Honey Dew Research Articles

Comparative Study of the Agronomic and Organoleptic Performances of Some Varieties of Papaya (Carica papaya L.) Grown Outdoors and in Polyhouse in Kerala (India)

The present study was undertaken with the objective to evaluate the performance of papaya varieties under two growing conditions (open and polyhouse) in terms of yield and quality attributes. The study was conducted in Fruits Crops Research Station, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur during 2022-2023. The seedlings of seven papaya varieties, CO-3, CO-7, Arka Surya, Arka Prabhath, Coorg Honey Dew, Pusa Delicious and Red Lady were planted under both open field and polyhouse condition at a spacing of 2 m x 2 m in CRD with five plants per variety. Compared to the plants grown in open field, the plants grown under polyhouse showed an early flowering (75.68 days), minimum fruit cavity index (15.47 %), zero disease incidence to PRSV, maximum TSS (13. 67 ˚B) and total sugars (11.26 %) in CO-7 while maximum fruit length (18.84 cm) and fruit mass (2605.34g) were observed in CO 7. It was also observed that CO-7 grown under polyhouse showed an increased yield (55.20 kg/plant) as compared to the plants under open condition. Hence, it can be concluded that CO-7 can be successfully cultivated under polyhouse condition in Kerala with good yield and quality.

Evolution of Induce and Physical Mutagen on Vegetative Traits of Papaya (Carica papaya L.)

The experiment was conducted on Horticultural Research Centre of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, located in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The experiment was laid out in RBD design and data was recorded on different growth trait of papaya. Two variety of papaya Arka surya and Coorg honey dew, the seed of papaya was treated with Gamma and EMS mutagen and sown in field for evolution. The treatment detail of the experiment was T1, 5 Gy, T2, 10 Gy, T3, 15 Gy, T4, 0.25% EMS, T5, 0.50% EMS, T6, 0.75% EMS, T7, 5 Gy+0.25% EMS, T8, 10 Gy+0.50% EMS, and T9, 15 Gy+0.75% EMS. Finally, on the basis of result recorded that in both year days taken to seed germination and stem girth(cm), 10GR better performance over all treatment, while in number of leaves at flowering and petiole length (cm), 5GR better performance over all treatment. Whereas, In EMS and (Gamma rays + EMS), 0.25% EMS and 5G+0.25%EMS perform better result for petiole length and number of leaves at flowering while for days taken to seed germination and stem girth, 0.50%EMS and 10G+0.50%EMS perform better result.

Alternative flours from pulp melons (Cucumis melo L.): Seasonality influence on physical, chemical, technological parameters, and utilization in bakery product

Fresh vegetables have high water content and low acidity, so drying can extend shelf life, allowing the obtaining of alternative flours for the development of new products. The study aimed to investigate the influence of the melon harvest and off-season on the chemical composition of melon (Cantaloupe, Charentais e Honey Dew) flours and the potential application in products. The flours were evaluated for granulometry, morphology, centesimal composition, lipid and mineral content, total phenolic compound (TPC), antioxidant activity, and technological properties. Cakes containing melon flour were produced to replace wheat flour (0, 25, and 50 %) and evaluated for proximate composition, microbiology, and sensory parameters. Flours were classified as fine-grained (MESH >16), except Charentais off-season (medium - MESH 8–16, and fine-grained - MESH >16), and all presented a rough surface and minimal cell wall ruptures. The harvest homogeneously influenced the humidity, as all the off-season flours showed higher levels [17–22 %] (p < 0.05) due to weather conditions. For TPC, Cantaloupe melon flours from the harvest (CFH) [208 mg/100 g] and off-season [877 mg/100 g] stood out (p < 0.05), and the latter showed greater antioxidant potential [328 μmol TE/g]. Palmitic, linoleic, and linolenic acid stood out in all flours, and potassium for minerals (63–78 %) in the harvest and off-season. The harvest and off-season specifically influenced the flour of each variety in swelling power, water solubility, oil absorption, and emulsifying capacity. For cakes with CFH, no thermotolerant coliforms and Escherichia coli were detected, and the mesophilic count was <1.0 CFU/g. The ash, protein, lipid, and fiber contents increased proportionally to melon flour addition (p < 0.05). Sensory acceptance was high for cakes containing 25 and 50 % of CFH [82.78 % and 82.53 %], and most consumers would likely buy the products (4.04 and 3.99) (p < 0.05). The study contributed to knowledge about the seasonality effect and demonstrated the potential use of melon flour in developing new products.

