Specialty Fruit Research Articles

Adult obesity, food access, and eating habits in Italy: an empirical analysis

Purpose – Improving access to healthy foods is currently on the European Union health policy agenda, as a means to mitigate obesity. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between access to food stores and adult BMI in Italy, accounting also for the synergic role of individuals’ eating habits. Design/methodology/approach – To study the relationship between access to different food outlets, eating habits, and adult BMI in Italy, the authors combine three years of individual-level data with region-level food stores’ density measures and account for store location endogeneity using a Generalized Method of Moment estimator. Findings – While large stores and specialty fruit and vegetable stores show a BMI decreasing effect, local/convenience stores show little to no effect on adult BMI. The effect of access on adult BMI varies conditionally on dietary habits, since access to food outlets and healthy eating can have a synergic impact on reducing Italian adults’ BMI. Originality/value – The authors highlight how, the effectiveness of policies aimed to curb obesity may vary according with the food environment consumers live in as well as on individuals’ eating habits.

Genetic Diversity of Loquat [Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.] Native to Guizhou Province (China) and Its Potential in the Genetic Improvement of Domesticated Cultivars

Loquat is an important commercial specialty fruit tree crop in China, and as a result, there is significant interest in its genetic improvement. Wild loquat, native to China, provides a remarkable genetic resource for breeding improved varieties. Guizhou Province in southwest China contains many natural populations of loquat in its rural areas. In the present study, we analyzed the genetic diversity of native loquat growing throughout Guizhou Province together with wild relatives and domesticated loquat using a set of 20 informative SSR markers. Molecular analysis identified four gene pools, with gene pool I representing cultivated genotypes and gene pool IV containing wild relatives and native surveyed accessions. Approximately 10.8 % of the samples collected from Guizhou Province are feral forms derived from cultivated genotypes, whereas 24.9 % are most closely related to wild species. The remaining 64.3 % of the gene pool is intermediate genotypes derived from spontaneous crosses between wild native forms and cultivated loquat.

Self-reported Willingness to Pay for Texas Persimmon Fruit as a Food Source

The purpose of this study was to test the consumer-stated willingness to pay (WTP) of a native Texas plant fruit product, texas persimmon (Diospyros texana), for the restaurant industry, as well as for the consumer market. Farmers’ markets and restaurants specializing in either local foods, organic foods, or both were the focus of the market samples. Responses were gathered from five cities located in the geographic area of central Texas where the fruit is native including: San Marcos, Austin, New Braunfels, Wimberley, and Bastrop. About 400 quantitative survey responses were collected from farmers’ markets consumers during market days. Seven interviews collecting qualitative responses from restaurateurs provided more in-depth data on the value of the product to specialty restaurants. Restaurateurs responded positively to the texas persimmon and stated they would be willing to pay between $3.59 and $3.69/lb of texas persimmon. Results indicated the prime audience for the texas persimmon to be those who attend farmers’ markets in the age group of 25–34 years who value locally produced foods and are concerned about the environment. Farmers’ market consumers were willing to pay prices similar to specialty fruit prices.

OUTLOOK: Specialty crops and methyl bromide alternatives: Taking stock after 7 years

