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Brassicaceae is a wide botanical family with a great number of edible members. These vegetables are highly regarded for their nutritional value providing high amounts of vitamin C, soluble fiber, minerals and antioxidants, and nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties. Some of the most common brassicas include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, swedes, and turnips, while broccoli raab, collards, cress, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, and bok choi are less familiar. Cabbages are one of the oldest of the Brassica vegetables in Europe and they are classified as either green or red, although colour ranges from nearly white to reddish-purple. Savoy cabbage is an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, therefore the aim of this work was to evaluate the content of these compounds, such as vitamin C, β-carotene, lutein and total phenol content, in this Brassica vegetable. Savoy cabbages were grown at the experimental fields located in Finca La Orden-Valdesequera in Extremadura (Spain) during the 2008-2009 season. They were harvested the first week of February 2009 and the heads were rapidly transported to the laboratory facilities for their analysis. The contents of the main phytochemical compounds measured in Savoy cabbage were 49.06 mg/100 g fresh weight of vitamin C, 0.37 mg/100 g fresh weigh of β-carotene and 0.18 mg/100 g fresh weight of lutein. Finally, the total phenolic compounds measured as equivalent of chlorogenic acid was 102.71 mg/100 g fresh weight.

We document the presence of a type of obliquely oriented striations on the buccal surface of the anterior teeth of the hominins from the Middle Pleistocene site of the Sima de los Huesos (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). A sample of 31 anterior teeth have been microscopically analysed with binocular lens and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). These teeth belonged to three out of the 28 individuals identified in the Sima de los Huesos (SH) hypodigm. The quantitative and qualitative variables obtained from the striations suggest that the observed scratches are cutmarks. Moreover experimental analysis consisting of producing cutmarks with different lithic raw materials on surgically extracted modern human teeth was performed. Results from this experiment support the “cultural” origin of the striations observed in the fossil teeth. It seems likely that SH hominins employed their anterior teeth as a “third hand” to carry out paramasticatory activities.

Fig is a very perishable fruit. Storage temperature is a very important parameter to extend the post-harvest period of this fruit. The aim of this paper is to find out the conditions to extend the post-harvest life of fresh fig cv. white “Cuello de dama”. For that fresh fig of this variety was employed. Three storage temperatures (0, 3 and 6 °C) were tested, and the effect of partial modification of the atmosphere at a given temperature (6 °C) was studied. Fruit were analyzed as fresh and at 3, 7 and 10 days of refrigerated storage. The analyses carried out were: dry matter, °Brix, pH and titrable acidity, instrumental texture, color (L*, a* and b*) and also a sensory analysis. Figs stored at 0 and 6°C shown the higher values for soluble solids. At 6°C the samples without film wrapping have a higher °Brix due to a more important water loss. For titrable acidity samples wrapped stored at 6 °C show less variation. As for sensory analysis, the best samples for global score (that include aspect, texture, juiciness and taste) were those samples stored at 6 °C with film wrapping.