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Fresh fruits and vegetables provide essential nutrition to the diet, and it is critical to maintain product quality and nutrition from harvest through to the consumer. Fresh fruit and vegetables are still ‘alive’ even after detached from the plants and continue to respire. Besides, the climacteric fruits ripen after harvest. Therefore, it is important to manage the ripening process and prevent decay to reduce postharvest losses. In addition, foodborne illnesses are a major public health concern, and postharvest practices to improve food safety are essential. While traditional postharvest technologies such as synthetic chemicals have been effective at controlling postharvest decay and maintaining fruit quality during storage, there is an urgent need to develop alternative ‘green technologies’ to maintain product quality through to the consumer. Many new innovative green postharvest technologies are being developed to delay ripening, reduce pathogenic microorganisms, maintain freshness, and improve nutrition. This chapter discusses some new innovative green postharvest technologies such as the application of edible coatings and films, light emitting diode (LED), ultrasound, UVC irradiation, and plasma technology, which have been shown to reduce postharvest losses and improve the nutritional quality of fresh produce.

Background: Derris reticulata or Oi Sam Saun is a highly sweet Thai plant, rich in bioactive compounds, and widely used for its medicinal properties. In this study, sweet aqueous extracts from the stems of Oi Sam Saun were extracted using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). Phenolic, flavonoid, and sugar compound extraction was optimized using the Box-Behnken design (BBD) and response surface methodology (RSM). Methods: Three independent variables—extraction temperature (40–80°C), sonication time (20–60 min), and extraction ratio (1:10–1:30 g/mL)—were investigated, and the optimal condition was used to determined phenolics, flavonoid and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid by High performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Sensory evaluation was also performed.Results: The values of 84°C, 64 min, and ratio 1:8 g/mL were found to be optimal. Under these conditions, experimental values were well correlated with predicted values, and phenolic, flavonoid, and sugar contents were determined as 0.4725 mgGAE/gDW, 0.1489 ± 0.033 mgCE/gDW, and 4.802 ± 0.651 mg/gDW, respectively. Gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, and kaempferol was also found in optimal condition. Moreover, the extract contained 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (0.529 ± 0.002 mg/100 mg) and was 166 times sweeter than sucrose.Conclusion: High level of phenolics, flavonoids and sugars was detected in optimal condition of the extract. Therefore, this Thai medicinal plant, which has several pharmacological benefits, is newly potentially and applicable as a sweetening agent or sugar substitute in foods.

Physicochemical and in vitro protein digestibility of alginate/calcium (AC) restructured pork steak hydrolyzed with bromelain with addition of LA gellan, LM pectin and κ-carrageenan at various concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2% w/w) was evaluated for masticatory dysfunction people. The AC samples with κ-carrageenan showed the lowest cooking losses and highest water holding capacity (WHC). Moreover, addition of κ-carrageenan showed the highest Kramer shear force (KSF) and higher hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness, and gumminess, but the adhesiveness value was lower than those of the other treatments. According to SEM, the gel network of AC samples with κ-carrageenan was more clearly than those with the other treatments. FTIR demonstrated that the addition of polysaccharides to AC sample enhanced the hydrogen bonds in the gel system. For in vitro protein digestibility results, addition of 0.5% (w/w) LA gellan and κ-carrageenan samples showed the highest pepsin (73-74%) and trypsin (79-80%) digestibility.

