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How to satisfy consumer expectations for mandarin? A cross-cultural study in Spain and Italy
No full textDetermining consumer quality requirements is needed to provide markets with high quality fruit, which helps to reduce fruit waste both at home and at points of sale. This cross-cultural study investigated how important are different mandarin attributes in the repurchase intention of Spanish and Italian consumers. Four-hundred and fifty consumers from each country participated in an on-line survey where they scored mandarin attributes according to their importance. Cluster analysis revealed that in both countries consumers can be divided into two groups: “Consumers focused on mouth perceptions” and “Multisensory consumers”. Among Spanish participants, 41% belonged to the first group and 59% to the second one, while in Italy 52% of consumers belonged to the first group and 48% to the second. “Consumers focused on mouth perceptions” reported that the most important attributes that mandarins should have to buy them again are: ‘sweet’, ‘balance sweet-acid’, ‘intense flavour’, ‘juicy’ and ‘not fibrous’. For this group of consumers, other attributes that are mainly perceived with the hands and sight (easy peeling, not messy when eating, pulp colour) and ‘seedless’ were not important aspects. “Multisensory consumers” stated that all the attributes mentioned above that are related to taste and texture perceived in mouth are very important. Moreover, they reported that characteristics like easy peeling, seedless or pulp colour are also relevant. The less important attribute for both groups of consumers was ‘not messy when eating’. In addition to the percentage of participants in each cluster, the main differences among Italian and Spanish consumers were that in general Italian consumers gave more importance to ‘aromatic’ and ‘pulp colour’ attributes and less importance to ‘not fibrous’ than the Spanish one
Estudio cross-cultural en cuatro países para entender la elección de naranja sanguina frente a la no sanguina por parte del consumidor
Get PDFComprender la percepción y actitud de los consumidores ante una determinada fruta es una información clave tanto para promover su consumo, como para fijar objetivos de calidad en los programas de mejora. En este estudio se evalúan diferentes aspectos que ayudan a explicar el consumo de naranja sanguina frente a la naranja tradicional no sanguina: disponibilidad y hábito de consumo, atributos de satisfacción, facilitadores y barreras al consumo, contextos de consumo, expectativas e intención de compra. El estudio se llevó a cabo en China, México, España e Italia, donde se invitó a consumidores de cítricos a responder un cuestionario online. Nuestros resultados revelaron que Italia es el país con mayor disponibilidad en los mercados de naranjas sanguinas y donde éstas más se consumen, seguido de China, México y España. Las "preferencias de sabor" y "sus propiedades saludables" fueron las razones principales para consumir naranja independientemente del tipo, pero se detectaron ciertas diferencias entre países en las razones secundarias. En todos los países, el atributo sensorial más relevante para la satisfacción del consumidor fue "jugoso", seguido de los atributos relacionados con el sabor. "Aromático" y "no fibroso" fueron atributos relevantes para italianos y chinos, mientras que los españoles le concedieron importancia al color de las naranjas sanguinas. En cuanto a los contextos de consumo, "para comer con sal o chile en polvo" fue específico de México, mientras que "para mejorar la salud", "para regalar" o "para comer en un restaurante" fueron contextos citados principalmente en China. A pesar de que la preferencia por el sabor de otras frutas fue la principal barrera al consumo en todos los países para ambos tipos de naranja, la relevancia de otras barreras dependió del país y del tipo de naranja. Los datos muestran una cierta neofobia de los participantes mexicanos hacia las naranjas sanguinas. Concluimos que las naranjas sanguinas y no sanguinas podrían llegar a coexistir en los mercados con un alto índice de consumo, como ocurre en Italia. Para ello es necesario que se adopten medidas específicas para su promoción dependiendo del país, ya que las actitudes de los consumidores hacia las naranjas, principalmente las sanguinas, dependen del contexto cultural
Bioinformatics approach for developing a minimum set of SNP markers for identification of temperate japonica rice varieties cultivated in Spain
Get PDFThe use of molecular markers for plant variety identification and protection is increasing. For this purpose, SNP markers have provided a reliable and stable tool for plant genotyping. The availability of small and low-cost SNP panels to accelerate the identification of the cultivated rice varieties should be beneficial for breeders, seed certification entities and rice industry. With the intention of providing of such a facility, we first developed a simple and easy-handle bioinformatics tool based on the widely used and freely available software R to generate small sets of SNPs that can discriminate varieties, by selecting markers from a larger genotyping dataset. By applying this algorithm to data from a previously genotyped collection of temperate japonica varieties from different countries, we identified a minimal set of 31 SNPs markers to distinguish 210 varieties. In addition, we used this algorithm to discriminate the 43 most cultivated in Spain rice varieties with minimal sets of 8 SNPs. We then developed and tested 22 Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) assays for the markers included in these panels, and obtained reliable genotype patterns for rice varieties identification. The complete 22 markers panel and the rice genotypes data could offer a useful and low-cost tool for rice breeders and industry to identify varieties and therefore to guarantee the quality of rice. The provided R-based algorithm can be applied to other genomic resources to develop core sets of discriminating markers
