Sustainable Fruit Consumption: The Influence of Color, Shape and Damage on Consumer Sensory Perception and Liking of Different Apples

Revolutionizing tropical fruits preservation: Emerging edible coating technologies

Tropical fruits, predominantly cultivated in Southeast Asia, are esteemed for their nutritional richness, distinctive taste, aroma, and visual appeal when consumed fresh. However, postharvest challenges have led to substantial global wastage, nearly 50 %. The advent of edible biopolymeric nanoparticles presents a novel solution to preserve the fruits' overall freshness. These nanoparticles, being edible, readily available, biodegradable, antimicrobial, antioxidant, Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), and non-toxic, are commonly prepared via ionic gelation owing to the method's physical crosslinking, simplicity, and affordability. The resulting biopolymeric nanoparticles, with or without additives, can be employed in basic formulations or as composite blends with other materials. This study aims to review the capabilities of biopolymeric nanoparticles in enhancing the physical and sensory aspects of tropical fruits, inhibiting microbial growth, and prolonging shelf life. Material selection for formulation is crucial, considering coating materials, the fruit's epidermal properties, internal and external factors. A variety of application techniques are covered such as spraying, and layer-by-layer among others, including their advantages, and disadvantages. Finally, the study addresses safety measures, legislation, current challenges, and industrial perspectives concerning fruit edible coating films.

Sensory Perception and Willingness to Pay for a Local Ancient Pear Variety: Evidence from In-Store Experiments in Italy

Product optimisation is one of the most crucial phases in the new product development or launch process. This work proposes applying penalty analysis to investigate the impact of not just-about-right (JAR) sensorial aspects on willingness to pay (WTP) and an overall liking for a local Italian ancient pear variety and to verify the mediating role of pleasantness in the relationship between not-JAR sensory attributes and consumers' WTP using structural equation model (SEM). One hundred and twelve non-expert participants recruited during an in-store experiment evaluated overall liking and JAR attributes and were involved in an in-field experimental auction based on the non-hypothetical Becker-DeGroot-Marshak (BDM) mechanism. The participants' average WTP for the sample was EUR 3.18 per kilogramme. Only juiciness and sourness significantly impact consumers' overall liking but not on consumers' WTP. Moreover, pleasantness did not mediate the relationship between non-balanced sensorial aspects and WTP. In conclusion, the penalty analysis for attributes not being JAR in monetary and hedonic terms is a beneficial research approach for a deep-inside evaluation of the potentiality of the product in the marketplace, providing helpful directions for product optimisation. Results show market potential for the local ancient pear variety 'Angelica'.

Analyzing the Quality Parameters of Apples by Spectroscopy from Vis/NIR to NIR Region: A Comprehensive Review

Spectroscopic methods deliver a valuable non-destructive analytical tool that provides simultaneous qualitative and quantitative characterization of various samples. Apples belong to the world's most consumed crops and with the current challenges of climate change and human impacts on the environment, maintaining high-quality apple production has become critical. This review comprehensively analyzes the application of spectroscopy in near-infrared (NIR) and visible (Vis) regions, which not only show particular potential in evaluating the quality parameters of apples but also in optimizing their production and supply routines. This includes the assessment of the external and internal characteristics such as color, size, shape, surface defects, soluble solids content (SSC), total titratable acidity (TA), firmness, starch pattern index (SPI), total dry matter concentration (DM), and nutritional value. The review also summarizes various techniques and approaches used in Vis/NIR studies of apples, such as authenticity, origin, identification, adulteration, and quality control. Optical sensors and associated methods offer a wide suite of solutions readily addressing the main needs of the industry in practical routines as well, e.g., efficient sorting and grading of apples based on sweetness and other quality parameters, facilitating quality control throughout the production and supply chain. This review also evaluates ongoing development trends in the application of handheld and portable instruments operating in the Vis/NIR and NIR spectral regions for apple quality control. The use of these technologies can enhance apple crop quality, maintain competitiveness, and meet the demands of consumers, making them a crucial topic in the apple industry. The focal point of this review is placed on the literature published in the last five years, with the exceptions of seminal works that have played a critical role in shaping the field or representative studies that highlight the progress made in specific areas.

Somatic Mutations in Fruit Trees: Causes, Detection Methods, and Molecular Mechanisms

Somatic mutations are genetic changes that occur in non-reproductive cells. In fruit trees, such as apple, grape, orange, and peach, somatic mutations are typically observed as "bud sports" that remain stable during vegetative propagation. Bud sports exhibit various horticulturally important traits that differ from those of their parent plants. Somatic mutations are caused by internal factors, such as DNA replication error, DNA repair error, transposable elements, and deletion, and external factors, such as strong ultraviolet radiation, high temperature, and water availability. There are several methods for detecting somatic mutations, including cytogenetic analysis, and molecular techniques, such as PCR-based methods, DNA sequencing, and epigenomic profiling. Each method has its advantages and limitations, and the choice of method depends on the research question and the available resources. The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that cause somatic mutations, techniques used to identify them, and underlying molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, we present several case studies that demonstrate how somatic mutation research can be leveraged to discover novel genetic variations. Overall, considering the diverse academic and practical value of somatic mutations in fruit crops, especially those that require lengthy breeding efforts, related research is expected to become more active.

A Flashforward Look into Solutions for Fruit and Vegetable Production

One of the most important challenges facing current and future generations is how climate change and continuous population growth adversely affect food security. To address this, the food system needs a complete transformation where more is produced in non-optimal and space-limited areas while reducing negative environmental impacts. Fruits and vegetables, essential for human health, are high-value-added crops, which are grown in both greenhouses and open field environments. Here, we review potential practices to reduce the impact of climate variation and ecosystem damages on fruit and vegetable crop yield, as well as highlight current bottlenecks for indoor and outdoor agrosystems. To obtain sustainability, high-tech greenhouses are increasingly important and biotechnological means are becoming instrumental in designing the crops of tomorrow. We discuss key traits that need to be studied to improve agrosystem sustainability and fruit yield.