finding alternatives to Outlook Specialty crops and methyl bromide alternatives: taking stock after 7 years Greg T. Browne Research Plant Pathologist, Crops Pathology and Genetics Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Davis S Jack Kelly Clark pecialty crop farms and nurseries in Califor- nia, Oregon and Washington provide local and world markets with abundant fruit, nut and vegetable crops and planting stock. These op- erations thrive due to dedicated human investment and the availability of precious combinations of soil, climate and water resources. California alone produces 99% of the U.S. almond and walnut crops and 90% of the strawberry crop, and it supplies 99% or more of U.S. almond, raisin, table grape and walnut exports. Combined, California, Oregon and Washington account for roughly 32% of the U.S. floriculture crop value, 44% of the nursery crop value and 78% of the fruit and nut crop value. Pest-free nursery stock We all have a large stake in the availability of and productive specialty crops. Research increasingly documents soils are vital their benefits to our health. They are a livelihood, to efficient use directly or indirectly, for many of us. As a society, of land, water, energy and we have contributed collectively to key infrastruc- fertilizer resources tures, such as water resource developments for for specialty crops irrigation and the land-grant college system with such as almonds and grapes. its associated teaching, research and extension Above, an almond functions. Indisputably, ample food production, orchard in bloom. including specialty fruits, nuts and vegetables, is a key measure of national and global security. California Agriculture journal thanks Yet specialty crop farming faces the faculty chairs for this special col- serious challenges. Especially in lection: Greg Browne, Research Plant California, urban growth is remov- Pathologist, USDA Agricultural Research ing farmland irreversibly. Also, Service (USDA-ARS) and Department water resources can be allocated of Plant Pathology, UC Davis, and away from agriculture, and some Brad Hanson, Cooperative Extension specialty crop pest management Specialist, University of California, practices, such as soil fumigation, Davis. We also thank the USDA-ARS are requiring intensive regulation to Pacific Area-Wide Pest Management Program for Integrated Methyl Bromide ensure public safety. Alternatives for helping defray the In 2006, preplant soil fumigation cost of this issue and the upcoming with methyl bromide, an effective October–December 2013 edition. pest management practice used ex- tensively in production of billions of dollars of high-value specialty crops annually, was being phased out due to its contributions to ozone depletion in the stratosphere. Further, the immedi- ate alternatives to methyl bromide, mainly a few other soil fumigants, were on “shaky ground” due to their own environmental challenges. That year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched the Pacific Area-Wide Pest Management Program for Integrated Methyl Bromide Alternatives (PAW-MBA). The program drew growers, nursery representatives, regulatory officials and scientists from California, Oregon and Washington to work together as a multidisciplinary team in response to the methyl bromide phase-out. Scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service, University of California, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Oregon State University and Washington State University, along with public and private stakeholders, all were vital to development and implementation of the program. The PAW-MBA sought to: 1) optimize avail- able “next-best” fumigant alternatives to methyl bromide soil treatments and 2) foster development of non-fumigant alternatives. Specific needs of the targeted production systems (i.e., perennial and annual nursery crops, strawberries, almonds and stone fruits, walnuts and grapes) as well as over-arching environmental challenges (e.g., hu- man health and safety; air, soil and water quality; efficient use of environmental resources) would be accommodated. In the absence of methyl bromide, specific needs varied among the different production systems. Field nurseries needed alternatives to manage weeds (effective herbicides were not available) and nematodes (certification requires nursery stock to be nematode-free) over 1- to 2-year plant pro- duction cycles, and there was little flexibility for non-fumigant alternatives. In contrast, orchardists had less need to control weeds and more pressing needs to manage soilborne pathogen complexes (including but not limited to nematodes) over 15- to 30-year production cycles. Compared to field nurs- eries, orchard, vineyard and strawberry produc- ers had more flexibility to explore non-fumigant alternatives. All of the PAW-MBA specialty crop systems shared the imperative to minimize non-target fu- migant emissions to the atmosphere. Fumigants are hazardous, volatile, broad-spectrum biocides and are regulated accordingly at federal, state and county levels to keep bystanders safe and minimize http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.edu • JULY–SEPTEMBER 2013

In Vitro Culture and Rooting of Diospyros virginiana L.

The hard, strong, very close-grained wood of common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana L.; Ebenaceae) is desirable for specialty products such as golf club heads, percussion sticks, billiard cues, and for wood turnery. The edible fruit of cultivated varieties is sold as pulp for use in puddings, cookies, cakes, and custards. Persimmon is usually propagated by grafting. Own-rooted clonal persimmon could offer several advantages to specialty fruit growers such as elimination of grafting, graft incompatibility issues, and improved rootstocks for variety testing. Four mature, grafted (male and female) persimmon genotypes and one hybrid were used for nodal explant culture. Nodal stem explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium containing 10 μM zeatin, 3% (w/v) sucrose, and 0.7% (w/v) Bacto agar. Explants were routinely transferred to fresh medium every 3 weeks until shoot cultures were established. All nodal explants excised from grafted greenhouse plants produced at least one viable shoot. For in vitro rooting of microshoots, half-strength MS medium with 0, 5, 10, or 15 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), 0.1 g·L−1 phloroglucinol, 3% (w/v) sucrose, and 0.7% (w/v) Bacto agar were tested with a 10-day dark culture treatment followed by culture in the light. Best rooting (14% to 87%) was achieved on medium containing 5 μM IBA for the common persimmon genotypes with means averaging from 0.5 to 3.9 roots per shoot. Ninety-one percent rooting with 5.3 ± 2.6 roots per shoot was achieved for the hybrid persimmon. Rooted plants were successfully acclimatized to the greenhouse.