Hot air drying is an alternative technique to either maintain or increase bioactive compounds in agricultural products because temperatures can be controlled. The effects of different hot air oven drying temperatures and times on the physicochemical changes, bioactive compounds (capsaicinoids, phenolic and flavonoid profiles and contents) and antioxidant activities in dried ‘Super Hot’ chili fruits were evaluated. The chilies were dried in a hot air oven at low (60–100 °C) or high (120–160 °C) temperatures for 30, 60, 120 min and at 12–13% moisture content (MC). The main compounds presented in chili fruits were capsaicinoids, limonene, pinene, tocopherol and oleic acid, regardless of drying temperature and time. Although the total flavonoid contents decreased during the drying process, the total phenolic contents increased (38–51%), and capsaicinoids, the primary pungent compounds, increased six-times at 120–160 °C compared to the fresh chilies. The phenolic profiles showed that chlorogenic acid was the most stable and abundant amongst the nine quantified phenolic compounds. In the flavonoid profile, both rutin and quercetin can be detected at a high temperature of 160 °C, with a decreasing trend. The main pungent compounds, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, were found to increase compared to the fresh chilies, especially at 12–13% wet basis (w.b.). Although the antioxidant activities (ABTS• + and DPPH•) of dried chilies at all temperatures decreased with increasing drying time, these activities were still detected. Therefore, drying chilies at 160 °C (120 min) can not only maintain the capsaicinoids, phenolics and flavonoids that can be utilized by the pharmaceutical and food industry, but can also reduce the production time.

This study evaluated the biological properties of peptides from brown rice protein hydrolyzed by bromelain (eb-RPH) in relation to flavor characteristic. The fractionation into peptides < 1 kDa was observed to improve the DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activities (0.19, 2.28, and 24.64 mM Trolox, respectively), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity (IC50 value of 0.20 ± 0.011 mg protein/mL), as well as bitter and umami tastes. The < 1 kDa fraction was further analyzed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry to identify amino acid sequence associated with biological activities and flavor characteristics. Eight peptides were identified. Most of the identified peptides contained features of previously reported ACE inhibitory and antioxidant peptides, especially peptide FGGSGGPGG and FGGGGAGAGG. Evaluation of flavor characteristics using BIOPEP database demonstrated that they had high occurrence frequencies of umami peptides (ESDVVSDL, GSGVGGAK, and SSVGGGSAG) and low Q-value (938.75 to 282.22), suggesting that these peptides may be used as a fortifying health ingredient with good taste. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The fractionated brown rice protein hydrolysate (< 1 kDa) has the potential to serve as a functional food ingredient in nutraceutical food and beverage products that can provide health benefits with good taste. Information on amino acid composition and spatial conformation of peptide may aid us to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in bioactivities and flavor of brown rice peptide for industrial applications.

Peanuts are nutritious foods, however, following harvest and storage, these nuts are prone to mycotoxin contamination. Gamma irradiation is an effective technique in postharvest pest control to kill insects and inhibit mycotoxin biosynthesis. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of doses of gamma ray on oil properties and mycotoxin profile of raw peanut seeds. Seeds were exposure to gamma radiation at 10 and 25 kGy and stored at ambient temperature for 6 months compared to non-treated seeds before storage. Color, hardness, oil content, total sugar, total protein content, peroxide value (PV), malonaldehyde (MDA) and aflatoxin analysis were assessed. According to this finding, no significant differences of color, hardness, oil content, PV, MDA were found among treatments. Aflatoxin inhibition and total sugars of treated gamma irradiation peanuts at 10 kGy were higher than treated peanuts at 25 kGy.

Beneficial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were rationally targeted to bioprocess underutilized byproduct cashew apple juice (CAJ) for enhancing phenolic bioactive-associated antioxidant, anti-hyperglycemic, and anti-hypertensive properties for developing antioxidant nutraceutical antidotes relevant for type 2 diabetes. Lactobacillus plantarum, L. casei and Bifidobacterium longum were used to bioprocess CAJ and then aqueous and 12% ethanol extracts of fermented CAJ were analyzed for total soluble phenolic (TSP) content, phenolic acid profile (HPLC), total antioxidant activity, type 2 diabetes relevant α-glucosidase, and α-amylase enzyme inhibitory activities and hypertension relevant angiotensin-I-converting (ACE) enzyme inhibitory activity using in vitro assay models. Overall, high TSP content, moderate to high antioxidant activity, moderate ACE inhibitory activity and high α-glucosidase and α-amylase enzyme inhibitory activity was observed in bioprocessed CAJ. Therefore, this study suggests that bioprocessing of CAJ from cashew byproducts with L. plantarum and L. casei is an effective strategy for obtaining type 2 diabetes relevant antioxidant nutraceuticals.

