was compared with three optical indices (OIs) obtained by the HTP platform. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) applied to the OIs and H-index revealed the better capacity of the H-index to describe the dynamic of drought stress trend compared to OIs, especially in the first stress and recovery phases. Selected OIs were instead capable of describing structural changes during plant growth. Finally, the OIs and H-index results have revealed a higher susceptibility to drought stress in 770P and 990P than Red Setter and Torremaggiore genotypes.

An innovative low-cost device based on hyperspectral spectroscopy in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region is proposed for the non-invasive detection of moldy core (MC) in apples. The system, based on light collection by an integrating sphere, was tested on 70 apples cultivar (cv) Golden Delicious infected by Alternaria alternata, one of the main pathogens responsible for MC disease. Apples were sampled in vertical and horizontal positions during five measurement rounds in 13 days’ time, and 700 spectral signatures were collected. Spectral correlation together with transmittance temporal patterns and ANOVA showed that the spectral region from 863.38 to 877.69 nm was most linked to MC presence. Then, two binary classification models based on Artificial Neural Network Pattern Recognition (ANN-AP) and Bagging Classifier (BC) with decision trees were developed, revealing a better detection capability by ANN-AP, especially in the early stage of infection, where the predictive accuracy was 100% at round 1 and 97.15% at round 2. In subsequent rounds, the classification results were similar in ANN-AP and BC models. The system proposed surpassed previous MC detection methods, needing only one measurement per fruit, while further research is needed to extend it to different cultivars or fruits.

The demand for chestnut flour is growing because of its use in gluten-free products. Previous studies have correlated the quality of chestnut flours to the drying temperature and technology applied. This work is a novel study on the role of the traditional drying method with a wood fire in a “metato” building for flour compared with a food dryer at 40 °C or 70 °C. The contents of antioxidants, total polyphenols and sugars were determined as well as the presence of toxic volatiles or aflatoxins. The flour, resulting from the traditional method, presented lower polyphenol content and antioxidant power compared to the others. The content of the sugars was similar to the flours obtained after drying with hot air, both at 40 °C and 70 °C. The toxic volatile molecules, furfural, guaiacol, and o-cresol, were found. There was no correlation between the aflatoxin content and the presence of damage in chestnut fruits. The traditional method should not be abandoned since it confers a pleasant smoky taste to the product, but it is necessary to regulate the level and steadiness of temperature. Future research needs to be directed to the quantification of harmful volatile compounds and their correlation with the quantity of smoke emitted by the wood fire.

The depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer due to natural and/or anthropogenic causes decreases the amount of UV-B radiation filtered, and consequently increases the risk of potential damage to organisms. In the Mediterranean region, high UV-B indices are frequent. Even for species typical of this region, such as the olive tree, the progressive increase in UV-B radiation represents a threat. This work aimed to understand how high UV-B radiation modulates the phenolic and lipophilic profile of olive varieties, and identify metabolites that enhance olive stress tolerance. Two Italian olive varieties were subjected to chronic UV-B stress, and leaves were analyzed by gas and liquid chromatography. The results indicated that the most representative phenolic and lipophilic compounds of Giarraffa and Olivastra Seggianese were readjusted in response to UV-B stress. The Giarraffa variety seemed better suited to prolonged UV-B stress, possibly due to the higher availability of flavonoids that could help control oxidative damage, and the accumulation of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives that could provide strong UV-B shield protection. In addition, this variety contained higher levels of fatty acids (e.g., palmitic, α-linolenic, and stearic acids), which can help to maintain membrane integrity and accumulate more sorbitol (which may serve as an osmoprotectant or act a free-radical scavenger), terpenes, and long-chain alkanes, providing higher protection against UV-B stress.

