Maurizio Grassi

Maurizio Grassi

TECHN
Retired

About

107
Publications
11,343
Reads
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1,523
Citations
Additional affiliations
May 2017 - August 2022
Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (Council for Agricultural Research and Economics)
Position
  • Technician
December 2014 - April 2017
October 1999 - December 2014
CRA-Council for Agricultural Research
Position
  • Technician
Education
October 1972 - July 1977
ITAS "A. TOSI"
Field of study
  • Agricultural sector

Publications

Publications (107)
Article
Full-text available
Time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS), a nondestructive technique, can help the industry to provide high-quality fruit to encourage pear consumption. The absorption coefficient measured by TRS at 670 nm (μa670) represents a maturity index for pear fruit, with less mature pears high μa670 and more mature low μa670. The aim of this work was to...
Article
Full-text available
The aim of this work was to explore the feasibility of time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) in determining the ripening degree and the quality of orange-fleshed melons. Sixty ‘Honey Moon’ melons were measured by TRS in the 540-1064 nm range and classified as less (LeM), medium (MeM), and more (MoM) mature according to increasing values of μ...
Article
Non-destructive techniques could help mango growers to pick fruit at the proper maturity degree and to monitor fruit quality during storage and marketing to satisfy the consumer expectations. The absorption coefficient non-destructively measured at 540 nm (μa540) by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) was shown to be a maturity index for m...
Poster
Full-text available
le varietà economicamente più importanti. Lo scopo di questo lavoro è stato quello di valutare l'effetto della conservazione, del trattamento con 1-MCP e del grado di maturazione determinato in modo non distruttivo alla raccolta mediante spettroscopia di riflettanza risolta nel tempo (TRS) sul profilo sensoriale di pere 'Abate Fetel' e 'Conference'...
Poster
Full-text available
Il progetto ESPERA (Regione Lombardia) mira al miglioramento della gestione della filiera della pera IGP del Mantovano mediante l’implementazione di innovative soluzioni tecnologiche, di processo e organizzative, per limitare gli sprechi e valorizzare gli scarti. Il progetto prevede la determinazione di un indice di maturazione non distruttivo da u...
Article
Storage of apples (Malus × domestica, Borkh.) in controlled atmosphere (CA) and/or the application of initial low oxygen stress (ILOS) are very effective in controlling postharvest disorders as bitter pit and superficial scald. This work aims to evaluate the effect of CA-storage and ILOS on the stress-related compounds of apple peel and to deepen t...
Article
In this research, the relationship between scattering properties, texture sensory profile and Water Matrix Coordinates (WAMACs) during shelf life was studied on ‘Braeburn’ apples. In this regard, 20 fruit samples kept at 20°C were selected at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 14 and 21 days and measured non-destructively by TRS for bulk μ’s estimation, and by a M...
Article
Full-text available
Sturgeon caviar quality relies not only on the perfect dosage of the ingredients but also on the long sturgeon breeding cycle (about 12-15 years) and the exact timing of the egg extraction. For the improvement and the promotion of Italian caviar, the development of an analytical system dedicated to fish products, and caviar, in particular, is funda...
Article
Bulk optical properties, in terms of absorption (μa) and reduced scattering coefficients (μ′s), can be used for the non-destructive monitoring of fruit quality during ripening. In this study, the performance of time-resolved (TRS) and spatially-resolved (SRS) spectroscopy were compared by analyzing ‘Braeburn’ apples over a 21 d period of ripening....
Article
Full-text available
The study aimed to evaluate apple fruit affected by watercore by a physical and biochemical point of view and, at the same time, to gain an insight into the mechanisms of the watercorerelated oxidative stress and browning. Fruit of the cv. Pomella Genovese (Malus x domestica Borkh.) were harvested in three different orchards and stored at 1°C (8590...
Article
Full-text available
Aiming at investigating the feasibility of timeresolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) for the nondestructive detection of internal brown spot (IBS) and other defects in 'El Beida' potatoes, 90 tubers were measured in 8 points by TRS for the absorption coefficient at 730 nm (µ a 730) and then trans versally cut open for recording presence and posit...
Article
Full-text available
Bananito (Musa acuminata, AA) fruit in three maturity stages (stages 2, 4 and 6) were investigated in this study. Correlation analysis was conducted between fruit firmness, soluble solids content (SSC) and several colour parameters. Point-measured spectroscopy (Vis-point) and spatial-measured hyperspectral imaging (Vis-HSI) were applied to collect...