Environmental effects on perishable product quality and trading under OBOR supply chain different route scenarios

The world becomes advance rapidly, and the demand of perishable food increases in the global market. Food firms perceive the cheapest supply chain process for the delivery of products to end consumers. Apart from that, consumer demands high quality and safe products with competitive price. In the global intense competition, China introduced One Belt One Road (OBOR) advanced feature supply chain management system to cut the cost of production for these product firms as well as functionally deliver high quality and green products to end consumer without affecting from high environment temperature. Respectively, the graphical research model and the multi-objective method were developed to examine the estimated perishable product trading figures with consideration to quality, which is achieved by accumulating the advanced transportation features offered by OBOR supply chain management as compared to ancient rail route supply chain. To prove this, "simulation optimization function was applied to measure the probability of time-saving for perishable product quality from environmental effects and its influences over product demand." Some perishable products were selected, and their trading figures and demand value were measured by comparing both rail route environmental effects over demand, weights of products, and trade. The results declare perishable food quality and trading volume increased due to fast delivery of products to numerous countries, having cold supply chain feature under OBOR supply chain management and estimated 25 days of time-saving. Comparative analysis discloses the coherent picture of both trading routes used for delivering the products. "The findings show large amount of time-saving maximizes perishable product quality from environmental influence" estimated 3 times higher with fast train supply chain. Conceptually, perceived from the idea, when and if maglev train 600 km over an hour will be used for perishable product supply chain purpose in the near future, the estimated quality of perishable products and trading is considered to be more than 5 times higher as compared to ancient supply chain route. The study suggests future research direction on topics, food quality along with supply chain management system, and environmental impact measurement policy under different supply chain routes.

Postharvest quality assessment of apple during storage at ambient temperature

In this study, the physical and chemical quality attributes of apples were measured experimentally during the storage after harvesting, using well-defined procedures and techniques. Overall quality index (OQi) models were formulated in terms of measured quality attributes. Firmness (F) and total soluble solids (TSS) varied from 11.88 ± 0.25 to 7.68 ± 0.24 N and 14.1 ± 0.1 to 12.7 ± 0.1 % Brix, respectively, whereas acidity and density varied from 0.163 ± 0.003 to 0.081 ± 0.001 % and 0.995 ± 0.003 to 0.951 ± 0.004 gm/cm³, respectively. The gloss values at 45° and 60° angles of incidence were found to be in the range of 7.9 ± 0.2 to 4.1 ± 0.3 and 6.8 ± 0.1 to 2.5 ± 0.3, respectively whereas, the Hunter color values L, a, b were found to be in the range of 51.75 ± 1.33 to 57.01 ± 0.98, 24.20 ± 0.86 to 30.12 ± 1.13, and 19.53 ± 1.61 to 22.96 ± 1.12, respectively. Formulated models were validated with the sensory scores. OQi predicted by the Model ML2 was found to be in consonance with the variation in the sensory overall quality scores. The OQi, as per the model ML2, was estimated as the ratio of the product of the constant C (265.5), acidity (A), and firmness (F) to the mod of the product of Hunter color values a and b. Finally, the predicted values of OQi were correlated with the measured quality parameters to check the possibility of predicting OQi non-destructively by using any one of those measured attributes during the storage.

How Does Retail Engage Consumers in Sustainable Consumption? A Systematic Literature Review

The academic literature on consumer engagement and sustainable consumption has developed gradually over the last two decades. The body of knowledge related to the role of food and non-food retailers in this context, however, is only beginning to develop. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyse the existing literature on how retailers fulfil their role in engaging consumers in sustainable consumption. The need for a study with this purpose is proven by the fact that academic literature lacks a systematic review on this topic, despite the ascending trend in the number of published articles in the field. This systematic review is based on a five-step process to ensure quality, replicability, transparency, and reliable conclusions. The reviewed articles were published relatively recently in academic journals from different domains. This review identified seven distinct types of retail marketing interventions (involvement of retailers in marketing actions with the aim to engage consumers in sustainable consumption), 30 types of retail marketing mechanisms (consisting in marketing strategies, techniques, tools, and channels used by retailers), and 14 distinct types of consumer engagement in sustainable consumption patterns. The review suggests an agenda for further research and identifies practical implications for retail management.

Consumer Awareness, Attitudes and Preferences Towards Heritage Cereals

Interest in heritage cereals is increasing among consumers, bakeries and farmers, and the trends point towards the local production of crops and connect to sustainability. The most known variety is spelt, which has opened up for old landraces such as Oland wheat. Heritage cereals have shown a higher resilience than modern varieties and have the potential to supply the market with alternative products that have an attractive cultural background. Delicious and nutritious products based on heritages cereals have a growing market potential. Consumers' attitudes and preferences to different products are affected by factors such as age, gender and education. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyse different consumer groups' awareness, attitudes and preferences toward heritage cereals. The number of respondents who participated in this study and answered the web-based questionnaire was 434. It can be concluded that most consumers are aware of heritage cereals. Geographic background had an influence, while academic background did not. Bread and pasta are the most consumed products and are regarded as the most popular future products to be based on heritage cereals. The most essential factors in bread are taste and flavour, followed by freshness and texture. The origin of the cereal and its health aspects are important; women are more concerned about the origin than men, while older consumers are more concerned about health. Older consumers are also more willing to pay extra for heritage cereal than younger consumers.