Fruit Homogenates Research Articles

The effect of dietary supplementation of Lycium barbarum leaves on the growth performance, organ indexes and intestinal microflora of rats.

This study was conducted to investigate both fruit and different levels of leaf supplementation on the growth performance, organ indices and intestinal microflora of rats. Twenty-five healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups. The rats in the control (NC) and positive control (PC) groups were fed by gavage a basal diet and a basal diet with 4 g/kg of L. barbarum fruit homogenate, respectively. The test (LD, MD, and HD) groups were fed basal diets with additional 2, 4, and 8 g/kg of L. barbarum leaf homogenate, respectively. The feeding period was 35 d. The result revealed that the rats in the LD group had the highest average weight gain (p < 0.05). The cardiac and renal indexes in the LD and MD groups were significantly higher than in NC group, respectively (p < 0.05). Diversity analysis revealed that adding low concentrations of L. barbarum leaf homogenates markedly reduced the Shannon index of the rats cecum (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Verrucomicrobiota was higher in the LD group than those in other groups (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Actinobacteriota was found significantly higher in PC group than others (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Akkermansia in LD group was the highest (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Romboutsia in the PC group was considerably higher than that in other groups. The relative abundance of Candidatus_Saccharimonas in the supplementation groups was appreciably lower than those found in other groups. The relative abundance of Alloprevotella was significantly lower in PC, LD, and MD groups than in NC and HD groups (p < 0.05). The relative abundance of Oscillibacter was significantly higher in HD group than in other groups (p < 0.05). Thus, L. barbarum leaf homogenate fed to rats could increase their growth performance, internal organ weights and additionally enhance the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria. Therefore, based on the obtained data in the current study, a dose of L. barbarum leaf homogenate supplemented with 2 g/kg in diet is recommended, however, further studies are required to confirm, especially in animals.

Effect of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Fruit Homogenate on Hypotonicity– induced Haemolysis of Red Blood Cell

Effect of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Fruit Homogenate on Hypotonicity– induced Haemolysis of Red Blood Cell

Determination of vitamin c in raw fruit and vegetable homogenates: dietary exposure and health effects of excess intake in adults and children.

The aim of the study was to determine Vitamin C content in some fruits and vegetables (FAV) including apple, banana, orange, pineapple, watermelon, carrot and cucumber, sold in the local markets in Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria as well as Vitamin C content in two-component and three-component homogenates FAV. The work was also designed to investigate the dietary exposure and health effects of excess vitamin C intake in adults and children. Vitamin C as total ascorbic acid (AA) after reduction of dehydroascorbic acid was analyzed using both titrimetric and spectrophotometric methods. The titrimetric method involved iodometric back-titration while the spectrophotometric method was done at an absorbance of 530 nm. The dietary exposure was evaluated as the total FAV intake multiplied by chemical concentration in the FAV whereas the health effect of excess vitamin C intake was conducted using the hazard quotient (HQ). The results revealed that Vitamin C for single fruits ranged from 11.76 - 41.17 mg/L for spectroscopic method and 16.9 - 31.84 mg/L for titrimetric method. Fruit homogenates showed Vitamin C concentrations of 14.70 - 220.58 mg/L and 17.23 - 209.09 mg/L for two-components homogenates: 29.41-132.35 mg/L and 31.05-113.10 mg/L for tri-components homogenates for spectrophotometric and titrimetric methods respectively. The results of dietary exposure and the health effects of excess vitamin C intake showed that children are more susceptible to health issues than adults in illnesses such as nausea, gastrointestinal pains, increased kidney stones and hyperactivity. There is therefore the need for a national recommended dietary allowance for total ascorbic acid (AA) in FAV homogenates from a stakeholder point of view in Nigeria.