Article
Annurca is the most cultivated apple variety in Campania region (Italy). It is an Italian PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) product and its management must follow a strict product specification which requires a typical postharvest treatment: the fruit must be subjected to a reddening process (“melaio”) that improves the red colour and the fla...
Article
Full-text available
Aquaphotomics is a scientific discipline which investigates the water-light interactions in biological systems by using NIR spectroscopy and multivari-ate analysis to relate water absorption patterns to bio-functionalities. This work aimed at evaluating the feasibility of Aquaphotomics to study apple fruit sensory texture. 'Braeburn', 'Gala' and 'K...
Article
Coatings play an important role in preserving the quality of meat products by reducing weight loss, improving appearance and integrity. The aim of this work was to study the effect of an innovative coating on the ripening of ‘‘Salame Piacentino’’. Sixty samples were collected after 40 days of aging: 30 samples were treated with a water-soluble comp...
Article
Full-text available
The content and composition of the main antioxidants in the pulp of mangoes depend also on cultivar and maturity degree, the latter being non-destructively evaluated by the absorption coefficient measured by Time-resolved Reflectance Spectroscopy (TRS) at 540 nm (µ a 540). Aiming at evaluating the levels of antioxidants [carotenoids (CAR), phenols...
Article
Full-text available
Calibration transfer from a handheld micro NIR spectrometer (NIR-point, 939–1602 nm, 6.2 nm) to a desktop hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) for predicting soluble solids content (SSC) of bananito flesh was investigated in the study. Different spectral pre-processing and standardization methods were employed for correcting spectra so as to minimise sp...
Article
It has been shown that in pears treatment at harvest with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) inhibits superficial scald (SupSc) and prevents or controls soft scald (SoftSc) and internal breakdown (IntBk), but the 1-MCP dose inhibiting scald development can impair fruit ripening. Storage conditions (time, atmosphere, temperature) influence texture and sen...
Article
Time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) has been used for non-invasive assessment of maturity and texture characteristics in intact apples. The absorption coefficient measured at 670 nm can be considered a maturity index for apples while the reduced scattering coefficient (μ’s) changes according to pulp texture characteristics, increasing with...
Article
A physical-chemical characterization, followed by the measurement of biochemical traits, was performed on two novel mini-watermelon varieties, ‘Cuoredolce®’ and ‘Rugby’, selected for the high content of sugars and carotenoids, at three different maturation stages. The aim of this work was to define the fruit quality and to find potential external m...
Research
Full-text available
The technological possibilities of environmental monitoring have developed enor- mously over the past few years. The MONALISA Project has combined the potential of various technologies and has gathered data for South Tyrol at different levels, from the smallest scale of the individual apple, to the whole orchard and all the way to data covering...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Different fruit textures are characterized by different pulp tissue optical properties. The absorption (µa) and the reduced scattering (µ's) coefficients, nondestructively measured in the fruit flesh by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) were able to distinguish apple cultivars with different textures and were found to be linked to mechan...
Poster
Full-text available
I consumatori di mele preferiscono frutti croccanti e succosi a frutti farinosi. Queste caratteristiche sensoriali definiscono la texture di un frutto e sono legate alle proprietà meccaniche e acustiche della polpa. La texture dipende dal grado di maturazione e varia con l’intenerimento del frutto a causa delle modificazioni subite dalle pareti cel...
Poster
Full-text available
Abbé Fétel is susceptible to superficial scald (SupSc) and soft scald (SoftSc) during storage. Among the postharvest methods experimented to control scald not involving the use of chemicals (ethoxyquin, 1-MCP) there are the Initial Low Oxygen Stress (ILOS) and the Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA). This research aimed at studying the influence of...
Article
Food packaging and coatings have the well-known and established functions of containment, protection and handling facilitation of the food packaged inside. Fast methods able to classify, sort and identify the quality and the stability characteristics associated with the various packaging and coating materials are required along the food chain in or...
Conference Paper
‘Annurca’ apple is a typical PGI product of Campania region (Italy). This cultivar is highly susceptible to superficial scald, an important postharvest disorder. After harvest, ‘Annurca’ fruit are subjected to a typical reddening treatment (melaio) to turn the apples’ skin red. They are usually stored under normal atmosphere (NA) conditions and, in...
Article
‘Abate Fetel’ pears are susceptible to superficial scald (SupSc), a storage disorder usually prevented by ethoxyquin treatments, which, being recently banned in Italy, may be replaced by alternative methods such as 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment at harvest and dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage. Aiming at finding the better strateg...