The impact of dried apples (Malus × domestica Borkh.) addition on improving the antioxidant characteristics of dark chocolate was evaluated. The antioxidant activity was measured through DPPH scavenging activity and showed an increase in the cocoa bar with ‘Nesta’ dry apple (17.3% vs. 46.8%) in comparison to cocoa mass. The 15 polyphenols analyzed by UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS indicated great variability among the apple varieties. Quercetin was detected in the highest concentrations (ranged from 753.3 to 1915.5 µg g−1), while the lowest were for kaempferol 7-O-glucoside, measured only in ‘Mora’ and ‘Nesta’ cocoa bars (from 0.034 to 0.069 µg g−1, respectively). P-coumaric acid, trans-ferulic acid, and chlorogenic acid contribute largely to the antioxidant activity in cocoa bars. Principal component analysis shows that a cocoa bar with the addition of ‘Nesta’ dry apple differ from others due to its higher content of polyphenols (1614 ± 61.8 mg gallic acid equivalents per 100 g). In conclusion, data confirm that cocoa bars with dry apples might be considered as a polyphenol-enriched food.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the performance, in terms of accumulation of antioxidant compounds in fruits, of nine local and three commercial Italian tomato cultivars subjected to drought stress. The same local cultivars had been previously studied at morpho-physiological level. Methods: The present manuscript analyzes drought stress as a tool to increase the amount of secondary metabolites that can enhance fruit quality. Nutraceutical characterization of the fruits was performed by analyzing the content of antioxidants, phenols, flavonoids, lycopene, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), rutin, caffeic acid, and naringenin. At the same time, plant sensitivity to stress during the reproductive phase was monitored in terms of flower abscission, fruit drop, and seed germination. Results: Perina turns out to be the tomato cultivar with the best nutraceutical properties in the absence of stress while the Quarantino cultivar is so for flavonoid content (control plants) and lycopene and vitamin C content (stressed plants). Perina and Quarantino are the cultivars with the best response to drought and Perina has the highest concentrations of bioactives. Quarantino responds most effectively to stress in the reproductive phase. Conclusions: data confirm that drought stress increases bioactive production in some local cultivars of tomato, which produce higher quality fruits.

Irrigation is fundamental for agriculture but, as climate change becomes more persistent, there is a need to conserve water and use it more efficiently. It is therefore crucial to identify cultivars that can tolerate drought. For economically relevant crops, such as tomatoes, this purpose takes on an even more incisive role and local agrobiodiversity is a large genetic reservoir of promising cultivars. In this study, nine local Italian cultivars of tomatoes plus four widely used commercial cultivars were considered. These experienced about 20 d of drought, either at vegetative or reproductive phase. Various physio-morphological parameters were monitored, such as stomatal conductance (gs), photosynthesis (A), water use efficiency (WUE), growth (GI) and soil water content (SWC). The different responses and behaviors allowed to divide the cultivars into three groups: tolerant, susceptible, and intermediate. The classification was also confirmed by a principal component analysis (PCA). The study, in addition to deepening the knowledge of local Italian tomato cultivars, reveals how some cultivars perform better under stress condition than commercial ones. Moreover, the different behavior depends on the genotype and on the growth phase of plants. In fact, the Perina cultivar is the most tolerant during vegetative growth while the Quarantino cultivar is mostly tolerant at reproductive stage. The results suggest that selection of cultivars could lead to a more sustainable agriculture and less wasteful irrigation plans.

Background: Tomato by-products contain a great variety of biologically active substances and represent a significant source of natural antioxidant supplements of the human diet. The aim of the work was to compare the antioxidant properties of a by-product from an ancient Tuscan tomato variety, Rosso di Pitigliano (RED), obtained by growing plants in normal conditions (-Ctr) or in drought stress conditions (-Ds) for their beneficial effects on vascular related dysfunction. Methods: The antioxidant activity and total polyphenol content (TPC) were measured. The identification of bioactive compounds of tomato peel was performed by HPLC. HUVEC were pre-treated with different TPC of RED-Ctr or RED-Ds, then stressed with H2O2. Cell viability, ROS production and CAT, SOD and GPx activities were evaluated. Permeation of antioxidant molecules contained in RED across excised rat intestine was also studied. Results: RED-Ds tomato peel extract possessed higher TPC than compared to RED-Ctr (361.32 ± 7.204 mg vs. 152.46 ± 1.568 mg GAE/100 g fresh weight). All extracts were non-cytotoxic. Two hour pre-treatment with 5 µg GAE/mL from RED-Ctr or RED-Ds showed protection from H2O2-induced oxidative stress and significantly reduced ROS production raising SOD and CAT activity (* p < 0.05 and ** p < 0.005 vs. H2O2, respectively). The permeation of antioxidant molecules contained in RED-Ctr or RED-Ds across excised rat intestine was high with non-significant difference between the two RED types (41.9 ± 9.6% vs. 26.6 ± 7.8%). Conclusions: RED-Ds tomato peel extract represents a good source of bioactive molecules, which protects HUVECs from oxidative stress at low concentration.

Given the economical importance of the olive tree it is essential to study its responses to stress agents such as excessive UV-B radiation, to understand the defense mechanisms and to identify the varieties that are able to cope with it. In the light of the analysis carried out in this study, we argue that UV-B radiation represents a dangerous source of stress for the olive tree, especially in the current increasingly changing environmental conditions. Both the varieties considered (Giarraffa and Olivastra Seggianese), although resistant to the strong treatment to which they were exposed, showed, albeit in different ways and at different times, evident effects. The two varieties have different response times and the Giarraffa variety seems better suited to prolonged UV-B stress, possible due to a more efficient and quick activation of the antioxidant response (e.g., flavonoids use to counteract reactive oxygen species) and because of its capacity to maintain the photosynthetic efficiency as well as a relatively higher content of mannitol. Moreover, pigments reduction after a long period of UV-B exposure can also be an adaptation mechanism triggered by Giarraffa to reduce energy absorption under UV-B stress. Olivastra Seggianese seems less suited to overcome UV-B stress for a long period (e.g., higher reduction of Fv/Fm) and has a higher requirement for sugars (e.g., glucose) possible to counteract stress and to restore energy.

