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Classification of fruits and vegetables
Abstract
Classifications for fruits and vegetables are most helpful for dietary assessment and guidance if they are based on the composition of these foods. This work determined whether levels of food components in fruits and vegetables correlated with classification criteria based on botanic family, color, part of plant, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). A database of 104 commonly consumed fruits and vegetables was created that contained food components known to be provided primarily by these foods. A mathematical clustering algorithm was used to group the foods into homogeneous clusters based on food component levels and the classification criteria. Most useful in categorizing were the botanic families rose, rue (citrus), amaryllis, goosefoot, and legume; color groupings blue/black, dark green/green, orange/peach, and red/purple; and plant parts fruit-berry, seeds or pods, and leaves. Groupings based on TAC levels did not match well with the identified clusters. Clusters were often best defined by a combination of classification variables such as color and part of plant. Results suggest that the groupings dark green leafy vegetables; cabbage family vegetables; lettuces; allium family bulbs; legumes; deep orange/yellow fruits, roots, and tubers; citrus family fruits; tomatoes and other red vegetables and fruits; and red/purple/blue berries are predictive for food components provided by fruits and vegetables.
... Identifying the class of a particular fruit, for example, allows grocery staff to quickly calculate its price [1]. Furthermore, nutritional recommendations are beneficial in assisting consumers in picking appropriate food varieties that satisfy their nutrient and well-being demands [2,3]. Fruit categorization techniques are frequently employed in most food facilities for automated packing. ...
... The fruit types and sub-types are location-dependent (varies from location to location even in the same country), thus manual fruit categorization is still a challenging problem. This vast disparity is centered on the availability of population-dependent and regiondependent fruits, as well as the required elements in the fruits [3]. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) approaches are utilized in various applications to give optimal solutions to challenges faced in a variety of disciplines such as image analysis, speech recognition, forecasting, prediction, massive dataset analysis, and marketing [4]. ...
... However, Pennington and Fisher [3] were the first scientists to utilize the clustering approach to categorize fruits and vegetables in 2009. They have employed a dataset having 104 common fruits and vegetables for classification. ...
Automated fruit identification is always challenging due to its complex nature. Usually, the fruit types and sub-types are location-dependent; thus, manual fruit categorization is also still a challenging problem. Literature showcases several recent studies incorporating the Convolutional Neural Network-based algorithms (VGG16, Inception V3, MobileNet, and ResNet18) to classify the Fruit-360 dataset. However, none of them are comprehensive and have not been utilized for the total 131 fruit classes. In addition, the computational efficiency was not the best in these models. A novel, robust but comprehensive study is presented here in identifying and predicting the whole Fruit-360 dataset, including 131 fruit classes with 90,483 sample images. An algorithm based on the Cascaded Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (Cascaded-ANFIS) was effectively utilized to achieve the research gap. Color Structure, Region Shape, Edge Histogram, Column Layout, Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix, Scale-Invariant Feature Transform, Speeded Up Robust Features, Histogram of Oriented Gradients, and Oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF features are used in this study as the features descriptors in identifying fruit images. The algorithm was validated using two methods: iterations and confusion matrix. The results showcase that the proposed method gives a relative accuracy of 98.36%. The Fruit-360 dataset is unbalanced; therefore, the weighted precision, recall, and FScore were calculated as 0.9843, 0.9841, and 0.9840, respectively. In addition, the developed system was tested and compared against the literature-found state-of-the-art algorithms for the purpose. Comparison studies present the acceptability of the newly developed algorithm handling the whole Fruit-360 dataset and achieving high computational efficiency.
... Identifying the class of a particular fruit, for example, allows grocery staff to quickly calculate its price [1]. Furthermore, nutritional recommendations are beneficial in assisting consumers in picking appropriate food varieties that satisfy their nutrient and well-being demands [2,3]. Fruit categorization techniques are frequently employed in most food facilities for automated packing. ...