Vegetation Analysis of Urban Ethnic Markets Shows Supermarket Generalists and Chinatown Ethnic-specialist Vendors

The growing cultural diversity in the United States calls attention to ethnobotanical studies of urban ethnic food markets. These venues illustrate dynamic interactions between people and plants. A market survey of the Chinatown markets in Honolulu, Hawai`i was conducted to collect empirical data on this culturally rich urban area. The objectives included: (1) To analyze the food plant richness of selected Chinatown markets in comparison to local mainstream supermarkets; and (2) To test the use of vegetation analysis to describe the structure of these markets (e.g., “ethnic markets”). Surveys and mapping of food plants at three market areas in Chinatown and three mainstream supermarkets were conducted between February and March 2006. Microsoft Excel and the Community Analysis Package programs were used to analyze and compare plant richness and the structure of vendors and markets. In all of the markets combined, 291 “fresh” food plant varieties were recorded, representing 42 plant families and a group of fungi. The mainstream supermarkets were more rich in varieties of food plants than the Chinatown market area (mean ± s, 144 ± 21 vs. 95 ± 23, p=0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). Allium cepa L. and Allium sativum L. were ubiquitous. The Mainstream market group contained significantly more sweet-fruits than the Chinatown market areas. Agglomerate cluster analyses revealed groupings of mainstream supermarkets, Chinatown market areas; further analysis of the Chinatown areas defined culturally identified “Filipino,” “Vietnamese,” and specialty fruits vendors. Mainstream supermarkets may be viewed as “generalists” while the Chinatown market areas and vendors may be viewed as “specialists” for an ethnic or cultural group or food plant commodity.

Bringing Southeast Asia to the Southeast United States: New forms of alternative agriculture in Homestead, Florida

Immigrant farmers from Southeast Asia have brought knowledge of tropical fruit and vegetable production from their home countries to Homestead, Florida. They have developed a new style of farming, one that most closely resembles agricultural systems described as “homegardens.” Although biodiverse agricultural systems are generally thought to be commercially unviable, homegarden farmers successfully manage crop diversity as an economic strategy. By focusing on growing a mixture of specialty Southeast Asian herbs, fruits, and vegetables, the farmers have created their own economic niche and have shielded themselves from the competition of high-volume, single commodity producers. This paper shows that the Homestead homegardens constitute an alternative form of agriculture that is defined by their agroecological and socioeconomic attributes. It also shows that although the homegarden farms are a form of “alternative agriculture,” they do not operate outside of conventional, global systems of agricultural trade; rather the homegarden farms are embedded in global agriculture. The Homestead case problematizes the tendency to delineate between the global and local scales, and alternative and conventional sectors in agriculture today. This paper concludes that the emergence of the Homestead homegardens can only be understood by taking a place-based approach to studying the environment in which the homegardens are situated as well as identifying the large-scale influences on Miami-Dade County.

Development of Flavor Descriptors for Pawpaw Fruit Puree: A Step Toward the Establishment of a Native Tree Fruit Industry

The pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a native tree fruit with potential as a high-value niche crop for farmers in fresh-market and processing ventures. With a flavor resembling a combination of banana, mango, and pineapple, this fruit could compete with exported specialty fruits in the United States such as mango and papaya. The study objective was to develop a descriptive language for frozen pawpaw fruit puree, thereby assisting growers in the selection of superior varieties for fresh-market and processing ventures. Panelists generated 13 visual, 17 flavor, and 12 texture puree descriptors. Using these descriptors with fruit collected from Southeast Ohio (SEO) wild patches and two varieties (1–23 and 10–35), panelists identified both sour and bitter tastes in SEO puree compared to puree from either variety. The varieties also displayed positive characteristics of stronger melon and fresh flavors compared to SEO puree. Additional language descriptors for pawpaw puree may be needed.

