Abstract – Introduction. The susceptibility of banana fruit to crown rot andanthracnose, the two main banana post-harvest diseases, is influenced by many pre-harvestabiotic factors. Mycosphaerella leaf spot diseases (MLSD) of bananas arebiotic pre-harvest factors, which have an influence on fruit physiology. The fruit’ssusceptibility to post-harvest diseases may also be influenced by foliar diseases causedby M. fijiensis, responsible for black leaf streak disease (BLSD), andM. musicola, which causes sigatoka disease (SD). The aim of our studywas to determine the influence of these biotic pre-harvest factors on banana fruit’ssusceptibility to crown rot and anthracnose. Materials and methods. A diseaseseverity gradient was established in two experimental fields (Cameroon for BLSD andGuadeloupe for SD) where, at the flowering stage, six different levels of MLSD severitywere selected. Fruit susceptibility was determined through necrotic surface assessmentsafter artificial inoculation by Colletotrichum musae on the 3rd hand ofharvested bunches. Results and discussion. BLSD significantly influencedbanana sensitivity to crown rot (P < 0.001) but only had a slighteffect on the development of anthracnose ( P = 0.041). SD had no effect(P > 0.05) on banana susceptibility to either post-harvest disease.These results are discussed with emphasis on the influence of variations in thesource-sink ratio on fruit physiology. The influence of BLSD on crown rot disease suggeststhe need to take into account the management of these foliar diseases for an alternativecontrol method of post-harvest diseases through integrated pest management programs.

Abstract – Introduction. Mango fruits grown underhigh-density planting show a progressive decline in crop yield after14–15 years, due to overcrowding of canopies, which suggests regularcanopy management is necessary. Hence, the effects of pruningtreatment on fruit yield and quality of ‘Amrapali’ mango were studiedin India over two consecutive years, 2010 and 2011. Materialsand methods. Mango trees were subjected to pruning(removal of 50 cm of shoot from the apex) in the month of September2009 with unpruned trees serving as control. Fruits were harvested atthe commercial maturity stage and quality parameters were assessedboth in fresh fruits and following ripening at room temperature [(35 ±2) °C and (80 ± 5)% RH)]. Results and discussion. Fruityield of pruned trees was found to decrease during the first yearcompared with the fruit yield of unpruned trees; later on, itincreased during the second year. Pruning resulted in significantlyhigher fruit weight, fruit firmness, total carotenoids, antioxidantcapacity and total phenolic content. Early maturity of fruits wasobserved from unpruned trees with faster color change, higher totalsoluble solids and lower titratable acidity. The fruits harvested frompruned trees showed slower ripening, and lower respiration, ethyleneevolution rate and enzyme activity as compared with fruits fromunpruned trees. Both anthracnose and stem-end rot disease percentagewere reduced in ripe fruits from pruned trees.Conclusion. Pruning treatment appears to be analternative strategy to obtain better yield and quality in denselypopulated old mango orchards.

Abstract – Introduction. The Cerrado is a Brazilian biome that has a largeplant heterogeneity. Among the fruit species of the Cerrado, the tamarind stands out dueto its economic potential and use in human feeding. Our study evaluated the physical andphysicochemical characteristics, and occurrence and content of vitamin C, carotenoids,vitamin E and folates in tamarind (Tamarindus indica L.) from the Cerradoof Minas Gerais, Brazil. Materials and methods. The length, diameter, massand fruit yield of tamarind were evaluated. Titratable acidity was determined byvolumetric neutralization, pH by potentiometry, soluble solids by refractometry, moistureusing an oven, ash using a muffle furnace, protein by the micro-Kjeldhal method, totaldietary fiber by the gravimetric non-enzymatic method, and lipids with a Soxhletextractor. Vitamin C and carotenoids were analyzed by HPLC-DAD, and vitamin E and folatesby HPLC with fluorescence detection. Results and discussion. Tamarind pulp iscomposed mainly of carbohydrates (50.07 g·100 g–1) and moisture (35.29 g·100 g–1); it canbe considered a good source of dietary fiber (4.13 g·100 g–1). The pH, titratable acidityand soluble solids are 2.95, 18.52 g tartaric acid·100 g–1 and 44.00 °Brix, respectively.Contents of vitamin C (4.79 mg·100 g–1) and folates (59.35 µg·100 g–1) in the tamarind arehigher than those observed in traditional fruits. However, the fruit presents low vitaminE content (108.78 µg·100 g–1). Conclusion. The tamarind stands out due to itsnutritional value, being a good source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, and an excellentsource of folates.

 Introduction. Pithecellobiumdulce is a legume native to tropical America that producesedible arils which can be white or red. The plant is also grownin Asia and, to date, predominantly fruits produced in Asia havebeen the subject of scientific studies. We studied white and redarils produced in America. Materials and methods. Whitearil and red aril fruits were evaluated in an array of reagent-basedassays to determine nutritional and nutraceutical properties. Resultsand discussion. White arils and red arils showed similarphysicochemical characteristics, with high content of vitamin C(79.7–82.6 mg·100 g–1 fresh weight) and dietary fiber (5.83–6.12%fw). The anthocyanin content of red arils (29.5 mg·100 g–1 fw, ascyanidin-3-glucoside equivalents) was similar to that of strawberry.Total phenolics (517 mg·100 g–1 fw, as gallic acid equivalents)and antioxidant activities (ABTS, 224 mg; DPPH, 223 mg, as vitaminC equivalents) of red arils were 1.3 times higher than those inwhite arils. The methanolic extract of red arils showed a higherα-glucosidase inhibition (IC50 2.9 mg·mL–1) than acarbose (IC50 4.9 mg·mL–1).The methanolic extract [(50, 100 and 500) μg per tube] of red and whitearils showed positive-strong antimutagenic activities (inhibitionin the range 25–70%) in the assay (Salmonella typhimurium YG1024strain, 1-nitropyrene as mutagen, 200 ng per tube). We are reportingfor the first time remarkably high characteristics (i.e., antioxidant,inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase and content of dietaryfiber) of P. dulce fruits, mainly of the red ones;properties which combined permit us to suggest that consumptionof these fruits could have beneficial health effects in people withdiabetes.

