Patterns Of Fruit Consumption Research Articles

An analysis of consumer demand for fruits in Sri Lanka. 1981–2010

Micronutrient deficiency has become a serious health concern in many countries and Sri Lanka is no exception. Inclusion of vegetables and fruits, which are rich in micronutrients, in the diet is considered as one of the most cost effective measures to alleviate such deficiencies. The purpose of this paper is to analyze consumer demand for fruits in Sri Lanka. The specific objectives are to: (i) describe the patterns of fruit consumption across various households groups (ii) document the changes that have taken place in the local fruit supply for meeting the changes in demand, and (iii) to estimate price and income effects of changes in fruit consumption during 1981–2010. The study was conducted using secondary data which were extracted from government publications. The analysis shows that banana, papaw, mangoes and pineapple are the major fruits consumed and the consumption levels of such fruits have been rising over the years. The urban households and the households in high-income deciles are found to be allocating a relatively higher proportion of their food expenditure on fruits. The country is self sufficient in most of the fruits and only a small portion is traded. The results of econometric estimations reveal large income effects and relatively small price effects. A larger role for income based interventions as opposed to price based interventions to improve fruit consumption in Sri Lanka is evident from the results.

신선편이 양상추의 가공환경 및 시설에 대한 위생관리수준 평가

According to lifestyle changes, the consumers` concern about food also shifts from calories and nutrition to health and convenience. Fresh-cut produce is one of the new turns in the consumption pattern of fruits and vegetables. The increasing demand for it requires processors to make them stable in quality and safe from microorganisms. The results of the evaluation of the production process and hygienic management of fresh-cut lettuce revealed that the facilities used, such as the drainage holes, floors, and door knobs, were severely contaminated with microbes, and that the work equipment, workbenches, landing nets, and centrifuges were highly contaminated. Accordingly, improved production processes and management systems are necessary, as is the implementation of a quality control system from the stage of raw-material purchase to the distribution stage.

An invasive tree alters the structure of seed dispersal networks between birds and plants in French Polynesia

AbstractAim We studied how the abundance of the highly invasive fruit‐bearing tree Miconia calvescens DC. influences seed dispersal networks and the foraging patterns of three avian frugivores.Location Tahiti and Moorea, French Polynesia.Methods Our study was conducted at six sites which vary in the abundance of M. calvescens. We used dietary data from three frugivores (two introduced, one endemic) to determine whether patterns of fruit consumption are related to invasive tree abundance. We constructed seed dispersal networks for each island to evaluate how patterns of interaction between frugivores and plants shift at highly invaded sites.Results Two frugivores increased consumption of M. calvescens fruit at highly invaded sites and decreased consumption of other dietary items. The endemic fruit dove, Ptilinopus purpuratus, consumed more native fruit than either of the two introduced frugivores (the red‐vented bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer, and the silvereye, Zosterops lateralis), and introduced frugivores showed a low potential to act as dispersers of native plants. Network patterns on the highly invaded island of Tahiti were dominated by introduced plants and birds, which were responsible for the majority of plant–frugivore interactions.Main conclusions Shifts in the diet of introduced birds, coupled with reduced populations of endemic frugivores, caused differences in properties of the seed dispersal network on the island of Tahiti compared to the less invaded island of Moorea. These results demonstrate that the presence of invasive fruit‐bearing plants and introduced frugivores can alter seed dispersal networks, and that the patterns of alteration depend both on the frugivore community and on the relative abundance of available fruit.

Frugivoria e potencial dispersão de sementes pelo marsupial Gracilinanus agilis (Didelphidae: Didelphimorphia) em áreas de Cerrado no Brasil central