... The fruit types and sub-types are location-dependent (varies from location to location even in the same country), thus manual fruit categorization is still a challenging problem. This vast disparity is centered on the availability of population-dependent and regiondependent fruits, as well as the required elements in the fruits [3]. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) approaches are utilized in various applications to give optimal solutions to challenges faced in a variety of disciplines such as image analysis, speech recognition, forecasting, prediction, massive dataset analysis, and marketing [4]. ...
... However, Pennington and Fisher [3] were the first scientists to utilize the clustering approach to categorize fruits and vegetables in 2009. They have employed a dataset having 104 common fruits and vegetables for classification. ...
Automated fruit identification is always challenging due to its complex nature. Usually, the fruit types and sub-types are location-dependent; thus, manual fruit categorization is also still a challenging problem. Literature showcases several recent studies incorporating the Convolutional Neural Network-based algorithms (VGG16, Inception V3, MobileNet, and ResNet18) to classify the Fruit-360 dataset. However, none of them are comprehensive and have not been utilized for the total 131 fruit classes. In addition, the computational efficiency was not the best in these models. A novel, robust but comprehensive study is presented here in identifying and predicting the whole Fruit-360 dataset, including 131 fruit classes with 90483 sample images. An algorithm based on the Cascaded Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (Cascaded-ANFIS) was effectively utilized to achieve the research gap. Colour Structure, Region Shape, Edge Histogram, Column Layout, Gray-Level Co-Occurrence Matrix, Scale-Invariant Feature Transform, Speeded Up Robust Features, Histogram of Oriented Gradients, and Oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF features are used in this study as the features descriptors in identifying fruit images. The algorithm was validated using two methods: iterations and confusion matrix. The results showcase that the proposed method gives relative accuracy of 98.36%. The Fruit-360 dataset is unbalanced; therefore, the weighted precision, recall, and FScore were calculated as 0.9843, 0.9841, and 0.9840, respectively. In addition, the developed system was tested and compared against the literature-found state-of-the-art algorithms for the purpose. Comparison studies present the acceptability of the newly developed algorithm
handling the whole Fruit-360 dataset and achieving high computational efficiency.
... For example, WRAP [34] splits household food waste into 15 groups and differentiates fruits and vegetables into three categories: fruits, salads, and vegetables. In the literature on dietary guidance, Pennington and Fisher [37] proposed a classification of food in ten different categories, which include, for example, dark green leaves, legumes, and citrus-family fruits. Fruits are botanically defined, but there is no botanical definition of vegetables, and their classification is influenced by cultural norms, such as their culinary use [38]. ...
... Vegetables are normally consumed in dishes or as savoury appetizers. Even though fruits are botanically defined as the seeds and surrounding tissues of a plant, fruits are customarily also defined by their culinary use, and are referred to as the pulpy structures of produce that is typically sweet or sour, and is normally consumed as snacks and desserts [37]. In this study, the most common culinary use was applied for food items that could be classified into several food category groups. ...
... In this study, the most common culinary use was applied for food items that could be classified into several food category groups. For instance, avocados are often defined as vegetables in the North American and European literature, due to their common use in savoury recipes and salads [37]. However, in Brazil, avocados are mainly consumed as a fruit and were defined as so. ...
Current understanding of food waste quantities in the Brazilian retail sector is limited. In order to develop efficient measures for food waste prevention and valorisation, reliable data on waste generation and composition are necessary. In this study, a compositional analysis of street market waste was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. In total, 4.1 tonnes of waste were sorted into 27 waste fractions, categorised using a three-level approach. The average waste generation in the studied street markets was 23.7 kg per stall, of which 12.8 kg was classified as unavoidable food waste, 3.6 kg as packaging waste, and 7.4 kg as avoidable waste. The results show large amounts of unavoidable food waste, comprised of coconut, sugarcane bagasse, and peels. A large share of the avoidable food waste is comprised of single leaves, tomatoes, oranges, and bananas. Large variations were observed among the street markets analysed, both in terms of the food waste generation rate, and composition. The results from scaling up the data at the city level indicated a total wastage of 59,300 tonnes per year, of which 18,400 tonnes are classified as avoidable food waste.