The aim of this work was to characterize the antioxidant properties of some of the peptides present in bromelain mung bean meal protein hydrolysate (MMPH). The MMPH was subjected to two rounds of bioassay-guided reversed-phase HPLC separation followed by peptide identification in the most potent fractions using tandem mass spectrometry. Twelve antioxidant peptides, namely, HC, CGN, LAN, CTN, LAF, CSGD, MMGW, QFAAD, ERF, EYW, FLQL, and QFAW were identified and assayed for antioxidant properties. CTN, HC, CGN, and CSGD were the most potent (p &lt, 0.05) DPPH radical scavengers with EC50 values of 0.30, 0.29, 0.28, and 0.30 mg/mL, respectively, which are lower than the 0.03 mg/mL obtained for reduced glutathione (GSH). CTN, HC, CGN, and CSGD exhibited the most potent (p &lt, 0.05) scavenging activities against hydroxyl and superoxide radicals with EC50 values that are similar to those of GSH. The cysteine-containing peptides also had stronger ferric reducing antioxidant power and metal chelation activity than peptides devoid of cysteine. In contrast, MMGW, ERF, and EYW had poor radical scavenging and metal chelation activities. We conclude that the availability of the sulfhydryl group may have enhanced antioxidant potency while the presence of bulky groups such phenylalanine and tryptophan had an opposite effect.

At the present, the mechanism of chlorophyll degradation in response to ionizing irradiation in harvested fruits have not been examined. To understand the effect of electron beam (E-beam) irradiation on the chlorophyll degrading pathway in relation to chlorophyll degrading enzymes activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant capacities of harvested mangoes stored at 13 °C for 16 days were studied. E-beam-treated fruit significantly suppressed the activities of chlorophyll degrading enzymes especially pheophytinase (PPH) and chlorophyll degrading peroxidase (Chl-POX) in the late stage of storage. This resulted in the chlorophyll content being maintained. However, E-beam irradiation did not affect the activities of chlorophyllase (Chlase) and magnesium de-chelatase (MD). The respiration rate, ethylene production, ROS accumulation (hydrogen peroxide [H2O2] and superoxide radical [O−.2]) immediately increased after E-beam treatment, following which they significantly decreased in comparison to the control. E-beam treatment enhanced the fruit’s antioxidant capacity by activating the activities of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione (GSH) content, and inactivated the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD). Further, it did not affect the activity of glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione disulfide (GSSG), vitamin C content, or total phenolic content. These results imply that E-beam treatment has the potential to delay chlorophyll degradation by suppressing the Chl-POX and PPH activities as well as reduce ROS production via CAT, APX, and SOD activities and GSH content.

Fruit ripening controlling compounds have been used in postharvest technology for delaying or enhancing uniform fruit ripening. These compounds are usually used by vaporization, spraying or by dipping/immersion applications to fruits. However, the applications are somewhat limited due to the fast release of volatile active compounds or enhanced spread of contaminates during spraying or immersion. Encapsulation has been used to encapsulate active compounds within cyclodextrin polymers. This technique can protect the active compounds from environmental stresses to improve their stability and slow the release of active compounds at controlled rates under specific fruit storage or ripening conditions. In this chapter, encapsulation and release properties of various fruit ripening controlling compounds, specifically 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), ethylene, methyl salicylate (MeSA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid in the form of inclusion complexes with alpha (α), beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) or modified beta-cyclodextrin (Mβ-CD) have been described.