Novel molecularly imprinted aerogels: Preparation, characterization, and application in selective separation for oleanolic acid in lingonberry

An oleanolic acid (OA) surface molecularly imprinted polymer silylated porous composite aerogels (OA-MIP@Si-PC-aerogels) adsorbent material was successfully prepared and characterized. The material not only has a great selectivity for the target molecule OA but also has other noteworthy qualities including high stability, excellent repeatability, and a sizable adsorption capacity. via cellulose and sodium alginate as the main materials, the carrier Si-PC-aerogels were made through ionic cross-linking, chemical cross-linking, and silylation procedures. By adopting a surface molecular imprinting approach on Si-PC-aerogels, OA-MIP@Si-PC-aerogels were effectively created utilizing OA as the template molecule and MAA as the functional monomer. Due to the presence of a specific imprinted layer on the aerogel surface, the adsorption capacity of OA-MIP@Si-PC-aerogels for OA could reach 66.20 mg g−1. OA-MIP@Si-PC-aerogels could achieve a 68.86% yield of OA from the extracts of lingonberry (Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea L.). The adsorption capacity remained at 90% after five consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. HepG2 cells were exposed to OA that was effectively enriched with OA-MIP@Si-PC-aerogels in lingonberry (Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea L.) fruit homogenates. This OA significantly inhibited the growth of HepG2 cells in vitro. It further demonstrated that OA-MIP@Si-PC-aerogels could efficiently target OA enrichment and separation with good recovery.

Antioxidant Efficacy of Selected Underutilized Fruit Species Grown in Sri Lanka

The present study was carried out to determine the vitamin C content, total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant efficacy and total monomeric anthocyanin content (TMAC) of twenty-one underutilized fruit species grown in Sri Lanka. Approximately 5g of fruit homogenates was used to determine the vitamin C content while lyophilized aqueous extracts were used to perform in-vitro antioxidant assays. Folin-Ciocalteu’s colorimetric assay was used to determine TPC. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-pycrylehydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging, 2,2’- azinobis- 3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) total antioxidant activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays were used to determine antioxidant efficacy of fruit extracts, while the pH differential method was used to determine TMAC. The highest TPC (104 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g on dry weight (DW) basis), reducing power (155μmol of ferrous sulphate equivalents/g DW), and the lowest IC50 (0.0004 g of DW/mL) were recorded in Phyllanthus emblica and obtained the first rank in overall antioxidative properties among the tested fruit species. Fruits with the highest total antioxidant activity were Flacourtia indica, Morus alba, Phyllanthus emblica and Syzygium caryophyllatum. The highest TMAC was found in S. caryophyllatum (79 mg of cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G)/g DW) and the lowest in Elaeocarpus. serratus (0.29 mg C3G/g DW). Results obtained in this study can be used as baseline data to carry out further research and formulation of food compositional tables. The underutilized fruit species tested could be used assources of natural antioxidants in nutraceuticals and in novel food product development.

Inhibition of Phospholipase A2 and Prostaglandin Synthase Activities as Possible Mechanisms for the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Cucumis sativus Fruit Homogenate

Inhibition of Phospholipase A2 and Prostaglandin Synthase Activities as Possible Mechanisms for the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Cucumis sativus Fruit Homogenate

Evaluation of chlorophyll and anti-oxidative components harvested from the anaerobic digestion of fruit and vegetable waste

Abstract Two-phase up-flow sludge blanket filter (TUBF) digestion process of fruit and vegetable waste homogenate generated anaerobic sludge with concentrated pigments and reducing compounds. In the 5–50 L scale-up daily batch and semi-batch operations, the organic loading rate attained was over 6 kg COD/m 3 .day. A comparative study indicated that Minox polyethylene ring packing was critical for optimization of anaerobic digestion. The biogas production in terms of the volatile fatty acid pattern with a C 2 –C 6 level of 600 mg/L through liquefaction and acidification (LA) maintained the alkalinity over 3500 mg/L and stabilized the pH of the LA phase at 5.2–6.8 according to the loading status. In the semi-batch operation of 50 L, pigments gradually condensed in the sludge layer were concentrated by a factor of at least ten fold, and a high level of reducing activity was retained by the chlorophyll and anti-oxidative components.

Development of an amperometric-based glucose biosensor to measure the glucose content of fruit.