Garlic and peppermint essential oils elicit plant defensive responses in sweet peppers
Get PDFExploiting plant defense mechanisms is a promising tool for pest management in modern agriculture. Plant Essential Oils (EOs) are used for the sustainable control of agricultural pests; however, their impact on plant defense has been scarcely investigated. In this work, we study for the first time whether the spraying of EOs can activate plant defense mechanisms in sweet pepper. The olfactory capacity of Encarsia formosa (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) to respond to defense-activated plants was used to select garlic and peppermint EOs among nine EOs sprayed on sweet peppers. The expression level of defense-related genes in plant tissues and the phytotoxicity were measured in response to EO foliar applications. Moreover, the olfactory responses of the herbivores, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and their natural enemies, Orius laevigatus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) and Nesidiocoris tenuis (Hemiptera: Miridae), to EO induced plant volatiles were also investigated. The gene expression analysis revealed activated jasmonic and salicylic acid defense signaling pathways in EO sprayed sweet pepper plants and a negligible phytotoxic effect was recorded. Choice tests revealed varying behavioral responses in selected insect models when plants were treated with garlic and peppermint EOs in different concentrations. Our results suggest that garlic and peppermint EO spray applications can enhance the defense mechanisms of sweet peppers and have a cascading bottom-up effects on the associated food chain. These initial findings provide a foundation for the future development of Integrated Pest Management strategies to protect solanaceous crops
‘Nutritional Footprint’ in the Food, Meals and HoReCa Sectors: A Review
Get PDFNowadays, the food industry is integrating environmental, social, and health parameters to increase its sustainable impact. To do this, they are using new tools to calculate the potential efficiency of nutritional products with lower levels of environmental impact. One of these tools is called the ‘nutritional footprint’, created by Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy GmbH. This study aims to review this concept and clarify its historical development, its use in several sectors of the food industry, and its transformation from a manual to an online tool. Results reflected that it is a suitable indicator that integrates nutritional, environmental, and social-economic dimensions to help the decision-making process in the procurement of more sustainable products and, although it is limited to Germany due to the use of the national standard nutritional intakes of Germany, its importance lies in the fact that is a promising instrument to promote environmental sustainability in the context of food, meals, and the hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) sectors
Pest survey card on Citrus leprosis viruses
Get PDFThis pest survey card was prepared in the context of the EFSA mandate on plant pest surveillance (M-2020-0114), at the request of the European Commission. Its purpose is to guide the Member States in preparing data and information for surveys of citrus leprosis viruses. These are required to design statistically sound and risk-based pest surveys, in line with current international standards. Six of the seven viruses that cause citrus leprosis (CiLV-C, CiLV-C2, HGSV-2, OFV, CiLV-N sensu novo and CiCSV) are clearly defined taxonomic entities, while the status of CiBSV is unclear. CiLV-C, CiLV-C2, HGSV-2, the citrus strain of OFV, CiLV-N sensu novo and CiCSV are Union quarantine pests. Citrus leprosis viruses do not cause systemic infections and they are all exclusively transmitted by mites of the genus Brevipalpus. Brevipalpus mites associated with the transmission of the leprosis disease are present in some regions of EU territory. The commercial citrus species most relevant to the EU are considered susceptible to citrus leprosis disease. There are no ecoclimatic constrains known for the citrus leprosis viruses, except for those affecting their host plants and their mite vectors. Therefore, due to the wide availability of host species and the presence of Brevipalpus mites, all citrus-growing areas in the EU are considered potentially suitable for the viruses to become established. Long-distance spread is likely to occur through movement of viruliferous mites phoretically associated with commodities. Detection of citrus leprosis viruses in the field should be performed by visual examination of symptoms followed by sampling and molecular identification in the laboratory. Visual examination should be preferably conducted in late summer / early autumn. Based on the analyses of the information on the pest-host plant system, the various units that are needed to design a survey should be defined and tailored to the situation in each Member State