No presente estudo, investigamos o consumo de frutos e viabilidade de sementes consumidas pelo marsupial Gracilinanus agilis (Burmeister, 1854) em quatro áreas de cerradão do Brasil central. Análises fecais indicaram que este mamífero se alimenta de plantas pioneiras da família Melastomataceae (Miconia albicans (Sw.) Triana, M. cuspidata Naudin, M. ferruginata DC., M. pepericarpa DC., M. pohliana Cogn. e Ossaea congestiflora (Naudin) Cogn.), Solanaceae (uma espécie não identificada) e Viscaceae (Phoradendron perrottetii (DC.) Eichler, erva-de-passarinho). Detectamos o maior índice de consumo de frutos já registrado para o gênero Gracilinanus, com cerca de 45% das fezes contendo sementes e 86% contendo itens derivados de frutos (N=422). Com exceção de O. congestiflora, o restante das sementes das espécies testadas não sofreram efeitos negativos na germinabilidade ao passarem pelo trato digestório deste marsupial. A avaliação da variação intraspecífica no número de sementes encontradas nas fezes indicou que fêmeas de G. agilis defecam maior quantidade de sementes de Miconia (média±EP = 21,7±3,8) em comparação com os machos (14,4±3,0) (F=26,32; P<0,0001). O fator estação do ano também foi significativo (F=452,22; P<0,0001) e existiu interação entre sexo e estação do ano (F=30,10; P<0,0001). Tanto fêmeas como machos aumentaram o consumo de frutos com sementes na época seca, contudo fêmeas apresentaram mais sementes nas fezes do que machos na estação chuvosa. Nessa estação, observamos um maior número de sementes de espécies de Miconia defecadas por fêmeas reprodutivas (24,7±6,6) em relação a fêmeas não reprodutivas (12,9±2,8) (P=0,031). Nossos dados indicaram que G. agilis selecionou positivamente espécies da família Melastomataceae, sugerindo um papel relevante dessas plantas na dieta desse marsupial, relacionado ao suprimento da demanda energética e de água, principalmente na época seca.

Fruit size, crop mass, and plant height explain differential fruit choice of primates and birds

Seed dispersal by animals is an important ecological process shaping plant regeneration. In general, seed dispersers are highly variable and often opportunistic in their fruit choice. Despite much research, the factors that can explain patterns of fruit consumption among different animal groups remain contentious. Here, we analysed the interactions between 81 animal species feeding on the fruits of 30 plant species in Kakamega Forest, Kenya, during 840 h of observations. Our aim was to determine whether plant characteristics, fruit morphology, fruit colours and/or fruit compounds such as water, sugar, phenols and tannins explained the relative importance of fruit consumption by the two most important consumer groups, primates and birds. We found significant differences in fruit choice between both groups. Primates fed on larger fruits and on higher trees that had larger fruit crops, whereas birds were observed feeding on smaller fruits and on smaller plants producing fewer fruits. Fruit colours did not differ between fruits consumed by primates and those consumed by birds. However, differences in the fruit choice among frugivorous birds were associated with differences in fruit colours. Smaller plants with smaller fruits produced red fruits which contrasted strongly with the background; these fruits were dispersed by a distinct set of bird species. The contents of water, sugar, phenols and tannins did not differ between fruits eaten by primates and those eaten by birds. Some phylogenetic patterns were apparent; primates fed preferentially on a phylogenetically restricted subsample of large plants with large fruits of the subclass Rosidae. We discuss why the observed primate dispersal syndrome is most likely explained by a process of ecological fitting.

Fruit consumption by carnivores in Mediterranean Europe

ABSTRACT We reviewed patterns of fruit consumption amongst 10 species of mesocarnivores: red fox Vulpes vulpes, weasel Mustela nivalis, stoat Mustela erminea, polecat Mustela putorius, stone marten Martes foina, pine marten Martes martes, Eurasian badger Meles meles, common genet Genetta genetta, Egyptian mongoose Herpestes ichneumon and wildcat Felis silvestris in Mediterranean Europe. The 65 reviewed studies recorded 79 different fruits eaten by carnivores, 58 of which were identified to species. Most records (63%) were of fleshy fruits with high pulp content. The frequency of occurrence of fruit items varied widely amongst species and regions. Four of the carnivore species (red fox, stone marten, badger and common genet) included more than 30 fruit species in their diet. A longitudinal pattern was detected in the consumption of fruit in the Mediterranean region, with the frequency of occurrence of fruit consumption increasing towards the east.

Consumption pattern and contribution of zinc and antioxidant vitamins A and C ric foods to the mean daily nutrient intake of 2-5 year old children in two rural towns in Nigeria