An amperometric enzyme-electrode was introduced where glucose oxidase (GOD) was immobilized on chitosan membrane via crosslinking, and then fastened on a platinum working electrode. The immobilized enzyme showed relatively high retention activity. The activity of the immobilized enzyme was influenced by its loading, being suppressed when more than 0.6 mg enzyme was used in the immobilization. The biosensor showing the highest response to glucose utilized 0.21 ml/cm2 thick chitosan membrane. The optimum experimental conditions for the biosensors in analysing glucose dissolved in 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) were found to be 35°C and 0.6 V applied potential. The introduced biosensor reached a steady-state current at 60 s. The apparent Michaelis-Menten constant () of the biosensor was 14.2350 mM, and its detection limit was 0.05 mM at s/n > 3, determined experimentally. The RSD of repeatability and reproducibility of the biosensor were 2.30% and 3.70%, respectively. The biosensor was showed good stability; it retained ~36% of initial activity after two months of investigation. The performance of the biosensors was evaluated by determining the glucose content in fruit homogenates. Their accuracy was compared to that of a commercial glucose assay kit. There was no significance different between two methods, indicating the introduced biosensor is reliable.

Selective oxidation of pyrogallol-type catechins with unripe fruit homogenate of Citrus unshiu and structural revision of oolongtheanins

In our previous chemical study of the production mechanism of black tea polyphenols, we demonstrated that Japanese pear fruit homogenate oxidizes green tea catechins bearing pyrogallol-type and catechol-type B-rings to produce theaflavins and dehydrotheasinensins. In contrast, unripe fruit homogenate of Citrus unshiu selectively oxidizes pyrogallol-type catechins to yield only dehydrotheasinensins. The difference in the selectivity of the two homogenates is probably related to the lower redox potential of pyrogallol-type catechins. The oxidation of epigallocatechin with C. unshiu homogenate gave two new compounds, including an ethanol adduct of an oolongtheanin precursor and epigallocatechin 4′-O-rutinoside, together with theasinensin C, dehydrotheasinensin E, and desgalloyl oolongtheanin. The structure of desgalloyl oolongtheanin should be revised based on the spectroscopic and computational data collected in the current study, and a mechanism responsible for the production of oolongtheanins is also proposed.

Anti-inflammatory Activity of Cucumis sativus L.

Aims: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity and acute toxicity of Cucumis sativus L. Study Design: Animal model assays of anti-inflammatory. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, 410001, Nigeria between April 2014 and November 2014. Methodology: To evaluate anti-inflammatory activity, test substances that included whole Cucumis sativus L. homogenate were administered to four groups of Wistar rats. A control group received normal saline; a reference group received a standard anti-inflammatory drug, DiclofenacO while 2 test groups received whole Cucumis sativus L. fruit homogenate, respectively. Inflammation of the right hind paw of rats was induced by subplantar injection of 0.1 ml of 2% agar-agar suspension and increases in paw volumes, which relate to anti-inflammation, were measured using the volume displacement method. To evaluate the acute toxicity of Cucumis sativus L. fruit homogenate, 20 albino mice grouped into five groups of four mice each with animals were used. Animals in different groups were orally administered with different amount of the whole fruit homogenate. The animals were monitored for dullness, nervousness, uncoordinated movement, and death within 24 hours after administration. Results: Paw volume progressive decreased within 5.5 hours in test groups after administration of Cucumis sativus L. The administered Cucumis sativus L did not induce adverse effects on the mice within the concentration range of 0.5 mL/kg body weight to 5 mL/kg body weight test animals. Conclusion: The whole fruit homogenate of Cucumis sativus L. had anti-inflammatory activity and no dose-dependent side effects.

Survival of Salmonella on Dried Fruits and in Aqueous Dried Fruit Homogenates as Affected by Temperature