Enzymatic tenderisation including bromelain enhances underused cuts of meat in emerged restructuring technology. Physicochemical and textural characteristics of restructured pork steak hydrolysed with bromelain for masticatory dysfunction people were evaluated. Restructured pork steak treated with bromelain at 0.05 and 0.1% (w/w) was hydrolysed at 50 °C for 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 min. The cooking losses of 0.05% (w/w) bromelain for 0, 3 and 6 min were lower than 0.1% (w/w) bromelain samples. The ΔE increased after increasing the enzyme concentration and hydrolysis time. Bromelain-treated samples at higher concentrations showed lower WBSF, KSF and TPA parameters, but cohesiveness of 0.05% (w/w) had higher than 0.1% (w/w) bromelain samples. Total protein, sarcoplasmic protein solubility, TCA-soluble peptide, total collagen and soluble collagen contents were the highest in 0.1% (w/w) bromelain-treated samples for 12 min (P0.05). According to SDS-PAGE and SEM, various proteins in the enzyme-treated samples were degraded.

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Changes in physico-chemical qualities (pH, total acidity, total and reducing sugar, total phenolic and vitamin C), astringency compounds (condensed and hydrolysable tannin), antioxidant activities [2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) radical] and flavor volatile compounds in Lactobacillus plantarum-fermented cashew-apple-juice (CAJ) and 11.4 °Bx concentrated-cashew-apple-juice (CCAJ) was investigated. Total phenolics remained unchanged throughout fermentation period, whereas condensed tannins increased and hydrolysable tannins decreased indicating reduced astringency compounds. Antioxidant activity based on both DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities marginally declined in some stages but overall were sustained during fermentation. Although the DPPH· radical based antioxidant activity of fermented CAJ was greater than that of fermented 11.4 °Bx CCAJ, a higher ABTS·+ radical scavenging activity was found in fermented 11.4 °Bx CCAJ, reflecting higher water soluble antioxidants. Results also indicated that DPPH· radical scavenging activity was positively correlated to vitamin-C and condensed tannins but not hydrolysable tannins. ABTS·+ radical scavenging activity was also positively correlated to condensed tannins and not hydrolysable tannins. The vitamin-C that increased during initial 12 h fermentation, decreased from 2516 to 2150 mg AAE/L at the end of 72 h fermentation. Fermented CAJ had a remarkable sweet aroma with a fruity note of two major compounds; 3-methyl-1-butanol (14.20 × 107) and 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol (14.76 × 107). The high phytochemicals and volatile compounds in fermented CAJ indicated that it could serve as a functional beverage with potential health benefits with reduced astringency due to lower hydrolysable tannins.

Five strains of probiotic; Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, and Bifidobacterium longum were targeted for enhancing B-group vitamins and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFO) of cashew apple juice (CAJ) that is an underutilized byproduct from cashew nut processing. Although fermentation by Lb. acidophilus and Lb. casei resulted in increasing B-group vitamins contents (19.25% and 23.11%, respectively) than fermented CAJ with others probiotic, vitamin B2 levels of fermented CAJ were not different significantly. Results also indicated total sugar contents of fructose, glucose, galactose, sucrose, melibiose, and maltotriose were decreased during 48 h of fermentation. The CAJ fermented with Lb. acidophilus and Lb. plantarum had higher oligosaccharide contents (RFO and FOS). The CAJ fermented with Lb. acidophilus had the highest FOS of 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3) and 1F-β-fructofuranosyl nystose (GF4), whereas fermented with Lb. plantarum had the highest RFO (raffinose and stachyose). These results suggest that fermented CAJ could serve as a new prebiotic source with B-group vitamins for functional foods and nutraceutical applications for further human health application.