This study was carried out to assess the consumption pattern and contribution of zinc and antioxidant vitamins A and C-rich foods to the mean daily nutrient intake of 2 – 5 year old children, in two rural towns in Anambra state, Nigeria. Questionnaire and 3 – day weighed food intake methods were used. Questionnaires were administered to 192 mothers/caregivers of the 192 randomly selected children. A sub-sample of 20 children were randomly selected for the 3 – day weighed food intake study. All the respondents were Christians by religion and major occupations of the heads of households were trading and/or farming. Majority of the households (53.3%) were of low income group. Their fruit consumption pattern ranged from 30% (velvet tamarind) to 74% (mangoes) on any given day especially when in season. Also 65.1%, 70.8%, 13% of the children took dark green vegetables, dried fish, and breast milk, on any given day, respectively. Rice contributed highest to their daily energy, carbohydrate and niacin intake while beans contributed highest to their protein, calcium, iron and thiamin daily intake. Fruits and vegetables contributed 0.95% to 23% and 14% to 22% of the total mean daily ascorbic acid intake of the 2 – 3 year old and 4 – 5 year old children, respectively. Generally, the children had poor consumption of animal foods whose nutrients like zinc are more bioavailable. Improved agricultural production for more income to the farmers, dietary diversification and fortification together with intensified nutrition education will help to improve nutrient intake of the 2 – 5 year old children in the study area. Agro-Science Vol. 6 (2) 2007: pp. 39-47

Seed dispersal services by coatis (Nasua nasua, Procyonidae) and their redundancy with other frugivores in southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT Coati effectiveness as seed dispersers and their potential in maintaining this service through an annual cycle were evaluated during 33 months in an Atlantic forest fragment in southeastern Brazil. We determined the range of fruit and seed traits consumed by coatis, the phenology of fruit consumption, the patterns of fruit consumption and seed defecation, and the effects of ingestion in the speed and success of seed germination. In addition, we assessed redundancy among the seed dispersal services provided by coatis and other resident frugivores. Coatis consumed fruits of 53 species and dispersed seeds of at least 49 out of these species. Most consumed plant species were pioneer (59%), had fruits >15 mm diameter (58%), and were yellow or green (54%). Seeds were found in 54.5% out of 288 faecal samples. The number of seeds in faeces correlated negatively to seed mass and ranged from 1 to 1209 seeds; 50% of the faeces had Myrcia guajavaefolia , whose germination success was increased approximately 50% after pulp removal by coatis. Considering fruit colour and seed size, redundancy of seed dispersal services between coatis and other frugivores ranged from 39 to 70%. In defaunated fragments, coatis may provide a ‘key role’ in maintaining seed dispersal services for a large variety of species and they may promote gene flow among forest patches and the regeneration of disturbed sites.

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Tests of disperser specificity between frugivorous birds and rainforest fruits in New Guinea

Interactions between frugivorous birds and their food plants were studied in tropical lowland hill forest in Papua New Guinea. Over a 2-year period we made intensive observations at 20 fruiting tree species in order to determine avian feeding assemblages at each species. In all, 38 bird species took fruit during observations, mainly in the families Paradisaeidae, Columbidae, Meliphagidae, Campephagidae, Dicaeidae, Zosteropidae, and Pachycephalidae. We tested specificity of bird—plant interactions by examining various statistical associations between bird and plant characteristics to identify key factors in consistent patterns of fruit consumption, if any. Bird families were significantly associated with different types of fruits: cuckoo-shrikes, thickheads and honeyeaters visited figs more often than expected, and birds of paradise and white-eyes visited arillate fruits more often than expected. In other tests, number of visits to very small fruits 5–6.5 mm in diameter (which included several fig species) was correlated with birds ranked by size, especially for berrypeckers, flowerpeckers and white-eyes. However, for both smaller and larger fruits, or for fruits of different structure or accessibility, there was no correlation with bird size. Fruit size showed no correlation with avian food-handling behaviour, or with avian taxonomic affinity. Size of fruiting display was not correlated with either avian residency or nomadism. Our study provided an overview of most of the avian frugivore species at the study site, which fed at a wide array of fruiting plants, and thus our results give an indication of whether patterns in bird—plant relationships are discernible at the level of species, family or guild, or other ecological subset, and whether determining factors might be morphology, size, bird behaviour, etc. These results also provide a broader context within which other regional studies of bird—plant relationships can be interpreted, and were consistent with some, but not all, of the conclusions of previous studies that suggested specialised relationships between Australo-Papuan birds and fruiting plants.