Ascorbic acid and mineral composition of longan ( Dimocarpus longan), lychee ( Litchi chinensis) and rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum) cultivars grown in Hawaii

Longan ( Dimocarpus longan), lychee ( Litchi chinensis), and rambutan ( Nephelium lappaceum) cultivars were harvested from different locations in Hawaii and analyzed for vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and mineral content. Longan fruit had the highest vitamin C content (60.1 mg/100 g fresh weight) among the three specialty fruits tested. Average ascorbic acid content was 27.6 mg/100 g for lychees and 36.4 mg/100 g for rambutans. Vitamin C content was 63.3 and 55.3 mg/100 g for the longan cultivars, Biew Kiew and Sri Chompoo, respectively. For rambutans, vitamin C content ranged from 22.047.8 mg/100 g for the six cultivars tested. The early maturing lychee cultivar, Kaimana, had an average ascorbic acid content of 33.2 mg/100 g, and the later maturing Groff and Bosworth-3 cultivars had 21.2 and 22.5 mg/100 g, respectively. No correlation was found between ascorbic acid and total soluble solids (TSS) content. Longans were a good source of K (324.9 mg/100 g) and Cu (0.26 mg/100 g). Consumption of lychee fruit (100 g) would meet 2–4% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) for six minerals (P, K, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn), and 22% of the DRI for Cu. Rambutan fruit had 20% of the DRI for Cu and 8–10% of the DRI for Mn. In general, fruit mineral content was not associated with soil mineral content.

One Tangerine/Grapefruit Hybrid (Tangelo) Contains Trace Amounts of Furanocoumarins at a Level Too Low To Be Associated with Grapefruit/Drug Interactions

ABSTRACTTangelos are citrus hybrids with grapefruit and tangerine parentage and are a significant crop in Florida, marketed as specialty fruit. Because tangelos contain genetic material from grapefruit, there is the question of whether or not they contain furanocoumarins and exhibit an interaction with the drugs that have been associated with the grapefruit‐drug interaction. Authentic samples of 13 tangerine‐grapefruit hybrids (tangelos), 1 tangerine‐orange hybrid, and 1 mandarin tangerine from Florida were obtained and screened for furanocoumarin monomer and dimer contents. None of the tangerine or tangerine hybrids were found to contain any furanocoumarins except for the K‐Early variety, which contained trace amounts of 6,7‐dihydroxybergamottin (0.028 ppm ± 0.0034), bergapten (0.011 ppm ± 0.005), and bergamottin (0.025 ppm ± 0.011). These amounts are low and insignificant in that they are not at levels that would significantly inhibit CYP3A4 enzyme and affect absorption of drugs metabolized by this enzyme. This information presents strong evidence that the commercial tangerine and tangelo varieties grown in Florida are unlikely to cause any interaction with the drugs affected by grapefruit.

Going the "Extra" Crop in Lean Times

n these “lean” economic times, many of us are being forced to accept more program assignments as positions are being lost through retirement and, more recently, outright eliminaI tion (Cage, 1991). If we evaluate new opportunities in specialty crops through the lens of our existing overburdened and thinly supported extension programs, surely most of these possibilities will be stillborn. In the case of specialty or nontraditional small fruit crops in the south eastern United States, red raspberries seem to get the most interest and coverage by newspapers and the popular press (Demmer, 1990). In North Carolina, we have numerous “Yankee Transplants” (including myself) who insist on growing “northern” red raspberries that have difficulty in the hot, humid summer climate of the Piedmont and coastal plain. Furthermore, raspberries are especially prone to winter freeze injury in the foothills and mountains of western North Carolina, as temperatures there may fluctuate in January and February by as much as 80F in a 24-h period. There is a growing demand for information pertaining to red raspberry culture in each of North Carolina’s major geographic and climatic sections. But, little information derived from a university-directed applied research program in red raspberries exists to extend! With the exception of a recently renewed Rubus breeding program in the Dept. of Horticultural Scienceat the Univ. of North Carolina, efforts in culture and pest control are non-existent. In this article I address some of the difficultiesextension horticultural specialists face in trying to develop specialty crop production and marketing information. lnformation recycling. Recycling leaflets and bulletins from other states with significant commercial red raspberry acreage, such as Oregon and New York, is one approach to satisfying an extension client’s demand for information. However, this can be inadequate, and even damaging, if you consider the financial risks to the information-user when so little is known in the region about the basic adaptation of the crop, the pest complex and controls available (if any), and how the market will respond to a new cultivar. Specialty crops such as red raspberries in the southern United States are risky business. Local-