Behavioural Responses of &lt;em&gt;Cryptolaemus montrouzieri&lt;/em&gt; (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to Paracoccus marginatus (Papaya Mealybug) Related Cues in Laboratory Conditions

Purpose: Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a well-known biocontrol agent that is widely used to control soft-bodied insects including papaya mealybug. This study aimed to evaluate the behaviour of C. montrouzieri to chemical simulants associated with honeydew (HD) and crushed papaya mealybugs (CPMBs), under laboratory conditions.Research Method: The larvae and adult stages of C. montrouzieri were introduced into a Petri dish containing HD or CPMBs treated and untreated Carica papaya (Papaya) leaf discs, and the behaviour was recorded for 20 minutes using video surveillance. Searching time, walking speed, and number of turns on leaf discs were quantified. Findings: Results revealed that the searching time of C. montrouzieri, on papaya leaf discs was significantly varied with different larval instars and adults (F(4,298) = 17.21, p&lt;0.05) as well as leaf-coated substances (F(2,298) = 78.07, p&lt;0.05). When considering all larval instars of C. montrouzieri searching time on CPMBs (690.7 ± 25.3 s) was significantly higher compared to HD (524.8 ± 33.5 s) and clean leaf disc (219.6 ± 34.4 s) (F(2, 227) = 60.61, p&lt;0.05). The searching period of the first larva (L1) was significantly higher compared to adults in all treatments (p&lt;0.05). The walking speed of the fourth larva (L4) and adults of C. montrouzieri on HD and CPMBs leaf discs was significantly lower compared to that of clean leaf discs. The number of turns per unit path length was significantly higher in both HD (1.100 /cm) and CPMBs (1.129 /cm) leaf discs compared to the control (0.501 /cm) concerning larvae and adults.Originality/value: It leads to the conclusion that HD and CPMBs considerably change the searching behaviour of larvae and adults of C. montrouzieri. Further work should be focused on examining and utilizing these chemical cues for searching to enhance the efficacy of C. montrouzieri in controlling papaya mealybug.

MAPPING BEE-KEEPING FOREST PLANTS FROM MEDIUM SPATIAL RESOLUTION MULTISPECTRAL SATELLITE DATA

Abstract. Apiculture is one of the main branches of agriculture and crucial to rural development since it provides farmers with unique products like honey, wax, pollen, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom. Due to pollination services provided by honeybees, environmental sustainability and diversity are also increased, as well as crop production. In Greece, approximately 2.000.000 bee colonies (second in the E.U.) are reported with a relatively high density per km2. There are more than 20.000 beekeeping operators that produce about 20.000 tons of honey every year, while more than 65% of Greek honey is produced from honey dew. To this end, this study aims to identify and map major honeybee flora in the Greek mainland and the Greek islands (Fir forests, Pine forests and Oak forests) for the year 2019, in order to examine best regions to deploy honeybee colonies. In particular, a classification framework for mapping the main honeybee flora is introduced that is exploiting annual moderate-resolution satellite multi-temporal data. Additionally, a methodology is presented to generate a coarser training dataset by utilizing a high-spatial resolution, detailed land cover map. This process specifically focuses on the integration of honeybee flora classes that are not present in the land cover map but are of significant great importance for honey flora mapping. The goal was to enable large-scale classification without the computational resource constraints typically associated with such national scale frameworks. Experimental results are quite promising with the quantitative validation indicating overall accuracy of more than 85%.

Melissopalynological analysis of Apis honey from northern districts of West Bengal

The assessment of botanical origin of honey in northern districts of West Bengal, viz. Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts through melissopalynological analysis is the focus of this study. Ten different honey samples were analysed, from which 78 different pollen taxa representing 34 different plant families have been detected. Asteraceae, Brassicaceae and Fabaceae were the most frequently encountered families. Asteraceae had highest number of representative pollen types (14 types) followed by Fabaceae (11 types). Seven honey samples were recorded as unifloral honey and three were multifloral honey. Litchi chinensis was found as a predominant pollen in two samples, whereas Brassica sp., Canna indica, Leucas aspera, Mimosa pudica and Rosa sp. were the other predominant pollen taxa. In multifloral honey samples Brassica sp. was found to have a higher frequency. Honey samples collected from regions with close proximity during the same season showed a higher similarity index. All the honey samples were poor in honey dew elements (HDEs) having HDE/P ratio (P = total number of pollen grains) of 0.000 to 0.056. The absolute pollen count (APC) varied from 7500 to 696 000 pollen/10 g honey. High variation in pollen spectra with less preference to a particular bee forage in summer honey samples may indicate the onset of dearth period.