NUTRITIONAL INTERACTIONS AND FRUIT REMOVAL: CEDAR WAXWING CONSUMPTION OFVIBURNUM OPULUSFRUITS IN SPRING

Fruits of Viburnum opulus (highbush cranberry, guelder rose) ripen in the fall and remain uneaten throughout the winter months. To investigate the fruiting strategy of this plant, I described the natural history of fruit removal from V. opulus shrubs in central New York and investigated nutritional mechanisms for the phenology of fruit re- moval by its principal disperser. Viburnum opulus fruit crops were often completely con- sumed in April and May, almost exclusively by Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum). Sugar solute concentration of V. opulus fruit pulp increased over the winter season through dehydration. When wild Cedar Waxwings were presented with early-season (removed and frozen in December) and remnant late-season (April) fruits, they strongly preferred early- season fruits. This result demonstrated that springtime consumption of V. opuius fruits by Cedar Waxwings is not caused by chemical changes in the fruit pulp during the winter months that enhance fruit palatability. Cedar Waxwings often fed intermittently on the male catkins of eastern cottonwoods (Populus deltoides) when eating V. opulus fruits. Feeding experiments with captive wax- wings showed that birds lost body mass on either V. opulus fruits or P. deltoides catkins alone, but maintained or gained body mass when offered both foods simultaneously. The combined diet provided Cedar Waxwings with nutritionally sufficient amounts of energy from fruit sugars and protein from pollen. Two chemical characteristics of V. opulus fruits were implicated in creating a short-term demand for supplemental protein: an especially low nitrogen/carbohydrate ratio and secondary compounds. The pulp of V. opulus fruits contains secondary compounds that make this fruit very acidic, presenting consumers with the challenge of maintaining acid/base homeostasis. Elevated nitrogen losses by waxwings eating only V. opulus fruits were consistent with the hypothesis that birds catabolized protein to produce bicarbonate as an acid buffer. Secondary compounds may play a central role in the evolution of plant fruiting syndromes because of their dual effects on microbes, me- diating persistence of fruits in the environment, and palatability of fruits to seed dispersers, presumably because they exact a protein cost from consumers. These results showed that nutritional interactions of seasonally ephemeral food items can determine temporal patterns of fruit consumption. The well-defended fruits of V. opulus are eaten when more palatable fruits no longer remain and when a complementary protein source becomes available. This fruiting strategy can result in wholesale seed dispersal. The restricted nature of the mutualism between waxwings and V. opulus appears to be a result of the extraordinary persistence of these fruits and the unique dietary habits of waxwings. Viburnum opulus fruits remain uneaten until the spring months, when waxwings are scav- enging remnant crops of sugary fruits and most other avian frugivores have switched to animal foods.

Consumption pattern of fruits in Mauritius

This article focuses on the assessment of dietary intake and possible factors limiting the pattern of consumption of fresh fruits in Mauritius. Mauritius is a rapidly developing country with an increasing rise in mortality due to coronary heart diseases and cancer. Fruits like apples, pears, oranges, bananas, grapes, kiwi and papaya were found to be mostly consumed by the respondents. This article also discusses factors such as age and sex as well as education and income that were found to be important determinants for the consumption of fruits.

Neighborhood Effects on Fruit Removal by Birds: A Field Experiment with Viburnum Dentatum (Caprifoliaceae)

The foraging behavior of fruit—eating birds can have important effects on the fitness of plants whose seeds they disperse. An important factor influencing the pattern of fruit consumption by birds may be the amount of friut in the immediate vicinity of a plant. I experimentally examined the effects of neighborhood fruit density and fruit crop size on the rate, proportion, and temporal pattern of removal of northern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum) fruits by birds in central New York. I manipulated V. dentatum fruit densities in 100 10 X 10 m plots, then monitored fruit removal by birds during 14 wk in the fall of 1985. Each plot had either high or low fruit density in a central 1 m diameter "crop" area, and either high or zero "neighboorhood" fruit density in the rest of the 100—m2 plot. I counted marked fruit in the center of each plot weekly. Fruits in high density neighborhood plots were removed significantly faster than fruits in plots with zero density neighborhoods. A significantly lower proportion of marked friut was removed from plots with both low crop size and zero density negihborhoods. Forty—three percent of all removal of marked friut by birds took place during a 2—wk period early in the friuting season. Birds feeding in flocks were observed feeding in high density neighborhood plots almost exclusively, presumably causing the greater removal from these plots. Fruit abscission accelerated after week 9, and by week 14 no fruits were left on plants. White—tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) consumed 400 of the 750 marked infructescences during the 14 wk, but destroyed rather than dispersed seeds. These results indicate that the amount of fruit in the area surrounding a fruiting plant, as well as the size of the plant's own fruit crop, can influence fruit removal by seed dispersers. Thus, disperser—mediated plant fitness is affected by neighboring plants. In contrast to previous studies, I found that high fruit density in the area surrounding a plant enhanced friut removal rather than inhibited it.