Red raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) are often chosen by consumers for their flavour, taste, and health-promoting properties A relevant issue related to these fruits is their high perishability. The aim ...of this study was to investigate the effect of the ultraviolet C light-emitting diode (UVC-LED) treatment on soil-grown and pot-grown raspberries in extending their shelf-life, maintaining their high quality throughout the preservation period, and improving features related to their phenolic compound content. The UVC-LED treatment increased the total phenolic content (158 to 200 mg GAE/100 g) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (55.3 to 78.6 mmol Fe 2 +/kg) of the pot-grown raspberries when the UVC-LED treatment was followed by storage in a climate-controlled room (20°C). Total anthocyanin content did not increase significantly compared to the control samples. Contrary to expectations, no effect of reducing the microbial count after storage was observed due to the exposure of raspberries to the UVC-LED radiation. The positive outcomes derived from the analyses of bioactive compounds may be implemented in further studies on the same matrix to better manage the treatment and its conditions, such as the exposure time, the distance from the LED lamps, and the UVC-rays’ dose, in order to find the best combination in terms of efficacy and efficiency.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of different mixtures of two fresh-cut baby lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. crispa cv. Lollo Bionda LB and cv. Lollo Rossa LR) cultivars on ...lettuce phytochemical composition during postharvest. Lettuces were grown in a soilless culture system with continuous flotation (FL) in a greenhouse, mixed at harvest and packaged in polypropylene bags and stored at 4 °C for 9 days (d9). Mixes were made of 100, 75, 50, 25 and 0% of LB, respectively. The results showed that the phytochemicals were preserved during storage. In specific, 25LB had the highest pigment content on d1, while 50LB and 25LB had the highest inherent quality on d1.FL led to a reduced microbial contamination, thus, limiting its growth during storage. The results have revealed that high quality and microbiologically safe baby leaf vegetables (BLV), can be obtained by means of FL. The adopting a mix of lettuce cultivars could represent a positive postharvest practice to preserve the phytochemicals of BLV throughout their shelf life.
The aim of the present study was to assess the behavior of oxadiazon in topsoil and waters of paddy fields cultivated according to the two rice seeding systems: conventional water seeding (CON) and ...dry seeding (DRY). The study was carried out from 2012 to 2013 in Vercelli, north-west of Italy, the most important rice growing area of Europe. Variations in oxadiazon concentrations were studied over time in topsoil, paddy water, inlet water and outlet water. Over the two years, the estimated oxadiazon topsoil half-life was 3.27 days, without significant differences between systems and years. Oxadiazon dissipation in the paddy water was rapid during the first week, but less pronounced late in the season. Residues of oxadiazon were frequently detected in inlet waters. Transfer of oxadiazon residues in outlet waters occurred over all the growing seasons, with important peaks in the first weeks after the treatment. A possible way to reduce the transfer of oxadiazon to water bodies could be increasing the residence time of the herbicide in the paddy fields during the first 7–10 days after spraying, avoiding the release of water from them.