Bio-Insecticidal Efficacy of Aegle Marmelos Against Myzus Persicae

Myzus persicae (Green peach aphids) has wide range of distribution in different plant hosts. As a pest it causes adverse effect to crops both directly and indirectly by transmitting different viruses and also by producing honey dew. Myzus persicae transmits almost 100 different viral diseases of plants on thirty different plant families which include some major crops like, sugar cane, tobacco, paddy, citrus, sugar beet etc. Myzus persicae is cosmopolitan in distribution. This insect pest causes damage to wide range of economically important crops and their control is usually dependent upon chemicals, intensive use of which may develop resistance in them. During this experiment botanical pesticide is used as natural control measure and tested its efficacy against Green peach aphids at different concentrations. The plant used is Aegle marmelos. Plant parts such as stem and leaves were used to prepare Boiling and Soxhlet extract. Each extract of plant was individually tested against the aphids’ nymph which gave maximum mortality of about 97.7% results at the concentration of 500 ppm. The use of this botanical pesticide helps to eradicate the crop pests by an eco-friendly manner.

Effectiveness of integrated solarization technology in managing soil-borne pathogens and weeds in citrus seedlings under greenhouse conditions

Solarization Technology utilizes solar radiation to kill soil-borne pests, diseases, and weeds in an environmentally and eco-friendly way. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of integrating solarisation with sticky traps on two potting mixtures (sawdust and soil) for three Citrus species (Citrus sinensis, C. reticulata, and C. limon). Eight treatments were tested viz., non-solarized sawdust, non-solarized soil, solarized soil, solarized soil with sticky traps, non-solarized soil with sticky traps, non-solarized sawdust with sticky traps, solarized sawdust, and solarized sawdust with sticky traps, each replicated thrice and were arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Thirty sterilized seeds of each Citrus species were sown per treatment and monitored for one year in 2019. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant difference in weed control between the treatments at p ≤ 0.05. Tukey’s post hoc test showed weed growth differences between treatments with sawdust and ones with soil as media. More weeds grew in non-solarized soil (32%), compared to non-solarized soil with sticky traps (30%), solarized soil with sticky traps (21%), solarized soil (17%), and treatments with sawdust media did not allow weed growth (0%). A Kruskal Wallis test revealed a significant effect of treatments on the survival percentage of Citrus seedlings (X2 = 36.008, df = 7, p&lt; 0.001), mean of chewed leaves (X2 = 20.850, df = 7, p = 0.004) and percentage levels of low chlorophyll (X2 = 21.073, df = 7, p =0.004) at the p ≤ 0.05 level. Highest number of Citrus seedlings with folded leaves were observed in non-solarized sawdust with sticky traps (mean rank = 119.50), followed by non-solarized soil with sticky traps (112.22), and solarized sawdust (107.69), while the lowest in non-solarized sawdust (90.96), solarized soil (90.91), non-solarized soil (88.25), solarized sawdust with sticky traps (85.44) and lastly solarized soil with sticky traps (82.54). Citrus seedlings with sawdust media were observed to be nitrogen deficient (Mean ranks 118.43 - 141.63). Solarized soil with sticky traps had the least number of Citrus seedlings with leaf miner symptoms (Mean rank = 12.50). Therefore, solarized soil with sticky traps was the most suitable treatment for the control of soil-borne pathogens. Treatments with sawdust media effectively stopped weed growth while those with solarized soil media reduced their growth. Integration of sticky traps was very pivotal in the management of whiteflies and other honey dew secreting insects. We recommend a similar study under field conditions.

Contenido de oligoelementos y capacidad antioxidante en mieles de regiones fitogeográficas protegidas de Uruguay

Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by honey bees, from the nectars of plant flowers and honey dew. The components of honey vary depending on the geographical site and the existing flora. The objective of this work was to characterize Uruguayan honeys produced in different regions by composition of trace elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Zn, I, Se), the antioxidant capacity, the total polyphenols, and the palynological profile. Sixty-six honey samples were obtained in two seasons, spring-summer and summer-autumn, from three regions of protected areas, and a fourth region associated with human activities. The results obtained show that the contents of Cu and Mn were significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) in region C (1.785 ug/g and 4.668 ug/g). For Mo, the Q region presented 1.060 ug/g, being significantly different (P&lt;0.05) from the other regions. The total polyphenol content from region C was significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) (66.442 mg GAE/100g). Likewise, the antioxidant capacity presented significant differences (P&lt;0.05) for region C in the spring-summerseason. Some species, genus or botanical families were only found in a particular region. This work allows us to affirm that honey can be differentiated by its micronutrient content associated with the total polyphenol content, and a higher antioxidant activity for certain regions, given by the floral species present in the region and the type of soil.

