Introduction. Different cultivars of lychee are produced all around the world and to date no information has been published on the nutritional value of cv. Tailandes, which is a new lychee cultivar introduced into Brazil and other tropical countries. Our study performed a pioneering evaluation of the physical and chemical characteristics, carotenoids, vitamins, and minerals in pulp of fruit of this cultivar. Materials and methods. Titratable acidity was determined by volumetric neutralization, pH by potentiometry, soluble solids by refractometry, moisture by gravimetry after oven drying, ash by calcination in a muffle furnace, proteins by the micro-Kjeldahl method, dietary fibers by the gravimetric non-enzymatic method and lipids by gravimetry after extraction in ethyl ether. Vitamin C (ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids) and carotenoids (a-carotene, b-carotene, b-cryptoxanthin and lycopene) were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection, vitamin E (a-, b-, g- and d-tocopherols and tocotrienols) was analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection, and fourteen minerals were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry in inductively coupled plasma. Results and discussion. The lychee cv. Tailandes showed high pulp yield (59.0%), moisture (80.7 mg×100 g–1) and dietary fiber (2.2 g×100 g–1), and a low total energy value (70.2 kcal×100 g–1). It presented no carotenoids, but was an excellent source of vitamin C (34.7 mg×100 g–1). The total vitamin E content was 117.0 g×100 g–1. Pulp of lychee cv. Tailandes was shown to be a source of iron (0.86 mg×100 g–1) and magnesium (12.90 mg×100 g–1), a good source of copper (0.12 mg×100 g–1) and an excellent source of potassium (1067.33 mg×100 g–1). Conclusion. The lychee cv. Tailandes showed high pulp yield and low total energy. The pulp is a source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, copper and potassium.

Introduction. Several studies reveal the important role played by ‘lesser-known’ wild fruits since they contain nutritional and functional compounds which have biological properties. Materials and methods. Our work studied the presence of bioactive compounds such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid and dehydroascorbic acid), total phenolic content, phenolic acids, flavonols, anthocyanins and the antioxidant capacity (FRAP, ABTS•+ and DPPH• in vitro tests) in wild fruits of Arbutus unedo L. and Rubus ulmifolius Schott of Spanish origin, including samples from different seasons and locations. Results and discussion. A wide variability was found in the composition of fruits of the same species, which substantiates the importance of analyzing several batches of wild fruits, to achieve representative results, taking into account the natural variability. Arbustus unedo fruits showed higher vitamin C, mainly in the ascorbic acid form, and phenolic content than R. ulmifolius [(172–419) mg ascorbic acid×100 g–1 fw vs. (5.99–26.83) mg ascorbic acid×100 g–1 fw, and (773–1621) mg total phenolic compounds×100 g–1 fw vs. (376–1326) mg total phenolic compounds×100 g–1 fw, respectively]; phenolic acids and anthocyanins are the major groups of phenolic compounds found in both species, with gallic acid and cyanidin 3-glucoside as the main compounds. Arbustus unedo fruits showed significantly higher Folin-Ciocalteu values than those of R. ulmifolius. These values are higher than those reported for the majority of berries. The significant correlations found among different antioxidant compounds (r > 0.6300, P < 0.001) may reveal a protective effect between ascorbic acid and phenolic acids or anthocyanins in the fruits. Therefore, Arbutus unedo and R. ulmifolius fruits should be considered as new important sources of safe antioxidants.

Introduction. The jabuticaba tree (Myrciaria jabuticaba) belongs to the Myrtaceae family and produces a small fruit, native to central, southern and southeastern Brazil. Materials and methods. Fruits of 25 progenies of the jabuticaba tree, grown in a tropical highland climate, were evaluated as to physical, physicochemical and chemical characteristics: weight, longitudinal and transverse diameters, pulp and peel yields, seed mass, number of seeds per fruit, pulp and peel moisture, soluble solids, titratable acidity, [soluble solids/titratable acidity] ratio, pH, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds. The experimental design was completely randomized, the treatments being the 25 jabuticaba tree progenies. Results. A significant effect among progenies was observed for all characteristics evaluated. The chemical composition showed that the jabuticaba peel has a high phenolic compound content, and considerable flavonoid content. These results indicate that there is variability for the characteristics analyzed, enabling the economic exploitation of jabuticaba tree fruits for in natura consumption and processing. Conclusions. The physical and chemical characteristics combined can be proposed as excellent tools to select superior progenies. The fruits of five progenies showed desirable characteristics for the in natura market, while fruits of five other progenies hold high concentrations of natural antioxidants and may be listed as excellent options for the food industry.

