This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of pre-treatment technique (blanching) and temperature on drying characteristics red date variety. Thin layer experiments were conducted at varying temperatures 50, 60 70 °C using electrical laboratory oven cabinet dryer with a constant air velocity 1.4 m/s. Other sets samples blanched 50 for 2-, 5- 10-minutes before being dried respectively und...

In studying the relationship between ethylene production and the climacteric rise in respiration exhibited by ripening fruits, it was not possible to determine when ethylene production begins until the advent of gas chromatography. This technique makes available quantitative measurement of ethylene concentrations at or below the threshold of physiological activity. Burg and Thimann (3, 4) were ...

The aim of the present work was to investigate the chemical composition, mineral extractability, and antioxidant capacity of six date palm varieties grown in Sudan. The results showed that Sudanese date varieties contained significantly different (P < 0.05) amounts of moisture, ash, fiber, oil, and carbohydrates, but have almost similar amounts of protein. Moreover, results revealed that date v...

The increasing interest in plant phenolics and flavonoids outlined the necessity of determining their contents and biological activity in Mauritanian date palm fruits. Methanolic extracts of fruit of six date palm cultivars commonly grown in Mauritania were screened for their antioxidant activity, total phenolics, and flavonoid content at two edible ripening stages. Polyphenols and flavonoids w...

Fabio Granados-Chinchilla1*, Erick Villegas1, Andrea Molina1,2 and Carlos Arias3 1Centro de Investigación en Nutrición Animal (CINA), Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060 Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio San Jose, Costa Rica 2Escuela de Zootecnia, Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060 Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio San José, Costa Rica 3Escuela de Química and Centro de Investigación en P...

BACKGROUND: The use of agricultural waste as organic fertilizers is important for soil fertility and plants health production. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to examine the effects of different types and rates of vermicompost on physiological and morphological properties of lettuce. METHODS: Present study was conducted acco...