Article
‘Abbé Fétel’ is the most important pear cultivar in Italy but is susceptible to superficial scald and soft scald during storage, the former effectively prevented by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment at harvest and by dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA). However, 1-MCP at −0.5 °C prevents pear ripening, and DCA can favor the appearance of soft...
Article
Full-text available
Superficial scald is a disorder developed in cold storage by ‘Conference’ and ‘Abbé Fétel’ pears and it has been related to the presence of oxidation products, mainly conjugated trienols (CTols), of which α-farnesene is primary, acting on epidermal cells. Among tested postharvest methods to control scald, there is treatment at harvest with 1-methyl...
Article
Full-text available
The absorption coefficient of the fruit flesh at 670 nm (μa), measured at harvest by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) is a good maturity index for early nectarine cultivars. A kinetic model has been developed linking the μa, expressed as the biological shift factor to softening during ripening. This allows shelf life prediction for indi...
Article
Full-text available
Three peach (‘Honora’, ‘Dr. Davis’ and ‘Fairtime’) and five nectarine (‘Maria Anna’, ‘Diamond Ray’, ‘Fairline’, ‘Nectaross’, ‘Sweet Red’) cultivars were analyzed at harvest and after a postharvest ripening period. Physicochemical characteristics [peel ground color (L*,C*, h°), soluble solids content (SSC), flesh firmness and titratable acidity (TA)...
Article
Four Actinidia cultivars ('Hayward', 'Early Green', 'Boerica' and 'Hort 16A') were evaluated few days after harvest (T0) and after shelf-life at 20°C or storage at 1°C until ripe. As expected, flesh firmness decreased dramatically in all the cultivars during the ripening process while soluble solids content increased. In all the cultivars no import...
Article
Full-text available
Several techniques have been developed to preserve the quality of horticultural products throughout the supply chain. Edible coatings represent a promising technology as they can improve quality and extend shelf life of fruit and vegetables by changing gases and moisture permeabilties, enhancing fruit appearance, and reducing microbial contaminatio...
Article
Firmness decay, chlorophyll breakdown and carotenoid accumulation, controlled by ethylene, are major ripening events in mango fruit. Pigment content and tissue structure affect the optical properties of the mesocarp, which can be measured nondestructively in the intact fruit by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS). This work is aimed at imp...
Article
‘Abbé Fétel’ is the most important pear cultivar in Italy but is susceptible to superficial scald and soft scald during storage, the former is effectively prevented by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment at harvest and by dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA). However, 1-MCP at −0.5 °C prevents pear ripening, and DCA can favor the appearance of so...
Article
‘Conference’ pears in Italy are often subjected to superficial scald in cold storage, impairing their marketing. Among the postharvest methods employed to control scald, some include treatment at harvest with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), dynamically controlled atmosphere (DCA) and initial low O2 stress (ILOS). This research aimed at studying the i...
Article
‘Tarocco’ is the most popular blood orange cultivar in Italy. Until now, limited information has existed on the effect of storage on physiology, aroma and nutritional quality of ‘Tarocco’ oranges. In this work, physico-chemical, physiological and nutritional properties, as well as the aroma profile of ‘Tarocco Scirè’ fruit were evaluated after 0, 1...
Article
Abstract Texture is a sensory property affecting consumer acceptability and it is dependent on pulp structure. Often, changes in fruit texture are accompanied by changes in the optical properties of the flesh. The absorption (μa) and the scattering (μs’) coefficients, non-destructively measured in the fruit pulp by time-resolved reflectance spectro...
Article
This work aimed at studying the feasibility of time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) to nondestructively detect internal browning (IB) in ‘Braeburn’ apples through the development of classification models based on absorption (μa) and scattering (μs′) properties of the pulp. This research was carried out in two seasons: in 2009, apples were m...
Article
Full-text available
'Braeburn' apples from three harvests after 6-month storage in controlled atmosphere were measured at 670 nm by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS), ranked on decreasing μa670 (increasing ma-turity), classified as less (LeM), medium and more mature (MoM), randomised into three batches per harvest and analysed after 1, 8 and 14 days of shel...
Article
Non-destructive measurement of firmness is required by fruit industry for better fruit management. Aiming at non-destructively estimating firmness in apples, three optical maturity indices based on chlorophyll content were compared: the absorption coefficient measured at 670 nm (µa670) by time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS), the IAD measur...
Article
The objective of this comparative study was to determine the quality changes in five peach genotypes [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] during ripening of fruit harvested at commercial maturity (i.e., fruit picked mature but not fully ripe), and at full physiological maturity. The genotypes used were ‘Big Top’ nectarine, ‘Redhaven’, and its white-fleshed...