The human diet is characterized by highly energetic molecules, but it also requires non-energetic compounds that are equally useful for cell functioning and for preserving the organism's health status. These “functional” molecules are represented by a wide variety of plant secondary metabolites, such as terpenoids, vitamins and polyphenols with antioxidant power. Widespread commercial crop varieties often contain scarce levels of functional molecules, because they have been mostly selected for productivity, rather than for the content of secondary metabolites. Different scenarios (global economic situation, foreseeable environmental changes) are pushing farmers to review the use of high yield crops and to focus on the valorization of locally-adapted plants. This renewed interest is strengthened by the growing need of consumers for functional foods with beneficial effects on human health and by the willingness to promote sustainable low-input agricultural practices exploiting local climate, soil, water, and (micro)biota. Here, we want to discuss a specific case study concerning locally-adapted crops in Tuscany (Italy). Analyses of nutraceutical molecules in locally-grown crop varieties (namely tomatoes, sweet cherries and onions) have shown that they are characterized by substantially higher functional molecule contents than commercial varieties. Our goal is to promote the high-throughput study of locally-adapted varieties to understand, in a medium-term perspective, whether the cultivation of such plants is a valuable support for the diet and an adequate local economic resource. Such plants can provide a boost to the regional economy, by diversifying the local crop-market landscape. Moreover, the exploitation of locally-grown plants results in the manufacture of fully-traceable products (from the raw bioresource to the finished product) with a “0 km” concept that minimizes the C footprint.

Drought stress is one of the most severe conditions for plants, especially in the face of the emerging problem of global warming. This issue is important when considering economically relevant crops, including the tomato. For these plants, a promising solution is the valorization of local agrobiodiversity as a source of genetic variability. In this paper we investigated how six Italian tomato varieties react to a prolonged period of water depletion. We used a multidisciplinary approach, from genetics to plant physiology and cytology, to provide a detailed overview of the response of plants to stress. The varieties analyzed, each characterized by a specific genetic profile, showed a genotype-specific response with the variety ‘Fragola’ being the most resistant and the variety ‘Pisanello’ the most susceptible. For all the parameters evaluated, ‘Fragola’ performed in a manner comparable to that of control plants. On the contrary, ‘Pisanello’ appeared to be more affected and showed an increase in the number of stomata and a drastic increase in antioxidants, a symptom of acute oxidative stress. Our work suggests the existence of a valuable reservoir of genetic biodiversity with more drought-tolerant tomato genotypes opening the way to further exploitation and use of local germplasm in breeding programs.

The application of spectral sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) assures high spatial and temporal resolutions. This research focused on canopy reflectance for cultivar recognition in an olive grove. The ability in cultivar recognition of 14 vegetation indices (VIs) calculated from reflectance patterns (green520−600, red630−690 and near-infrared760−900 bands) and an image segmentation process was evaluated on an open-field olive grove with 10 different scion/rootstock combinations (two scions by five rootstocks). Univariate (ANOVA) and multivariate (principal components analysis—PCA and linear discriminant analysis—LDA) statistical approaches were applied. The efficacy of VIs in scion recognition emerged clearly from all the approaches applied, whereas discrimination between rootstocks appeared unclear. The results of LDA ascertained the efficacy of VI application to discriminate between scions with an accuracy of 90.9%, whereas recognition of rootstocks failed in more than 68.2% of cases.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction has been associated to cardiovascular outcomes in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play an important physiological role for their reparative potential of vascular integrity, but are numerically reduced and functionally impaired in patients with cardiovascular risks. This study assesses the effects of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and apple-enriched dark chocolate intake on the blood levels of EPCs. Methods: Thirty volunteers with cardiovascular risk factors, enrolled in a randomised, crossover, four-weeks trial, received a solid dark chocolate bar (40 g/day) containing 10% EVOO or 2.5% dry apples. Urine samples were analyzed for endogenous metabolites. Circulating EPCs levels, clinical data and anthropometric examinations were collected. Results: 26 volunteers (M/F:14/12, 51 ± 9 years of age) completed the study. Comparison of pre-post intervention revealed a significant increase in EPCs levels associated with EVOO-dark chocolate consumption. Most biochemical parameters were not significantly modified by both chocolates. Conclusions: This study shows that a daily consumption of a non fattening dose of dark chocolate enriched with EVOO improves blood levels of EPCs, a well known surrogate biologic marker for endothelial function.