Introduction. The Cerrado is the largest biome in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil; it presents an enormous biodiversity represented by fruit species, highlighting murici (Byrsonima verbascifolia). The objective of our study was to investigate the physical and physicochemical characteristics, occurrence and concentration of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E and folates in murici fruits from the Cerrado of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Materials and methods. Titratable acidity was determined by volumetric neutralization, pH by potentiometry, soluble solids by refractometry, moisture using an oven, ash using a muffle furnace, protein by the micro-Kjeldahl method, total dietary fiber by the non-enzymatic gravimetric method and lipids by Soxhlet extraction; carotenoids and vitamin C were analyzed by HPLC-DAD, and vitamin E and folates by HPLC with fluorescence detection. Results and discussion. The murici pulp contained 7.47 g·100 g–1 carbohydrates, 5.13 g·100 g–1 lipids, 13.58 g·100 g–1 fibers and 71.58 g·100 g–1 moisture. The pH, titratable acidity and soluble solids were 3.93, 0.77 g citric acid·100 g–1 and 10.73 °Brix, respectively. The results indicated that the fruit is an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C (27.24 mg·100 g–1), a good source of vitamin E (1819.72 μg·100 g–1) for children and a source for adults and pregnant women. Folates were not found in murici. Conclusion. Murici stands out with regard to its nutritional value and can contribute significantly to the supply of nutrients, especially fiber and vitamin C. Thus, consumption of these fruits should be encouraged among families residing in the Cerrado and in other regions of Brazil.

Introduction. Timing of management practices requires an understanding of pest population dynamics in given cropping systems. Our study was designed to establish the population trends of B. invadens in mango orchards and to determine if population fluctuations were reflected in fruit infestation levels during changes in mango phenology. Materials and methods. Bactrocera invadens flies were trapped weekly from February 2011 to November 2012, using methyl eugenol and DDVP (dichlorvos) insecticidal strips. Trapping was done in three mango orchards in the Luweero district of Uganda’s Lake Victoria Crescent. Mango fruit samples were incubated for the retrieval of puparia to calculate positivity (proportion of fruits infested) and fruit infestation indices (number of puparia per kg of fruit) for each stage of fruit maturity. Results. Mean trap catches of adult B. invadens varied significantly over the months (range : ~11 flies per trap per day (FTD) to over 590 FTD; P £ 0.0001). During each year, infestations peaked during June-July and January-February. Trap catches were higher in the major fruiting season compared with the minor fruiting season and were the highest when mango was at the physiological maturity and ripe stages. Fruit infestation and positivity were highest for fruit at the physiological maturity and ripe stages and lowest at the fruit set stage. Discussion. Our findings show that B. invadens is present year-round and all stages of mango fruit development are susceptible to attack. Thus, control measures should be implemented throughout the year and preferably started at fruit set to lessen fruit fly population build-up and damage to fruits.

Introduction. Polyphenols have received significant attention in recent years due to their antioxidant capacity and their significant role in disease prevention. Cocoa is one of the major naturally occurring sources of antioxidants, particularly of polyphenolic compounds. Materials and methods. Gelatin nanoparticles loaded with a cocoa-derived polyphenolic extract were synthesized by nanoprecipitation. The nanoparticle synthesis was performed using a central composite experimental design that allowed for the assessment of how gelatin concentration and surfactant concentration (Tween 80) affected the hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity of the particles. The nanoparticles were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), assessments of zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Results. The analyses demonstrated that the nanoparticles examined exhibited hydrodynamic diameters of (100 to 400) nm, polydispersity indices of less than 0.2 and average zeta potential values of 29–33 mV. SEM images revealed that most nanoparticles were spherical and uniform in morphology, with average sizes less than 250 nm. In vitro experiments in which the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method was used to assess the prevalence of free radical-scavenging ability among these nanoparticles indicated that the loading efficiency for the nanoparticles was approximately 77.56%. Conclusion. Nanoparticles loaded with polyphenolic extract were obtained with average sizes ranging from (120 to 250) nm and largely spheroidal morphologies. Polymer and surfactant concentrations significantly influenced the hydrodynamic diameters and polydispersity indices of the particles. The incorporation of the polyphenolic extract into the polymer matrix enabled the preservation of the antiradical activity of the bioactive compound.