A study was done to determine the ability of Salmonella to survive on dried cranberries, raisins, and strawberries and in date paste, as affected by storage temperature. Acid-adapted Salmonella, initially at 6.57 to 7.01 log CFU/g, was recovered from mist-inoculated cranberries (water activity [aw] 0.47) and raisins (aw 0.46) stored at 25°C for 21 days but not 42 days, strawberries (aw 0.21) for 42 days but not 84 days, and date paste (aw 0.69) for 84 days but not 126 days. In contrast, the pathogen was detected in strawberries stored at 4°C for 182 days (6 months) but not 242 days (8 months) and in cranberries, date paste, and raisins stored for 242 days. Surface-grown cells survived longer than broth-grown cells in date paste. The order of rate of inactivation at 4°C was cranberry > strawberry > raisin > date paste. Initially at 2.18 to 3.35 log CFU/g, inactivation of Salmonella on dry (sand)-inoculated fruits followed trends similar to those for mist-inoculated fruits. Survival of Salmonella in aqueous homogenates of dried fruits as affected by fruit concentration and temperature was also studied. Growth was not observed in 10% (aw 0.995 to 0.999) and 50% (aw 0.955 to 0.962) homogenates of the four fruits held at 4°C, 50% homogenates at 25°C, and 10% cranberry and strawberry homogenates at 25°C. Growth of the pathogen in 10% date paste and raisin homogenates stored at 25°C was followed by rapid inactivation. Results of these studies suggest the need to subject dried fruits that may be contaminated with Salmonella to a lethal process and prevent postprocess contamination before they are eaten out-of-hand or used as ingredients in ready-to-eat foods. Observations showing that Salmonella can grow in aqueous homogenates of date paste and raisins emphasize the importance of minimizing contact of these fruits with high-moisture environments during handling and storage.

Influence of different heat treatments on the content of phenolic acids and their derivatives in selected fruits

Introduction. Un grand nombre d'effets positifs de la consommation de fruits a ete deja mis en evidence : action hypolipidemique, reduction du taux de glucose dans le sang, hepatoprotection, amelioration de l'etat antioxydant ainsi que, entre autres, effets antioxydant, antiradicalaire, anti-inflammatoire, anti-cancereux ou anti-adipogenique. Materiel et methodes. Les changements des taux d'acides phenoliques et de leurs derives dans certains fruits (aronia, fraise des bois, pommes var. Idared et Champion, cerise, abricot, peche, framboise, canneberge et myrtille) frais ou transformes ont ete etudies par HPLC et detection UV. Des homogenats de fruits seches et de compotes ont ete effectues. En outre, les fruits ont ete cuits pour simuler la production de confitures. Resultats et discussion. Onze acides phenoliques et derives ont ete identifies dans des echantillons testes : acides cafeique, chlorogenique, p-coumarique, ferulique, gallique, ellagique, protocatechique, p-hydroxybenzoique, gentisique, syringique et vanillique. Dans la plupart des cas, le traitement thermique des fruits a provoque une diminution des taux d'acides phenoliques. Dans certaines conserves, le taux de composes phenoliques individuels est reste inchange ou a ete considerablement augmente. Conclusion. Le traitement thermique pourrait avoir des effets differenties sur les taux d'acides phenoliques dans les fruits transformes et il n'est pas possible de generaliser ces effets. Dans ce contexte, la composition des fruits contenant un acide phenolique peut varier.

Prebiotic activity score and bioactive compounds in longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.): influence of pectinase in enzyme-assisted extraction.

The optimal extraction of bioactive compounds from longan fruit pulp using Pectinex® Ultra SP-L pectinase hydrolysis of the fruit homogenate was evaluated. The highest degree of hydrolysis (DH), as determined by the amount of reducing sugars released from the longan pulp, was obtained at a pectinase concentration of 2.5% (v/w) (257 polygalacturonase units/g fruit) for 4h. The level of bioactive compounds obtained from the pectinase-treated longan pulp increased with increasing DH to a maximum at the highest DH (21%) obtained, with an antioxidant activity of 0.083EC50 μg fresh mass (FM)/μg diphenyl-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium and 92.7μM Trolox equivalent/g FM, respectively. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents in the 21% DH extract were 196.0mg gallic acid equivalents/g FM and 19.6mg catechin equivalents/g FM, respectively. The 21% DH longan extract showed an enhanced (3.6- to 4.0-fold) inhibition of lipid peroxidation of oil compared to the untreated (0% DH) extract. In addition, the 21% DH longan extract had the highest soluble dietary fiber content, which was related to the decreased particle size of 345μM, and displayed enhanced prebiotic activity scores of 1.69 and 1.44 for Lactobacillus acidophilus La5 and Bifidabacterium lactis Bb12, respectively. Most of the 33 detected volatile compounds differed in their relative proportions after enzymic extraction (15 increased, 15 decreased with three showing no significant change) with the 0% and 21% DH hydrolysates exhibiting 25 and 22 different volatile compounds, respectively, with 11 and eight unique compounds between them, respectively.