In this study, proteins from Thai brown rice (Khao Dawk Mali 105) were separated into albumin (2.18 %), globulin (3.98 %), glutelin (84.23 %), and prolamin (9.61 %) fractions, and were hydrolysed with various bromelain concentrations and hydrolysis times. Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) was conducted to assess the composition, molecular weight (MW) distribution, and sequence of the resulting peptides, and showed that most peptides have a MW below 2000 Da (60–70 %). Glutelin fraction hydrolysates exhibited the highest 2,2'-azino-bis 3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic (ABTS(•+)) radical-scavenging (0.69 ± 0.04 µM trolox) and copper chelating (4.12 ± 0.01 mg ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; EDTA) activities, which was further fractionated into six fractions using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The fourth fraction showed the highest ABTS(•+) scavenging (1.08 ± 0.03 mM trolox) and copper chelating (5.00 ± 0.02 mg EDTA) activity. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that the peptides with MW less than 1500 Da and hydrophobic or aromatic N-terminal residues, such as SPFWNINAHS, MPVDVIANAYR, VVYFDQTQAQA, and VEVGGGARAP, possibly contributed to the highest antioxidant activity in fourth fraction.

Chilling injury, a major problem for tropical fruits, can be reduced by a modified atmosphere. Edible coatings including alginate are able to form a barrier against gasses and moisture. Apart from traditional alginate coatings using two steps and take long time, innovative method can be developed. The aims of this study were to investigate the properties of modified film by a crosslinking in single step of sodium alginate-based edible coating and apply coating solutions for reducing the chilling injury and maintaining the postharvest quality of 'Tabtimchan' rose apple stored at low temperature. Edible coating formulations were based on mixed sodium alginate (SA) solution with various amount of CaCl2 solution; SA, 20 SAC and 40 SAC. Mechanical and barrier properties of alginate films were determined before applying the coating on the fruit surface. The results show that the 40 SAC improved the mechanical and barrier properties of alginate films, which resulted in increased tensile strength and elongation at break (1.5- and 2.4-fold, respectively) and decreased water vapor permeability and oxygen permeability (5.3- and 5-fold, respectively) compared with the alginate stand-alone films. Thereafter, edible coatings were applied on fruit surface. The 40 SAC coating significantly reduced the respiration rate and the weight loss of the rose apple throughout the 10 days of cold storage. They significantly improved the visual appearance and retarded the chilling injury (CI) of rose apple by reducing the malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) contents and lipoxygenase (LOX) activity. In addition, the activities of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in fruits coated with 40 SAC were 3.69- and 3.33-fold higher than those in the control fruits after 10 days of storage. Moreover, the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in fruits coated with 40 SAC were 1.46- and 1.48-fold higher than those of the control on days 10. The alginate-Ca2+cross-linking is expected to be a novel single step for coating fruits, which not only improved the efficacy of inhibiting CI but also maintained the postharvest quality of rose apple fruits during cold storage, in addition to being eco-friendly.

Grape (Vitis vinifera cv. Pok Dum) is a rich source of health relevant phenolic antioxidants and can be targeted to mitigate chronic oxidative stress commonly associated with noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs), such as cancer. Furthermore, improving health relevant phenolic bioactives and associated antioxidant properties of fruits by using chemical elicitation strategy has significant merit. Based on this biochemical rationale, chitosan and other chemical elicitors potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4), potassium nitrate (KNO3), sodium selenite (Na2SeO3), and aluminum sulphate [Al2(SO4)3] were targeted to improve phenolic bioactive profiles and associated antioxidant and anticancer properties of cultured grape cells grown for 28 days. After chemical elicitor treatments, phenolic content, resveratrol content, antioxidant activity, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) enzyme activity, and cytotoxicity (cell inhibition) against cancer cell lines of cultured grape cells were investigated using in vitro assay models. Overall, stimulation of phenolic bioactives and improvement in associated cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines were found in cultured grape cells after chemical elicitation treatments. Chitosan and other chemical elicitors resulted in lower growth of cultured grape cells; however, they enhanced phenolic biosynthesis on a cell weight basis when compared with the control. Chemical elicitor treatments, such as Na2SeO3 (50 mg·L−1 and 100 mg·L−1) and Al2(SO4)3 (50 mg·L−1), resulted in enhanced phenolic content at the end of 14 days of culture (1.7, 1.4, and 1.0-fold increase, respectively). Higher accumulation of resveratrol and higher antioxidant activity with Al2(SO4)3 (50 mg·L−1) and Na2SeO3 (100 mg·L−1) elicitation treatments were also observed. Enhanced phenolic bioactives in cultured grape cells in response to chemical elicitation treatment, such as Na2SeO3, also resulted in higher cytotoxicity against different cancer cell lines. Therefore, this study indicates that chemical elicitors, such as Na2SeO3 and Al2(SO4)3, as well as chitosan in select doses can be targeted to improve phenolic bioactives and associated antioxidant and anticancer properties in cultured grape cells and such strategy has relevance for wider applications with other phenolic antioxidant-enriched fruits.