The environment temperature and its effect on the temperature of silage is very important for the fermentation and subsequent quality of a silage. Obligate heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria ...(LAB) inocula, because of their ability to inhibit yeasts, have been developed to prevent the aerobic deterioration of silages. The temperature during silage conservation may also play an important role in the fermentation profile of silages. This study has evaluated the effect of temperature, during the conservation of whole crop corn silage, untreated or treated with different LAB inocula, on the fermentation profile and on the aerobic stability of the silage. Corn was harvested at 42% dry matter and either not treated (control) or treated with Lactobacillus buchneri NCIMB 40788 (LB) at 300,000 cfu/g fresh matter (FM); Lactobacillus hilgardii CNCM I-4785 at 150,000 cfu/g FM (LH150); L. hilgardii CNCM I-4785 at 300,000 cfu/g FM (LH300); or LB+LH at 150,000 cfu/g FM each. In an attempt to experimentally simulate temperature fluctuations in the mass or at the periphery of a silage bunker, corn was conserved in laboratory silos at a constant temperature (20 ± 1°C; MASS) or at lower and variable outdoor temperatures (PERIPH; ranging from 0.5 to 19°C), and the silos were opened after 15, 30, and 100 d of conservation. Lactic acid, acetic acid, and ethanol contents increased in all the silages over the conservation period. The lactic acid content was higher (+10%) in the silages kept at a constant temperature than those conserved at the lower and variable outdoor temperatures. The acetic acid was higher in the treated silages than in the control ones conserved at a constant temperature for 100 d. Moreover, 1,2-propanediol was only detected in the treated silages after at least 30 d at a constant temperature, whereas only traces were detected in the LB+LH treatment for the other temperature conditions. The yeast count decreased during conservation at a slower rate in PERIPH than in MASS and on average reached 2.96 and 4.71 log cfu/g for MASS and PERIPH, respectively, after 100 d of conservation. The highest aerobic stability values were observed for LH300 (191 h) in the MASS silage after 100 d of conservation, whereas the highest aerobic stability was observed in LB+LH (150 h) in the PERIPH silages. After 7 d of air exposure, a pH higher than 4.5 and a higher yeast than 8.0 log cfu/g were detected in all the silages opened after 15 and 30 d of conservation. A pH value close to that of silo opening was detected in the LB, LH150, and LH300 silages conserved under MASS conditions after 100 d, whereas LB+LH was the most effective under PERIPH conditions. The temperature and its fluctuation during conservation of silage in laboratory silos influenced the fermentation, which in turn had an effect on the quality of silage and on the extent of the effect of LAB inocula.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The growth of Aspergillus flavus and the production of aflatoxins (AF) during the aerobic deterioration of corn silage represent a problem for animal and human health. This experiment was conducted ...to evaluate whether the presence of A. flavus and AF production originate from the field or additional AF are produced during the fermentation phase or during aerobic deterioration of corn silage. The trial was carried out in northern Italy on corn at a dry matter (DM) level of 34%. The fresh herbage was either not treated (C) or treated with a Lactobacillus buchneri (LB) NCIMB 40788 (at 3 × 105 cfu/g of fresh matter (FM), Lactobacillus hilgardii (LH) CNCM I-4785 (at 3 × 105 cfu/g of FM), or their combination (LB+LH; at 1.5 × 105 cfu/g of FM of each strain) ensiled in 20-L silos and opened after 250 d of ensiling. After silo opening, the aerobic stability was evaluated and samples were taken after 7 and 14 d of air exposure. The pre-ensiled material, the silages at silo opening, and the aerobically exposed silages were analyzed for DM content, fermentative profiles, microbial count, nutritive characteristics, DM losses, and AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2 contents. Furthermore, a subsample of colonies with macromorphological features of Aspergillus section Flavi was selected for AF gene pattern characterization and in vitro AF production. The presence of A. flavus was below the detection limit (<1.00 log10 cfu/g) in the fresh forage before ensiling, whereas it was found in 1 out of 16 silage samples at silo opening at a level of 1.24 log10 cfu/g. The AF were found in both the fresh forage and at opening in all the samples, with a predominance of AFB2 (mean value of 1.71 μg/kg of DM). The inoculation of lactic acid bacteria determined a reduction in the lactic-to-acetic ratio compared with the control. A larger amount of acetic acid resulted in a lower yeast count and higher aerobic