BACKGROUND Determination of physico-chemical (weight, length, diameter, stomatal density, respiration rate, colour, soluble solids concentration, titratable acidity, chlorophyll and betacyanin content) and structural changes of red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus (Weber) Britton & Rose) was carried out from 5 to 35 days after pollination (DAP) in order to explain their growth, devel...

AIM Lycopene, a carotenoid and hesperidin, a flavonoid are naturally occurring in vegetables and fruits. Synergistic effect of a combination of carotenoid and flavonoid has been reported due to its antioxidant activity. Therefore, the present study was aimed to evaluate the protective effect of this combination on pylorus ligation induced ulcers in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty Wistar al...

The present study aims to distinguish the effect of tocotrienol on an important gastric protective factor, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), in stress-induced gastric injury. Twenty-eight Wistar rats were divided into four groups of seven rats each. Two control groups were fed commercial rat diet, and two treatment groups were fed the same diet but with additional dose of omeprazole (20 mg/kg) or tocotr...

Kiwifruit [Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.)C. F. Liang & A. R. Ferguson] is nutritionally rich fruit with high ascorbic acid content (193mg/100g) but the extraction of its juice is difficult due to slimy pulp.To overcome this problem a combination of enzymes (pectinase 0.025g/kg + amylase 0.025g/kg + mash enzyme 0.05g/kg) were used to macerate pulp (2h at 50C) and thus, facilitating the extractio...

The effect of postharvest dips in a 1-methylcyclopropene-generating solution of the formulation AFxRD-038 (Rohm & Haas) on plum fruit (Prunus salicina Lindell cv. 'Harrow Sun') quality and ripening during storage was determined. Fruit weight loss, tissue firmness, soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ethylene production, respiration, and the activities of the cell wall modifyi...

Enturire is an alcoholic sorghum- and honey-based beverage traditionally produced by spontaneous fermentation. Its fermentation process is lengthy (5-7 days), does not guarantee product quality and safety and thus necessitates use of pure starter cultures. This study compared a modified production process of Enturire, with honey added at the start to the traditional one (honey added 3 days into...

An attempt was made to understand the changes in physicochemical quality (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total sugars, total phenolics, anthocyanin content, and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity assay) and total volatile/aroma compounds of two cultivars of strawberry (Camarosa and Chandler) during storage at 5°C for 9 days at an interval of three days. Observations ...

Studies were conducted to establish changes in nib acidification and biochemical composition (sugars concentration, proteins and free fatty acids) during fermentation of pulp pre-conditioned cocoa beans using a 4 x 3 full factorial experimental design with pod storage (0, 3, 7 and 10 days) and fermentation time (0, 3 and 6 days) as the principal factors. Non-volatile (titratable) acidity, pH, s...

This study reflects the effect of different microwave heating times (1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 min) on physical and chemical characteristics of three Portuguese olive oils from three protected designation of origin (PDO), "Azeite de Trás-os-Montes PDO", "Azeites da Beira Interior PDO", and "Azeite de Moura PDO". The parameters evaluated were free acidity, peroxide value, specific extinction coefficien...

Seventy polyfloral honeys including commercial samples obtained from supermarkets, harvested from apiaries and purchased in bulk were initially examined for total antibacterial activity. From each sample, numbers of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, total coliforms, moulds and yeasts were determined and the presence of Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Clostridium sulfite-reducers, Paenibacillus larva...