Select lactic acid bacteria (LAB); Lactobacillus plantarum, L. casei and L. acidophilus were targeted for enhancing bioactives and flavor volatiles of cashew apple juice (CAJ) that is an underutilized byproduct from cashew nut processing in Tropical countries. Results indicated the vitamin C and phenolic metabolites such as condensed tannin can be increased at certain stages such as at 12h over the 48h fermentation period. Whereas antioxidant activity based on DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activity generally decreased from initial unfermented stage range of (75%–95%) to consistently in the 50% range by 48h of fermentation and this follows the decrease in viable counts. The fermentation process increased the condensed tannin contents in CAJ whereas hydrolysable tannins decreased. In this study the changes in flavor volatile types were also analyzed over the course of CAJ fermentation. The results indicated that LAB changed the flavor profiles of fermented CAJ and overall the fruity odor decreased, but the whiskey and acid odor increased. These results provide the foundation to further target the functional benefits of LAB-induced fermented CAJ for further human, animal, and plant health applications.

Defatted mung bean meal was hydrolyzed with bromelain to obtain MPH, which was fractionated into different peptide fractions (10 kDa) using membrane ultrafiltration. The

Fruit softening, accompanied by cell wall polysaccharides degradation, is a common phenomenon in harvested mango (Mangifera indica L.) fruit. To reduce fruit’s firmness loss and maintain cell wall polysaccharides of mangoes, the effect of electron beam (E-beam) radiation on firmness, cell wall degrading enzyme activities, contents of cell wall polysaccharides, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the expression of genes involved with fruit softening were studied in harvested mangoes stored at 13 ℃. As compared with untreated fruit, E-beam treated fruit at a dose of 0.5 kGy exhibited higher firmness, higher contents of cell wall polysaccharides, such as sodium carbonate-soluble pectin, hemicellulose and cellulose, as well as a lower content of water-soluble pectin, a lower activity of cell wall degrading enzymes, such as pectin esterase (PE), β-galactosidase (BG), pectate lyase (PEL) and cellulase (CEL), except polygalacturonase (PG), and lower contents of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and superoxide radical (O2– ) during the storage period. In addition, E-beam radiation also suppressed the expression of MiPE, MiPEL, and MiBG genes. These results suggest that E-beam radiation retards the softening process by reducing the production of H2O2 and O2– , and that they are caused to alternate plant cell wall polysaccharides and retard the transcript level of genes involved in fruit softening in harvested mangoes.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors improve plant growth and increase levels of secondary metabolites. This study aimed to determine the effect of red, blue, and red + blue LEDs (1:1) on the secondary metabolites composition in chili, focusing on capsaicinoids, at the top and middle of the plant canopy in ‘Super Hot’ chili. The accumulated yield of the chili fruit was the highest for control, followed by blue, red and red + blue LEDs, with the top canopy giving twice more yield than the middle canopy. UPLC-MS/MS analysis of chili fruit’s methanolic extracts was used to determine capsaicinoids levels. Blue LEDs significantly increased nordihydrocapsaicin, capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin and homodihydrocapsaicin contents by 57 %, 43 %, 56 %, 28 %, and 54 %, respectively, compared to the control. Also, 24 tentatively annotated metabolites, including phenylalanine, cinnamate, and valine, which are involved in the biosynthesis of capsaicinoids, were semi-quantitatively evaluated to determine the impact of LED exposure on the biosynthetic pathway of capsaicinoids. Supplemental blue LED placed at the top and between the canopy may boost the levels of capsaicinoids in chili fruit grown in greenhouses.