Determination of the Composition in Sugars and Organic Acids in Peach Using Mid Infrared Spectroscopy: Comparison of Prediction Results According to Data Sets and Different Reference Methods

The prediction of internal quality properties, such as sweetness and acidity, in peach fruit by mid infrared spectroscopy is of interest for rapid determination. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was tested here on two populations of peach fruits issued from contrasting genitors providing a large phenotypic variability. Over two successive years, 284 samples in 2006 and 483 samples in 2007 were characterized for soluble solids content (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), glucose, fructose, sucrose, malic acid, and citric acid contents. Sugar and organic acid composition were determined by three methods: colorimetric enzymatic measurements (ENZ), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), or proton NMR spectroscopy ((1)H NMR), depending on the samples. For all samples, fruit homogenates were analyzed in ATR-FTIR using the same methodology and the same spectrometer. The objective here was to evaluate the effect of reference methods on the prediction performance. The best results were generally observed for SSC and TA, the percentage of the root-mean-square error of cross validation (RMSECV%) ranging respectively between 5.8% and 8.7% and between 5.9% and 8.0%, depending on the samples. For individual sugars and organic acids, the best correlations were obtained between ATR-FTIR data and ENZ reference data followed by HPLC and (1)H NMR ones.

Determination of Dodine in Fruit Samples by Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A rapid and sensitive LC/electrospray ionization-MS/MS method has been developed for the determination of dodine in fruit samples. Based on a liquid-liquid extraction of 10 g solid fruit homogenate using an acetone-dichloromethane-hexane mixture and acetate ammonium buffer (pH 4.5), this LC/MS/MS procedure was characterized by recoveries above 50%, with good intra-assay precision (RSD < 13%) and interassay precision (RSD < 18%) for seven different matrixes (apple, apricot, cherry, peach, pear, plum, and quince). This method was validated from 5 to 500 microg/kg according to standard guidelines. Its LOD (1 microg/kg) and LOQ (5 microg/kg) were in accordance with recommendations of the European legislation defined for infant food [maximum residue level (MRL) = 10 microg/kg]. The whole procedure was finally tested on 1022 fruit samples intended for commercialization, both infant food samples and samples not intended in particular for babies. In this study, dodine was detected in 27 samples; none exhibited a concentration higher than the MRL.

UTILIZATION OF MILK PERMEATE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPORTS DRINKS

The purpose of this study was utilization of milk permeate in the manufacture of sports drinks. The milk permeate contained 6.1% total solids, 4.2%lactose and 0.54% ash. The permeate was treated by going through several processes, which included; heat treatment, fermentation and clarification. Strawberry and mango homogenates were prepared and stored at -20oC until use. Fruit beverages were prepared using the pretreated permeate and fruit homogenates at ratio of 3:1 (v/w). Sports drinks were chemically analyzed and organoleptically evaluated when fresh and every 5 days until 15 days of storage in refrigerator. The results revealed that milk permeate was a good source for the essential electrolytes such as calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus which may be taken as sports drinks after normal or vigorous exercise to replace sweat lost. Using strawberry or mango greatly increased calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorus content in the prepared drink. Mango was better source for potassium and magnesium comparing to strawberry, whereas strawberry was better one with respect to calcium and phosphorus. Sensory evaluation indicated that the two sports drinks with fruits had better acceptability as a compared to the plain (control) one.

Studies on the Antihyperlipidemic Properties ofAverrhoa bilimbiFruit in Rats

Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. fruit and its extracts were screened for antihypercholesterolemic activity using Triton-induced hypercholesterolemia in rats as a model. The fruit and its water extract, but not alcohol and hexane extracts, showed remarkable antihypercholesterolemic activity. An active fraction, which showed activity at a low dose of 0.8 mg/kg, was purified from the water extract. An active component was isolated from the active fraction, which showed optimum activity at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg. The efficacy of the fruit was tested in chronic high-fat diet fed hyperlipidemic rats. The fruit (125 mg/kg) as well as its water extract (50 mg/kg) were found to be effective in lowering lipids in the high-fat diet fed rats. The fruit was subjected to preliminary general toxicity evaluation in mice. Oral administration of the fruit homogenate daily for 15 days did not result in any toxic symptoms up to a dose of 1 g/kg studied. Thus, this fruit can be used as a dietary ingredient to prevent as well as treat hyperlipidemia.