Article
‘Abbé Fétel’ is the most important pear cultivar in Italy but is susceptible to superficial scald and soft scald during storage. Superficial scald is controlled by ethoxyquin but recently it has been excluded from the list of the active ingredients of chemicals used in food production. The combination of 1-MCP and dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA...
Article
The effect of initial low oxygen stress (ILOS) on α-farnesene, conjugated trienols (CTols), fermentative metabolites and superficial scald development in ‘Conference’ pears was investigated. At harvest, fruit were untreated or treated with 300 ppb 1-MCP. After 4 weeks at -0.5°C, fruit were stored up to 13 weeks in controlled atmosphere (CA, 2 kPaO2...
Conference Paper
Fruit of the cultivar ‘Galaxy’ and of three new apple cultivars (‘Gemini’, ‘Renoirciv’ and ‘Gaia’) were evaluated at 1°C in regular (RA) or controlled (CA) atmosphere during a 6-months storage. Two static CA compositions were assessed: CA1 (1.7% O2 + 1% CO2) and CA2 (1.2% O2 + 1% CO2). At harvest and after 60 and 180 days, total phenols content (TP...
Conference Paper
‘Abbé Fétel’ is the most important pear cultivar in Italy but is susceptible to superficial scald and soft scald during storage. Superficial scald is controlled by ethoxyquin but recently it has been excluded from the list of the active ingredients of chemicals used in food production. The combination of 1-MCP and dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA...
Article
Full-text available
Carotenoids are plant metabolites which are not only essential in photosynthesis but also important quality factors in determining the pigmentation and aroma of flowers and fruits. The expression patterns of relevant carotenoid genes and metabolites were studied throughout fruit development, in order to investigate carotenoid metabolism and the rel...
Article
Time-resolved Reflectance Spectroscopy (TRS) in the 540–900 nm spectral range has been tested in order to assess nondestructively the biological age of Brazilian mangoes. To this purpose a TRS set-up has been used to measure absorption and scattering coefficients of 60 intact mango fruits (cultivar ‘Haden’), harvested in Minas Gerais, Brazil, and t...
Article
The aim of this research was to study the relationships among the optical properties measured by TRS in the spectral 630-900nm range and apple texture measured through sensory and physical analysis in fruit of different maturity. ‘Braeburn’ and ‘Cripps Pink’ (Pink Lady®) apples, harvested at three times (H1, H2, H3), were measured by TRS at 670 nm...
Article
Full-text available
Brown Heart (BH) is an internal disorder which is visible only when fruit are cut open. The aim of this work was to test whether time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) can be used to detect BH in intact ‘Braeburn’ apples stored for 3 and 6 months in BH inducing (1% O2 + 5% CO2) and not-inducing (2.5% O2 + 0.7% CO2) conditions. At each storage...
Article
Full-text available
With the aim of studying the optical properties of ‘Pink Lady®’ apples measured by TRS during storage in normal atmosphere and of relating them to fruit maturity and structural characteristics, 60 apples, measured at harvest by TRS at 670 nm and in the spectral range 740−1100 nm, were ranked on the basis of decreasing μa670 (increasing maturity) an...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Time-resolved Reflectance Spectroscopy (TRS) has been used to predict mangoes softening rate by measuring at harvest the absorption coefficient at 630 nm (μa630). Pulp colour is one of the most reliable maturity indices used for mangoes. Aiming at studying the relationship between pulp colour changes during postharvest ripening and the optical prop...
Article
This research studies the ethylene production rate (EP) and quality in 1-MCP treated ‘Abbé Fètel’ pears after storage in DCA compared to NA and CA. 1-MCP treated (300 ppb) and control fruit were stored at -0.5°C in NA, CA (2 kPa O2 + 0.7 kPa CO2) and DCA (0.7 kPa O2 + 0.3 kPa CO2). After 4 and 6 months storage, fruit were held up to 7 d at 20°C. Sk...
Chapter
Juiciness is one of the characteristics of fruit most appreciated by consumers, but as a sensory characteristic it cannot be measured instrumentally. However physical or chemical quantities correlated to sensory assessment can be measured instrumentally. Szczesniak and Ilker found that sensory juiciness was more correlated to the juice expressed at...
Conference Paper
A new technology for monitoring the physiological status of fruit during storage (HarvestWatch ™ system with FIRM ™ sensors, Satlantic, Canada) was used to detect anaerobic stress in pears by the increase in fluorescence response (Fα). Two pear cultivars were studied: 'Conference', a long-term storage cultivar, and 'Abbé Fétel', which cannot be sto...