Postharvest disease is a major problem in mangoes, affecting fruit quality, reducing shelf life and negatively impacting exports. To minimize the disease and maintain fruit quality, the effect of electron beam (E-beam) radiation on anthracnose disease, plant defense enzymes, and fruit quality was investigated. Mango fruit cv. Nam Dok Mai Si-Thong was exposed to an E-beam of 0.5 kGy and stored at 13 °C for 16 d. Non-exposed fruit served as the control. The E-beam treatment demonstrated reduction of disease incidence and severity by inducing the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and the activities of plant defense enzymes such as peroxidase, β-1, 3-glucanase, and chitinase during late storage except for phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, and did not affect the accumulation of the total phenolic content. The respiration rate and ethylene production of the fruit increased immediately after, triggered by E-beam treatment. Later, the respiration rate was significantly suppressed compared to those fruit with non-treatment until the end of storage. The treatment significantly maintained fruit quality with regard to firmness, slowdown in decrease of titratable acid, and retardation in the increase of total soluble solids; however, it did not affect vitamin C content. This is a preliminary experiment to establish that E-beam can alleviate postharvest disease development via hydrogen peroxide and the activities of plant defense enzymes while maintaining fruit quality.

Nutritional compositions, functional properties and volatiles of maize seeds affected by combined processes of fermentation and germination were evaluated. After maize seeds were germinated, they were fermented with 4 microbial strain; Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactococcus lactis, Bacillus subtilis and Bifidobacterium longum. The presence of B. longum could enhance the maximum nutritional compositions of fermented germinated maize seeds. Protein and vitamin E content were increased up to two-fold, total phenolic content up to three-fold, vitamin B1 up to four-fold, GABA content up to five-fold, and antioxidant activities; DPPH and ABTS + up to two-fold after germination and fermentation processes. Total phenolic content and its positively correlated antioxidant activities (DPPH and ABTS + radical scavenging activity), and α-glucosidase were the highest in germinated maize fermented with B. longum for 72 h. Twelve volatile compounds were generated in fermented germinated maize samples which major volatiles were pyrazine and 3-hydroxymandelic acid (sweet, corn, creamy odor).

Corn starch was extruded with the inclusion of carrot pomace at levels of 5, 10, and 15 g/100 g at three different feed moisture levels of 15, 22.5 and 30 g/100 g. Corn starch without any added pomace was extruded as a control treatment. A thorough evaluation of the extrudate properties (expansion ratio, unit density, water solubility index, water absorption index, microstructure, and β-carotene content) was conducted to understand the role of the insoluble fiber in the carrot pomace on the extrusion process, specifically relating to expansion. The best expansion was observed in the extrudates with 5 g/100 g carrot pomace inclusion, and at 15 g/100 g feed moisture. The surface of this extrudate also improved, compared to the control and extrudates with higher levels of pomace inclusion. The extrudates with higher levels of carrot pomace showed a significant decrease in expansion. Overall, the results showed that the level of carrot pomace inclusion had significant impact on the extrudate quality.