Essential oils and natural plant extracts as antifungal ingredients of pectin-based edible composite coatings to control green mold and maintain postharvest quality of `Valencia´ oranges
Get PDFPectin-beeswax edible coatings containing essential oils (EOs) and plant extracts as antifungal ingredients have been developed to reduce postharvest losses in ‘Valencia’ oranges. After in vitro evaluation of the antifungal activity of the ingredients against Penicillium digitatum, selected agents and concentrations (0.2-2%, w/w) were incorporated into the coating. The curative activity of antifungal edible coatings (AECs) to control green mold was tested on artificially inoculated oranges incubated 8 days at 20°C
Single-Bud Expression Analysis of Bud Dormancy Factors in Peach
Get PDFTranscriptomic and gene expression analysis have greatly facilitated the identification and characterization of transcriptional regulatory factors and effectors involved in dormancy progression and other physiological processes orchestrated during bud development in peach and other temperate fruit species. Gene expression measurements are most usually based on average values from several or many individual buds. We have performed single-bud gene analysis in flower buds of peach across dormancy release using amplicons from the master regulatory DORMANCY-ASSOCIATED MADS-BOX (DAM) factors, several jasmonic acid biosynthetic genes, other genes related to flowering development, cell growth resumption, and abiotic stress tolerance. This analysis provides a close view on gene-specific, single-bud variability throughout the developmental shift from dormant to dormancy-released stages, contributing to the characterization of putative co-expression modules and other regulatory aspects in this particular tissue
Airborne inoculum dynamics of Polystigma amygdalinum and progression of almond red leaf blotch disease in Catalonia, NE Spain
Get PDFThe dynamics of airborne ascospores and disease progress of red leaf blotch (RLB) of almond, caused by Polystigma amygdalinum, and their correlations with weather variables were studied from 2019 to 2021 in two almond orchards located in Lleida, NE Spain. Airborne ascospores were detected and quantified by real-time qPCR using species-specific primers for P. amygdalinum. Ascospores were detected mainly from April to June, with a high variability between the yearly cumulative concentrations. Positive significant correlations were found between the weekly proportion of airborne ascospores and the number of wet and mild days—either combined or separated— accumulated rainfall, number of rainy days, accumulated low temperatures on wet days, and mean and maximum relative humidity. In contrast, several thermal variables (maximum temperature, VPD, and number of warm days) were negatively correlated with ascospore catches. Positive significant correlations were found between the cumulative proportion of ascospores and RLB incidence and severity. Weekly variations in RLB incidence and severity showed significant positive correlations with the number of warm days while negative with the number of mild days. Severity was also positively correlated with several thermal variables (mean, maximum, and minimum temperature, and VPD), and negatively correlated with the number of cold days and wet and mild days. Stronger correlations were generally found with ascospore catches or disease progress when using concurrent weekly weather data. Gompertz, monomolecular, and logistic growth models were evaluated to describe RLB disease progress
Struvite as a Sustainable Fertilizer in Mediterranean Soils
Get PDFRecycled sources of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), such as struvite extracted from wastewater, have the potential to substitute conventional manufactured fertilizers and mitigate environmental problems such as water eutrophication or the depletion of non-renewable resources. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of struvite as a nitrogenous and phosphate fertilizer in the Spanish Mediterranean region. Two experiments were carried out using struvite recovered from sewage sludge and different representative soils from the area. Since knowing the rates at which their nutrients are released is key for efficient use, experiment I determined the struvite N-releasing rate for 16 weeks. Experiment II studied the effect of different struvite doses (50, 100, 200 kg P2O5 ha−1) on crop growth compared to superphosphate + ammonium nitrate. The results indicated N-releasing rates that fall in line with a slow-release fertilizer. More than 20% of applied struvite-N was unavailable for plants or in the longer term, which suggests struvite fractionation as the most efficient application method. Struvite showed similar fertilization capacity, which was even better at some points, than conventional mineral fertilization, plus adequate plant growth and good nutrient concentration at the 50 kg P2O5 ha−1 dose. Based on this study, struvite can be considered an interesting and effective option for sustainable fertilization in the Mediterranean region