Article
‘Abbé Fétel’ pears are very prized in Italy, due to their non-melting, juicy texture and excellent flavour when ripe. However, they cannot be stored for long term in normal atmosphere (NA), because after 3-4 months they loose the ripening ability, while in controlled atmosphere (CA) they can be subject to senescent (soft) scald. ‘Abbé Fétel’ pears...
Conference Paper
‘Abbé Fétel’ pears are very prized in Italy, due to their non-melting, juicy texture and excellent flavour when ripe. However, they cannot be stored for long term in normal atmosphere (NA), because after 3-4 months they loose the ripening ability, while in controlled atmosphere (CA) they can be subject to senescent (soft) scald. ‘Abbé Fétel’ pears...
Article
A new technology for monitoring the physiological status of fruit during storage (HarvestWatch™ system with FIRM™ sensors, Satlantic, Canada) was used to detect anaerobic stress in pears by the increase in fluorescence response (Falpha). Two pear cultivars were studied: ‘Conference’, a long-term storage cultivar, and ‘Abbé Fétel’, which cannot be s...
Article
Gas exchange rates were studied in ‘Abbé Fètel’ pears in relation to 1-MCP treatment (300 ppb) and storage atmosphere at -0.5°C (normal atmosphere, NA; controlled atmosphere, CA: 2 kPa O2 + 0.7 kPa CO2; dynamic low-O2 controlled atmosphere, DLOCA: 0.7 kPa O2 + 0.3 kPa CO2). O2, CO2, ethylene and ethane were measured in different concentrations of O...
Article
The maturity at harvest of nectarines can be assessed with the novel technique of time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS) measuring the light absorption at 670 nm in the fruit flesh. A kinetic model was developed that links this absorption coefficient (μa), expressed as the biological shift factor, to firmness decrease during ripening. The mod...
Chapter
Maturity at harvest influences all aspects of postharvest life and quality of fruit. In climacteric fruits, such as nectarines, ripening is characterized by increasing ethylene production (EP) and loss of firmness (F), but great variability was observed between fruit (Tonutti et al., 1996). Recently, it has been shown that the absorption coefficien...
Article
Quality parameters at harvest, and color, ethylene production (EP) and headspace volatile production rates during postharvest ripening at 20C were investigated on two Golden Delicious-like scab-resistant apples (Golden Orange [GO] and Golden Lasa [GL]), and on the scab-susceptible Golden Delicious clone B (G) cultivar. At harvest, quality parameter...
Article
The quality of scab-resistant apple cv. ´Golden Orange`, as influenced by harvest time, was evaluated in comparison with the scab-susceptible cv. ´Golden Delicious` (clone B) (Golden B). Fruits from both cultivars were harvested on three different dates and ripened at 20°C. Quality parameters at harvest [fruit mass, flesh firmness, starch hydrolysi...
Article
Continuous wave (CW) methods are widely diffused for postharvest fruit quality measurement. CW colorimeters and spectrometers measure the diffusely remitted intensity which is affected also by the skin colour and is determined by both the absorption and the scattering properties of the sample. The absorption coefficient (µa) can be discriminated fr...
Article
ABSTRACT“Big Top” nectarines picked at two dates (Pick 1 and Pick 2) and treated at harvest with 0 (control), 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 µL/L 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) when fruit ripening had already started were kept at 20 C until control fruit softened. Ethylene production was lowered by 0.25 and 1.0 µL/L doses in Pick 1 fruits and by all the doses in...
Article
Time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS), allows for the complete optical characterization (in terms of the absorption and scattering coefficients) of diffusive media such as fruit, in the spectral range 600–1100 nm, probing a volume to a depth of about 2 cm. The hypothesis was made that the absorption coefficient at 670 nm (μa), near the chlor...
Article
Full-text available
In the new peach and nectarine cultivars the background colour is masked by blush, preventing the identification of the maturity stage. In previous trials with nectarines, fruit maturity was individually assessed by a new non-destructive technique, time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy (TRS), using the absorption coefficient at 670 nm (μa) measure...
Article
Full-text available
‘Jonagored’ apples, picked on 30 August and 13 September 2002, were measured by TRS at 630 nm for absorption coefficient (μa630) and at 750 nm for transport scattering coefficient (μs' 750) and stored for six months in NA or CA in order to study the relationships among TRS optical properties, quality and pectic composition. Apples were analysed for...