Fungus and fruit consumption by harvestmen and spiders (Opiliones, Araneae): the vegetarian side of two predominantly predaceous arachnid groups

In this review, we report on harvestmen and spiders feeding on fungi, fruits, and seeds. Fungivory in harvestmen is widespread, with most reports referring to tropical species in the family Sclerosomatidae, which consume mainly small forest mushrooms (families Marasmiaceae and Mycenaceae). In contrast, consumption of fungal material by spiders apparently occurs only if airborne spores trapped in the viscid threads of orb-webs (e.g., Araneidae and Tetragnathidae) are ingested along with old webs prior to the construction of new webs. Consumption of fruit pulp by harvestmen is also widespread, with several records of Leiobunum spp. (Sclerosomatidae) feeding on Rubus spp. berries and other lipid-poor fruits in the Holarctic region. In Neotropical forests, harvestmen in the families Cosmetidae and Gonyleptidae feed on lipid-poor pulp of fallen fruits. Among spiders, we document several cases of synanthropic species opportunistically feeding on fruit waste (e.g., pieces of banana, papaya, watermelon, or orange pulp) inside houses or disposed in yards. Only one case of a spider feeding on a wild fruit in the field was found in our search. Finally, we report several cases of harvestmen and spiders feeding on elaiosomes or arils (i.e., lipid-rich seed appendages). In conclusion, harvestmen consume mushrooms, fruit pulp, seeds, and seed appendages more frequently than spiders probably because they are “solid food feeders”, which means they can ingest solid tissues by biting off small pieces. In turn, spiders are “fluid feeders” and feed on vegetable matter most frequently in the form of fluids (e.g., nectar, stigmatic exudate, plant sap, and honey dew), rather than fungal or plant tissues.

Comparative Morphological Description of Mealybug Species in Cassava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important tuber crop grown for food, feed and beverages. Because of its ability to grow on soil of low organic content and produce high yield, it is considered a food security crop in African countries. Now it became the industrial crop since it is raw material for the production of starch, energy and live stock feed. In Tamil Nadu, it is grown in Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri and Kanyakumari districts, both in irrigated and rainfed condition. Recently , the major constraint in cassava production are mealybug damage. The invasive mealybug species, Phenococcus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Pseudococcidae) was first reported from Salem district and its occurrence was found associated with other species of mealybug. The nymphs and adult of mealybugs were collected from farmer”s field in Namakkal, Salem and Tiruppur district and morphological characters were observed to identify the key characters of mealybug species. Among the specimens collected, the species identified with colour, wax coating and body filaments were Ferrisia virgata, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi and P. manihoti. P. manihotidifferentiated from the other species with its distinct symptom of distortion of leaves at tip (Bunchy top) and extensive honey dew secretion.

Status of (Gennadius) in Context of its Biology Bemisia tabaci and Ecology in Cotton Agroecosystem

Cotton is an important cash crop and extensively cultivated in different parts of the world. Many factors are responsible for its low productivity and production but the magnitude of insect pests that damage cotton crop from sowing to maturity, is most important. Introduction of Bt cotton lead to drastic reduction in bollworms incidence but sucking insect pests such as whitefly, mealybug, jassid and thrips aphids has increased. Among these, whitefly, is most serious pest of cotton. At present, it is globally distributed and known to infest several Bemisia tabaci plant species. It causes damage to cotton crop by direct feeding and contamination of lint by honey dew and sooty mould. It transmits a deadly cotton leaf curl virus. has strong relationship with abiotic factors like temperature, humidity and precipitation. Temperature has B. tabaci positive correlation and relative humidity has negative correlation with whitefly. A combination of temperature and relative humidity is highly important for its multiplication in cotton. For a multi-voltine and multi-crop pest like estimating rates of mortality in the field is extremely B. tabaci complex and difficult. So, life table studies are important to predict pest outbreaks and to develop pest management strategies.

INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPOSITAE – 3

INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPOSITAE – 3

New Record of Spiralling Whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus Russell on Brinjal From Manipur

The spiraling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersus Russell was found infesting brinjal in Imphal, Manipur during October 2020 and January 2021, with lifestages getting completed on leaves. The spiraling nature was also found with heavily infested leaves getting crinkled before drying out. The honey dew and black sooty moulds symptoms were also observed. Moderate infestation was found during rainy season but it was heavy during November to December. The biopesticide Verticillium lecanii was found to be effective with incidence and the number of spirals observed to be reduced within seven days.

Melissopalynological Analysis of Forest Honey from North Malaysia

Honey is a natural product widely used by humans due to its sweet taste and health benefits produced by bees from nectar and honey dew of various plants. To establish and increase the production of honey one must know the plants that take part in the production of honey. In this study pollen analysis of forest honey samples from northern part of Malaysia was carried out to determine the botanical sources playing role in the production of honey in that region. The pollen samples were acetolyzed and identified microscopically. Out of the three samples studied Baling sample was unifloral having Mimosa scabrella as predominant pollen while Jeli and Gerik samples are multifloral containing Tipo myrcia and Elais guineensis as major secondary pollen. Fabaceae family represented four pollen types and accounted 80% of pollen in Baling sample and 34 % in Gerik sample while completely absent in Jeli sample. These results showed the dominance of plants from Fabaceae family in honey production. All the samples analysed have Albizia falcataria, Eupatorium sp., Sparganium typha, Tilia sp. and Tipo myrcia in common indicating that these plants are present in all the three places and these results also can be used as a tool in geographical identification of North Malaysian honey from others.

Bioactive compounds and antibacterial activities in crystallized honey liquefied with ultrasound

The effect of ultrasound on the crystal size, phenols, flavonoids, Maillard products and antibacterial activity of crystallized honeys was studied. Three multifloral honeys (M), one monofloral (MO) and one honeydew (HD) honey were used. Ultrasound was performed at 42 kHz for different times (0, 5, 10 and 15 min). The antibacterial activities were tested against Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In all honeys, the parameters analyzed had significant differences ((P < 0.05)). After 15 min of ultrasound the HD had increments of 44 mg of gallic acid/100 g of honey in phenols, and some M showed increase in flavonoids (5.64 mg of quercitin /100 g of honey) and improvement in inhibition against Salmonella typhimurium was 13.1%. In some honeys the correlation between phenols or flavonoids and antibacterial activity were significant ((P < 0.05)). No correlation was found between Maillard products and antibacterial activity. The ultrasound treatment effect on the crystal size, phenols, flavonoid, Maillard products, and antibacterial activity of crystallized honeys were different in each honey.

Physico-Chemical and Melissopalynological Characterization of Czech Honey

Geographical and botanical origin of honeys can be characterized on the basis of physico-chemical composition, sensory properties and on the basis of melissopalynological analysis. No comprehensive description of the characteristics of Czech honey has been published so far. This study provides insights that are important for correct classification. The study analysed 317 samples of authentic honey from randomly selected localities. Due to the diversity of the landscape, the typical honey of the region is blend honey with a predominance of blossom honey. According to the pollen profile and electric conductivity, the honeys were sorted into the following: Brassica honey (BH), Floral honey (FH), Fruit tree honey (PH), Honeydew (HD), Lime tree honey (LH), Robinia pseudoacacia honey (RH), and Trifolium honey (TH). Physico-chemical properties, including higher carbohydrates, were determined for the honeys and their pollen profiles were examined. The physico-chemical properties and pollen profile are partially in compliance with the description of European monofloral honeys, except for RH and TH. Although they had the highest proportion of acacia pollen, amounting to &gt;10% of all the Czech honeys, these RH honeys differ from the European standard, so they cannot be considered acacia honey. Further, PH honeys and FH polyfloral honeys were described. Most honeys contained a significant proportion of rapeseed pollen, which is one of the common agricultural crops grown in the Czech Republic. All the analysed honeys met the parameters defined by the legislation. Due to direct on-site sampling, honeys were characterized by a low 5-(hydroxymethyl)furfural (HMF) content (3.0 mg/kg) and high diastase activity (24.4 DN). Honeydew honeys had the highest proportion of higher carbohydrates, primarily of Melezitose (4.8 g/100 g) and Trehalose (1.3 g/100 g). The presence of higher carbohydrates was also confirmed in LH for Maltose (4.6 g/100 g) and Turanose (2.4 g/100 g).