Background: A diet rich in fruits and vegetables contributes to lowering the risk of chronic diseases. The fruits of Malus x domestica are a rich dietary source of bioactive compounds, namely vitamins and antioxidants, with recognized action on human health protection. Tuscany is known for its rich plant biodiversity, especially represented by ancient varieties of fruit trees. Particularly noteworthy are the many ancient Tuscan varieties of apple trees. Methods: Sugar quantification via HPLC and spectrophotometric assays to quantify the antioxidant power and total polyphenol content revealed interesting differences in 17 old varieties of Malus x domestica Borkh. recovered in Siena (Tuscany). Results: The quantification of antioxidants, polyphenols, and the main free sugars revealed that their content in the old fruits was often superior to the widespread commercial counterparts (‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’). Such differences were, in certain cases, dramatic, with 8-fold higher values. Differences were also present for sugars and fibers (pectin). Most ancient fruits displayed low values of glucose and high contents of xylitol and pectin. Conclusions: The results reported here suggest the possible use of ancient apple varieties from Siena for nutraceutical purposes and draw attention to the valorization of local old varieties.

This interdisciplinary study aims to contribute to the characterization of Istrian (Croatia) olive cultivars and oil, giving for the first time the morphological and genetic profile of Bova cultivar, and chemical and sensorial characteristics of its oil. Morphological features of Bova cv. were determined according to the International Olive Council methodology, while molecular characterization was performed using eleven microsatellite markers. Bova cultivar was morphologically and genetically different from other described Istrian olive cultivars. The microsatellite profile of Bova was also unique when compared to more than 200 different Italian genotypes using the same set of markers. In order to characterize the oil from Bova cv., fruits from three trees at the same ripening stage were harvested and processed separately under the same conditions. Volatile composition of the obtained oil samples was determined using solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. About 50 volatiles were detected, mostly hydrocarbons (34.69 % of total peak area), followed by aldehydes (25.80 %), alcohols (22.24 %), ketones (8.76 %), organic acids (4.08 %), terpenes (2.10 %), esters (2.18 %) and furans (0.26 %). Bova oil was rich in total C6 (39.87 %) and C5 volatiles (13.85 %), biogenerated through the lipoxygenase pathway. The most prevalent volatile compound was C6 aldehyde E-2-hexenal. Quantitative descriptive sensory analysis of the investigated olive oil samples was carried out by a sensory panel. The sensory profile was characterized by medium intensities of olive fruity, green leaves and grass, light tomato and aromatic herbs flavours with mild apple and other ripe fruit notes. The taste was characterized by medium to strong bitterness, followed by medium pungency and mild sweetness.

The Tuscan Region has a vast repertoire of ancient plants that have been recovered across the territory over the years. These plants thrive in an environment characterized by minimal human intervention and are thus the result of the process of adaptation to the territory of origin. In this work, we focused on the quantification of bioactive compounds in ancient tomato varieties. More specifically, we quantified polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids, and vitamin C in eight local Tuscan tomato varieties and found higher contents with respect to those in commercial tomatoes Polyphenol and antioxidant compounds in ancient varieties reported a two- and, in some instances, three-fold increase in concentration, compared to the commercial counterparts. Interestingly, the data relative to the carotenoids did not show any significant differences when comparing the ancient varieties with the commercial ones, a finding confirming the market selection criterion based on color. On a longer-term perspective, this study aims at drawing attention to the importance of preserving autochthonous natural plant biodiversity and towards promoting research on local varieties. We believe that this study will pave the way to the valorization of local plant biodiversity and promote an extended use of products in the nutraceutical sector derived from vegetables.

The estimation of site water budget is important in Mediterranean areas, where it represents a crucial factor affecting the quantity and quality of traditional crop production. This is particularly the case for spatially fragmented, multi-layer agricultural ecosystems such as olive groves, which are traditional cultivations of the Mediterranean basin. The current paper aims at demonstrating the effectiveness of spatialized meteorological data and remote sensing techniques to estimate the actual evapotranspiration (ETA) and the soil water content (SWC) of an olive orchard in Central Italy. The relatively small size of this orchard (about 0.1 ha) and its two-layer structure (i.e., olive trees and grasses) require the integration of remotely sensed data with different spatial and temporal resolutions (Terra-MODIS, Landsat 8-OLI and Ikonos). These data are used to drive a recently proposed water balance method (NDVI-Cws) and predict ETA and then site SWC, which are assessed through comparison with sap flow and soil wetness measurements taken in 2013. The results obtained indicate the importance of integrating satellite imageries having different spatio-temporal properties in order to properly characterize the examined olive orchard. More generally, the experimental evidences support the possibility of using widely available remotely sensed and ancillary datasets for the operational estimation of ETA and SWC in olive tree cultivation systems.