The efficiencies of rice flour (RF) and rice husk (RH) as agents of the controlled release of methyl salicylate (RF-MeSA and RH-MeSA, respectively) were investigated. The adsorption percentage of RH-MeSA was significantly higher (two-fold) than that of RF-MeSA owing to its higher specific surface area and total pore volume. However, both materials are classified as mesoporous materials. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis confirmed that MeSA diffused toward the pores and covered the surfaces of RF and RH. A temperature increase from 25 °C to 40 °C and an increase in relative humidity from 75% to 95% stimulated the release of MeSA. The kinetically controlled release of RF-MeSA and RH-MeSA was in line with a Fickian diffusion mechanism. Both RF-MeSA and RH-MeSA significantly delayed the ripening of banana fruit compared to the control. The results indicate that RF and RH can be used as biosorbent materials for the adsorption and controlled release of MeSA without chemical and mechanical modification.

Headspace-volatile components and sensory characteristics, including color, Maillard reaction products and free amino acid profiles, of two types of Thai traditional fermented shrimp paste, Kapi Ta Dam and Kapi Ta Deang, were investigated during the fermentation periods up to 6 months. The results showed that the colors of both products were changed with a decrease in CIELAB values over the fermentation period, except for yellowness of Kapi Ta Deang. Essential amino acids such as lysine and leucine and non-essential amino acids such as glutamic acid and alanine were found to be predominant free-amino acids in the products. After headspace volatile component extraction of the product was carried out using a SPME fiber coated with DVB/CAR/PDMS and analyzed by GC-MS, the main compounds responsible for distinct volatiles in the products were N-containing compounds, especially pyrazines which give roasted nutty odor. The results of sensory evaluation from panelists also suggest that fermentation period had an effect on sensory characteristics of the fermented shrimp pastes. Moreover, the sensory perceptions of the products would associate with their color, the Maillard reaction products, amino acid profiles and volatile compounds.

The effect of storage temperatures on the volatile profile and physico-chemical qualities of minimally processed durian (MPD) was investigated. The numbers of identified volatile compounds were 26 and 36 in MPD stored at 10 °C for 11 days and 30 °C for 3 days, respectively. Major sulphur-containing compounds ethanethiol, diethyl disulphide, diethyl trisulphide, and 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-trithiolane (isomer 1 and isomer 2) accounted for approximately 70 % of the total volatiles. These five major sulphur compounds were prominently changed during storage which related to physico-chemical qualities of MPD, especially firmness and weight loss. During storage, colour did not change, but firmness of MPD decreased from 2.95 to 2.40 kg force. Weight loss of stored MPD increased by 3–7 % and total soluble solids, sucrose, glucose, and fructose increased 1.7-, 0.5-, 1.3-, and 0.9-folds of initial values, respectively. Principal component analysis explained that 79.88 % (10 °C) and 80.48 % (30 °C) of the total variance confirmed the correlation between volatile fingerprint and physico-chemical properties of MPD, which the five sulphur-containing volatiles could be contributed as a novel chemical ripeness marker for stored MPD.

Enzymatic mungbean meal protein hydrolysate (eb-MPH) is a novel natural flavour/antioxidant source. A 15% bromelain (w/w) concentration with a hydrolysis time of 12 h was the optimum conditions to produce eb-MPH, which showed the greatest antioxidant activities and sensory characteristics. eb-MPH was composed of oligopeptides that had low molecular weight (

Novel ripeness indicators were prepared from starch combined with chitosan and methyl red mixed bromothymol blue as indicators. Mechanical and physical properties of ripeness indicator label had excellent physical/mechanical/barrier properties, and were also well–suited to detect sulphur compounds in fresh–cut durian. Sulphur compounds accounted for 70% of total volatiles and were changed during storage, which related to physicochemical qualities of fresh–cut durian. Fresh-cut durian could be kept at 30 °C for 3 days and these storage conditions could retain their performance, especially in terms of firmness, sugars, and sensory acceptance. Trials using fresh–cut durian aromas verified that ripeness indicator changed colour and related to Fourier transform infrared which found alkyl (C C, C C–H), ether (C–O), hydroxyl (O–H), especially sulfhydryl groups (SH) spectrum on indicator film. The Q10 could predict shelf life of ripeness indicator label for 81 weeks at 25 °C.