Resources for the Commercial Production of Specialty Fruit Crops in the Northeast

Resources for the Commercial Production of Specialty Fruit Crops in the Northeast

Provitamin A activity of specialty fruit marketed in the United States

The provitamin A content (α-carotene, β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin) was determined in 33 different specialty fruits that are primarily of tropical origin and common to the U.S. market. After saponification, carotenoids were extracted with hexane and quantitated by reverse-phase HPLC using a Zorbax ODS column and an isocratic solvent system of acetonitrile, methylene chloride + 0.001% triethylamine, and methanol (350:150:1). Recoveries, determined by standard addition before saponification, were in the range of 70–100% for the three carotenoids. Proximate analysis was also conducted. Variation in carotenoid content was noted at different sampling times and for different cultivars of some of the specialty fruit. Provitamin A activity reported as retinol equivalents varied from nondetectable levels in fruit such as atemoya to relatively high levels in tamarillo (208 ± 63 RE/ 100 g) and purple passion fruit (196 ± 13 RE/ 100 g). Since the fruits included in the study represent an expanding market, they could provide significant levels of vitamin A activity to U.S. consumers. This study provides information necessary to judge their contribution of vitamin A activity to the U.S. diet.

Chandler—an early-ripening hybrid pummelo derived from a low-acid parent

Abstract does not appear. First page follows. The pummelo (Citrus grandis Osbeck) is a citrus species which is widely grown and used as a fresh fruit in southeast Asia, but is little known in the United States. Many varieties exist, partly because pummelos produce only sexual progeny and each new seedling is likely to be somewhat different from the next. Pummelos and pummelo culture have been described by (Wester (1917))4 in the Philippine Islands, (Reinking and Groff (1921)) and (Groff (1927), (1930) in Thailand, and (Ochse (1931)) in the Dutch East Indies. (Reasoner (1888)) discussed some varieties of pummelo growing in Florida. (Swingle (1943)) and (Webber (1943)) have discussed the botany and some of the cultivated varieties of the pummelo. Among citrus fruits, the grapefruit is the closest relative of the pummelo. The two are similar in many respects, but the pummelo fruit is larger and has firmer flesh. In most varieties, it also has a considerably thicker rind. It often lacks the bitterness characteristic of grapefruit, although some pummelo varieties have highly unpleasant flavors. At Riverside, pummelos ripen earlier than grapefruit. In the Orient, the pummelo flesh apparently develops greater firmness than in California, and the juice vesicles can be eaten out of hand, even after removal of the segment membranes. At the University of California Citrus Experiment Station, Riverside, a collection of some fifty pummelo varieties, mostly obtained through the United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Introduction, has been maintained since about 1932. Under Riverside climatic conditions, most of these varieties have not been particularly promising. A few become good-flavored by March or April, some eleven months after flowering, but nearly all show severe fruit drop by that time, particularly during periods of high winds, which usually occur one or more times during the winter season. All the varieties have contained many seeds in the mixed plantings at the station, although in southeast Asia, fruits with few seeds are produced under some conditions. In the United States, the seediness and firmness of the pummelo reduce its suitability for eating by halves with a spoon, as grapefruit are eaten. Likewise, it is not suitable for juicing. It serves best as a specialty fruit, to be eaten by slices out of hand, in salads, or fruit cups. By cutting pie-shaped or tangential sections, one can largely avoid the seeds and core. Unlike most