stability in the treated silages than in the control ones. At the beginning of aerobic deterioration, the yeasts increased to over 5 log10 cfu/g, whereas the molds were close to the value observed at silo opening. When the inhibiting conditions were depleted (pH and temperature higher than 5 and 35°C, respectively), both the total molds and A. flavus reached higher values than 8.00 and 4.00 log10 cfu/g, respectively, thus determining the ex novo production of AFB1 during aerobic deterioration, regardless of treatments. The analysis of gene pattern showed that 64% of the selected colonies of A. flavus showed the presence of all 4 AF gene patterns, and 43% of the selected colonies were able to produce AF in vitro. During air exposure, after 1,000°C·h have been cumulated, starch content decreased (below 10% DM) and concentration of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, hemicelluloses, crude protein, and ash increased. The inoculation with LB and LB+LH increased the aerobic stability of the silages and delayed the onset of aerobic microbial degradation, which in turn indirectly reduced the risk of A. flavus outgrowth and AFB1 production after silage opening.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The effect of elapsed time between spraying and first leaching event on the leaching behavior of five herbicides (terbuthylazine, S-metolachlor, mesotrione, flufenacet, and isoxaflutole) and two ...metabolites (desethyl-terbuthylazine and diketonitrile) was evaluated in a 2011-2012 study in northwest Italy. A battery of 12 lysimeters (8.4 m
2
long with a depth of 1.8 m) were used in the study, each filled with silty-loam soil and treated during pre-emergence with the selected herbicides by applying a mixture of commercial products Lumax (4 L ha
−1
) and Merlin Gold (1 L ha
−1
). During treatment periods, no gravity water was present in lysimeters. Irrigation events capable of producing leaching (40 mm) were conducted on independent groups of three lysimeters on 1 day after treatment (1 DAT), 7 DAT, 14 DAT, and 28 DAT. The series was then repeated 14 days later. Leachate samples were collected a few days after irrigation; compounds were extracted by solid phase extraction and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Under study conditions, terbuthylazine and S-metolachlor showed the highest leaching potentials. Specifically, S-metolachlor concentrations were always found above 0.25 µg L
−1
. Desethyl-terbuthylazine was often detected in leached waters, in most cases at concentrations above 0.1 µg L
−1
. Flufenacet leached only when irrigation occurred close to the time of herbicide spraying. Isoxaflutole and mesotrione were not measured (<0.1 µg L
−1
), while diketonitrile was detected in concentrations above 0.1 µg L
−1
on 1 DAT in 2011 only.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study focused on the dissipation of propanil and 3,4 dichloroaniline (3,4 DCA) over time in the soil, field water, inlet water, and outlet water of paddy fields under three management systems: ...conventional water seeding (CON), conventional water seeding with supplied liquid manure (LMA), and dry seeding (DRY). Propanil dissipation in water was also investigated under laboratory conditions. The field study was conducted from 2004 to 2006 at Vercelli, northern Italy. Propanil and 3,4 DCA showed rapid dissipation in water and soil environments both in the field and in the laboratory. Under controlled conditions, chemical hydrolysis was not detected for either compounds for up to 100 d at pHs of 5, 7, and 9. In the laboratory, the half‐life of propanil in irrigation water was 1.1 d; its half‐life in soil was routinely measured at <1.0 d (between 0.17 and 1.77 d). 3,4 DCA was found to persist much longer. Measured in all three study years at 50 d after treatment, its concentration ranged between 44 μg kg−1 (CON) and 140 μg kg−1 (DRY). Propanil and 3,4 DCA concentrations in paddy water were particularly high in samples collected at 4 d (2004) and 2 d (2005) after treatment. Maximum concentrations were 54.4 μg L−1 (CON) for propanil (2005) and 113.7 μg L−1 (LMA) for 3,4 DCA (2004). The concentrations of propanil and 3,4 DCA in inlet water were never above 1.1 and 0.3 μg L−1, respectively, whereas the highest concentration of each compound in outlet water was in samples collected first after treatment in 2005 and 2006. Both chemicals dissipated rapidly in all the soil‐water environments but displayed no important differences among the three management systems. In conclusion, propanil and 3,4 DCA did not persist longer in paddy fields. A risk of water network contamination by these compounds may occur only early after herbicide spraying. A water‐holding period after herbicide spraying may reduce this risk.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
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