Oxidative Degradation of Bisphenol A by Fruit Homogenates

ABSTRACT: The oxidative degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) by several fruit homogenates was investigated. Their homogenates were incubated with BPA at 25 °C for 0 to 120 min, and the acetone extracts were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a photodiode array detector (200 to 650 nm). The 2 degradation products (UK-1 and UK-2) from BPA were detected on HPLC chromatograms (280 nm). UK-1 and UK-2 were identified to be 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-ydroxyphenyl) propane, (3-OH-BPA) and 4-[1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-isopropyl]benzene-1,2-diol, (3,3′-diOH-BPA), respectively, by HPLC-MassPectrometry (LC-MS). In the process of incubation, the peak of 3-OH-BPA attained the maximum value in the 1st 20 min, and that of 3,3′-diOH-BPA increased more slowly, attaining the maximum in 50 min. On the other hand, incubation of 3-OH-BPA (instead of BPA) with grape homogenates gave the maximum peak of 3,3′-diOH-BPA in only 10 min. 3, 3′-diOH-BPA was a polyphenol compound that contained 4 hydroxyl groups. These results suggested that BPA would be degraded (converted) to brown pigments through the compounds of 3-OH-BPA and 3, 3′-diOH-BPA in some fruit homogenates.

Breeding of Tomato with High L-Ascorbic Acid Content by Clonal Selection

We developed a variety of tomato with high L-ascorbic acid (AsA) content by clonal selection. Initially, 432 breeding materials of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.), were evaluated for the following parameters, fruit ascorbic acid (AsA) content, total soluble solids (TSS) content of fruit homogenate, and fruit weight. Their AsA contents ranged from 28 to 639 mg · kg−1; the average was 247 mg · kg−1. Although no clear correlation between fruit AsA content and average fruit weight existed, many varieties with extremely high AsA content bore small fruit weighing less than 10 g. However, several varieties weighing 30-60 g had AsA content higher than 500 mg · kg−1. Moderate positive correlation was observed between AsA content and TSS content, suggesting a probability of developing tomato varieties with high AsA content and TSS. From these breeding materials, 22 and 53, maternal and paternal parents, respectively, were hybridized, resulting in 698 cross combinations. Among their progenies, 10 or 20 individuals from each cross combination were cultured and evaluated for the above characteristics. The average AsA content ranged from 132 to 388 mg · kg−1. Twenty-four outstanding individuals including VT8 that was finally released as a new variety, were selected and multiplied vegetatively and the clones were evaluated under three cropping types: normal, retarding and forcing culture in several farms in Japan using the ‘House Momotaro’ and ‘Momotaro-York’ two common varieties, as the controls. Although AsA content of VT8 fluctuated from 220 to 365 mg · kg−1, it consistently exceeded that of the control by 50-100%. TSS content of VT8 varied between 5.2 and 7.2%, in contrast to 4.5 to 6.7% of the control. Average fruit weight of VT8 varied with the cropping type from 57.6 to 72.8 g. Yields of VT8 in retarding culture at three different farms were similar to or slightly higher than those of the control varieties. Thus, VT8 was developed as a variety within three years from evaluation of breeding materials to completion of a year-round trial.

Pectin Methylesterase from Kiwi and Kaki Fruits: Purification, Characterization, and Role of pH in the Enzyme Regulation and Interaction with the Kiwi Proteinaceous Inhibitor

Pectin methylesterase was purified from kiwi (Actinidia chinensis) and kaki fruit (Diospyros kaki). The pH values of the fruit homogenates were 3.5 and 6.2, respectively. The kiwi enzyme is localized in the cell wall and has a neutral-alkaline pI, whereas the kaki enzyme is localized in the soluble fraction and has a neutral-acidic pI. The molecular weights of the kiwi and kaki enzymes were 50 and 37 kDa, respectively. The two enzymes showed a similar salt and pH dependence of activity, and a different pH dependence of the inhibition by the kiwi proteinaceous inhibitor.