Introduction.Barberry (Berberis aristata DC.), a small fruit,is found growing in the wild in the temperate region of northernPakistan. Materials and methods. Three different locations ofAzad Jammu and Kashmir, i.e., Topa, Banjosa andNeriyan Sharif, were explored; thirty accessions of barberry wereidentified and characterized on the basis of their growth habit,flowering, fruiting and chemical composition of fruits. Results.The accessions exhibited high diversity in their phenotypical/morphologicaltraits such as growth habit, intensity and time of flowering, fruitsetting, ripening time, productivity, and fruit shape and color.The location had a great impact on quantitative parameters. Accessionscollected from Neriyan Sharif had significantly greater plant height,higher number of branches per plant, extended flowering duration(days), took more time to maturity (days) and had high fruit setting (%),while those from Topa had large-sized leaves and fruits with greateraverage fruit weight. The nutritional composition of fruits indicatedthat the accessions from Topa had higher carbohydrate, ash, total solublesolids and Mn contents, with significantly higher juice pH, andlower acidity; while the accessions from Neriyan Sharif had significantlyhigher moisture, protein, fat, fiber, K, Ca, Na, Fe, Cu, Pb andCr contents and were highly acidic. The accessions collected fromBanjosa were almost intermediate for the quantitative characteristicsstudied. Conclusions. The results suggested that notonly the genotype but its growing location as well are the mainfactors that determine the growing habit, productivity and nutritionalcomposition of barberry fruits, and this ultimately provides importantinformation on how to make the best use of them.

Introduction.Strawberry is rich in health as well as bioactive compounds, andbenefits resulting from the use of natural products rich in bioactivesubstances are receiving increased interest from the pharmaceutical,food and cosmetic industries. Materials and methods.Twenty-two cultivars of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) grown under a temperate ecosystemwere screened for ascorbic acid, phenolic compounds, flavonoids,anthocyanins and antioxidant activities (DPPH and FRAP assays).The phenolic content was measured by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent usinggallic acid as the standard. Antioxidant activity was determinedin terms of DPPH and FRAP assays and expressed as ascorbic acidequivalent. Total anthocyanins and total flavonoid content weredetermined using a colorimetric method. Titratable acidity (citricacid) was determined by the titration method. The average data oftwo years was analyzed using SAS 9.2 software. Results and discussion.Significant differences in the health and bioactive compounds weredetected among the cultivars. The range of ascorbic acid of thetested samples was (51.03 to 89.40) mg·100 g–1 fresh weight. Titratableacidity varied between 0.73% and 1.44%; however, total anthocyanins rangedbetween (28.24 and 43.32) mg cyanidin-3-glucoside Eq·100 g–1 freshweight. Total phenols varied from (380.10 to 888.10) mg gallic acidEq·100 g–1 and total flavonoids from (31.26 to 55.16) mg catechinEq·100 g–1. The total antioxidant activity ranged between (203.13 and471.10) mg ascorbic acid Eq·100 g–1 fresh weight for DPPH, and between (326.06and 701.13) mg ascorbic acid Eq·100 g–1 fresh weight for FRAP. Totalphenols, DPPH and FRAP showed close association; however, PCA clearlycategorized the selected cultivars intotwo broad groups.All of the diverse cultivars were clustered into two clusters which couldbe exploited for future qualitative breeding programs based on average clusterdistance and can act as gene sources for making health foods. Conclusion.The importance of our findings would be significant for farmers,breeders, consumers and industries concerning food quality, diseaseprevention and healthcare.

Introduction.Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt.) isa promising fruit species originating from North America. Amongpomaceous fruits, saskatoon berries are a valuable source of chemicalcompounds with an antioxidant effect. Materials and methods.The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and their correlationassociated with the total antioxidant capacity of fruit of fiveparticular cultivars were ascertained. Reactive oxygen species (specificallynitric oxide, superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical) and antioxidantactivity in the liver lipid system of their methanolic extractswere also assessed. Results and discusssion. In saskatoonberry cultivars the total contents of phenolic compounds rangedfrom (2.52 to 3.82) g gallic acid Eq·kg–1 of fresh mass, while thevalues of total antioxidant capacity were observed to be from (4.17to 5.29) g of ascorbic acid Eq·kg–1 of fresh mass. High correlationcoefficients between phenolics as well as flavonoids and antioxidant capacitywere calculated (r2 = 0.8921 and r2= 0.9901, respectively). Nitric oxide, superoxide anion, hydroxylradical and antioxidant activity in the liver lipid system of saskatoonberry fruit methanolic extracts (10%) were provided for the firsttime. In the case of nitric oxide, the inhibitions were 21.08–27.52%;as regards superoxide anion, they were 25.14–30.73%; concerning hydroxylradical, 18.25–21.18%, and in respect of antioxidant activity inthe liver lipid system, 7.90–8.38%. These inhibitions are strongerthan, e.g., in apples which are the most importantspecies of pomaceous fruit worldwide. Conclusions.Saskatoon berry fruit could be a suitable supplement for modern humannutrition. Furthermore, our work contributes to the popularisationof this pomaceous species, with the focus on its potential in relationto high antioxidant strength.