Keragaan Lima Varietas Melon (Cucumis melo L.) dengan Perlakuan Irigasi Cincin di Rumah Kaca

Perakitan varietas melon unggul baru memerlukan materi genetik yang beragam. Ekspresi keragaman genetik memerlukan lingkungan yang mendukung, salah satunya adalah ketersediaan air bagi tanaman. Penelitian ini bertujuan: (1) mempelajari pengaruh varietas (V), perlakuan irigasi (I), interaksi VxI terhadap karakter melon, (2) mengestimasi komponen ragam dan heritabilitas arti luas karakter melon, (3) mengestimasi produktivitas air dan penggunaan air tiap tanaman melon. Percobaan dilakukan di rumah kaca Kebun Percobaan Cikabayan, Departemen Agronomi dan Hortikultura, Fakultas Pertanian IPB, Darmaga, Bogor, pada bulan September-November 2017 menggunakan rancangan tersarang dengan dua faktor dan lima ulangan. Lima varietas melon (‘Honey Dew’, ‘Honey Blonde’, ‘Brilliant’, ‘Athena’, dan ‘Serenade’) ditempatkan secara acak pada tiap ulangan di dalam tiap taraf perlakuan irigasi (784 L, 1,127 L, dan 1,407 L). Varietas berpengaruh nyata terhadap karakter diameter batang, panjang daun, lebar daun, umur berbunga jantan, umur berbunga hermafrodit, panjang buah dan padatan terlarut total. Perlakuan irigasi tidak berpengaruh nyata terhadap semua karakter tanaman, namun interaksi VxI berpengaruh nyata pada karakter umur panen. Karakter padatan terlarut total dan panjang daun memiliki nilai heritabilitas arti luas &gt;50%. Produktivitas air irigasi adalah 153.7 kg ha-1 mm-1 dan total penggunaan air untuk tiap tanaman pada perlakuan irigasi P1, P2, dan P3 masing-masing adalah 38.58 L, 50.78 L, dan 73.19 L.&#x0D; Kata kunci: heritabilitas, pemuliaan melon, produktivitas air

Nutritional benefit of fungal spores for honey bee workers

The collection of fungal spores by honey bees, Apis mellifera, can be classified as active or passive, the latter when spores are associated with pollen, nectar or honey dew. While low quality and shortage of pollen have been raised as hypotheses for fungal spore collection, the nutritional value of fungal spores for honey bees is poorly understood. Here we investigated the effect of consumption of fungal spores on survival, ovarian activation and the development of the hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs) in honey bee workers. Two pollen diets (Eucalyptus sp. pollen and a multifloral pollen) supplemented or not with spores of Botrytis cinerea, Cladosporium sp. or Colletotrichum acutatum were used. Consumption of diets that contained fungal spores increased the longevity of honey bee workers but had no significant effect on the development of their HPGs and ovaries. This demonstrates that fungal spores may have nutritional value for honey bees and that the consumption of fungal spores may compensate for nutritional imbalances of poor-quality pollen diets.

From By-Product to the Food Chain: Melon (Cucumis melo L.) Seeds as Potential Source for Oils.

Fruit-processing industries annually discard large volumes of fruit by-products. Thousands of tons of melon seeds could be recovered through the year from melon production. These seeds are an excellent source of vegetable oil with significant health-promoting properties due to their unsaturated fatty acid profile and high content of specific bioactive compounds. However, little information exists about the influence of melon cultivars and oil-extraction methods on oil characteristics. In this study, oils from nine different melon cultivars were evaluated. Additionally, two oil-extraction methods (screw and hydraulic press) were studied. Results showed that melon seeds may be used as a novel source of healthy oils. Higher-quality oils were obtained with the hydraulic press; however, low yields reduced industrial interest in this method. Oils extracted from the different cultivars showed high variability in the content of linoleic (51–69%) and oleic (15–34%) acids. Regarding vitamin E, γ-tocopherol was the main isoform found in melon-seed oils (99.81–456.73 mg/kg), followed by α- and δ-tocopherols. Significant concentrations of tocotrienols (α, β, and γ) were also found. Although all cultivars showed positive attributes, principal-component analysis (PCA) showed that Honey Dew and Blanco de Ribatejo could be specifically considered as a potential source of polyunsaturated oils with high concentrations of vitamin E.