... Pennington and Fisher [30] determined the means and standard deviations of 24 food components in 10 previously determined subgroups (found in Pennington and Fisher [29]). The subgroups were constructed such that the nutritional composition and classification characteristics (part of a plant, colour, botanical family, etc.) for each food item were similar within each group. ...
... Pennington and Fisher [29] aimed to empirically group fruits and vegetables based on food components of public health significance and thereafter, relate them to four classification variables: botanic family, colour, part of the plant, and total antioxidant capacity. The proposed classifications may aid researchers and nutritionists in developing FFQs and providing dietary guidance. ...
... Associating nutrients with known food characteristics was a common aim among the included studies. These characteristics could be physical such as colour or part of a plant [29,30], conceptual such as the cold-and hot-nature assignment in traditional Chinese medicine [25,37], or they could be existing food labels such as 'fat-free' and 'low-fat' [27]. Establishing the relationship between the composition and characteristic with statistical analysis provides strong evidence to support dietary recommendations and guidelines. ...
Evidence-based knowledge of the relationship between foods and nutrients is needed
to inform dietary-based guidelines and policy. Proper and tailored statistical methods to analyse food composition databases (FCDBs) could assist in this regard. This review aims to collate the existing literature that used any statistical method to analyse FCDBs, to identify key trends and
research gaps. The search strategy yielded 4238 references from electronic databases of which
24 fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Information on the objectives, statistical methods, and results was
extracted. Statistical methods were mostly applied to group similar food items (37.5%). Other aims
and objectives included determining associations between the nutrient content and known food
characteristics (25.0%), determining nutrient co-occurrence (20.8%), evaluating nutrient changes over
time (16.7%), and addressing the accuracy and completeness of databases (16.7%). Standard statistical
tests (33.3%) were the most utilised followed by clustering (29.1%), other methods (16.7%), regression
methods (12.5%), and dimension reduction techniques (8.3%). Nutrient data has unique characteristics
such as correlated components, natural groupings, and a compositional nature. Statistical methods
used for analysis need to account for this data structure. Our summary of the literature provides a
reference for researchers looking to expand into this area.
... Due to its polyphenolic and flavonoid structure, TAN exhibits potential antioxidant activity [8], as demonstrated by chemical and cellular antioxidant experiments [9]. Anthocyanins, a type of TAN, have shown an oxygen radical absorbance capacity of approximately 4500 µmol Trolox equivalents/mmol (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), indicating that other types of TAN might possess similar effects [10]. ...
... A total of 30 mL of inoculum was injected into each tube using a Varispenser (Eppendorf AG, Hamburg, Germany). The incubation tubes were then quickly transferred into a water bath shaker (Jie Cheng Experimental Apparatus, Shanghai, China) maintained at 39 • C. The cumulative gas production was manually recorded at 0, 2,4,6,8,10,12,18,24,30,36,42,48,60,72,84, and 96 h during the incubation. Three gas samples were collected from each tube after incubating for 96 h, and the CH 4 and CO 2 production in each injection was determined by gas chromatography (TP-2060F, Beijing Beifen Tianpu Analytical Instrument Co., Ltd., Beijing, China). ...
This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary tannic acid (TAN) on the gas production, growth performance, antioxidant capacity, rumen microflora, and fermentation function of beef cattle through in vitro and in vivo experiments. TAN was evaluated at 0.15% (dry matter basis, DM) in the in vitro experiment and 0.20% (DM basis) in the animal feeding experiment. The in vitro results revealed that compared with control (CON, basal diet without TAN), the addition of TAN significantly increased the cumulative gas production and asymptotic gas production per 0.20 g dry matter substrate (p < 0.01), with a tendency to reduce methane concentration after 96 h of fermentation (p = 0.10). Furthermore, TAN supplementation significantly suppressed the relative abundance of Methanosphaera and Methanobacteriaceae in the fermentation fluid (LDA > 2.50, p < 0.05). The in vivo experiment showed that compared with CON, the dietary TAN significantly improved average daily gain (+0.15 kg/d), dressing percent (+1.30%), net meat percentage (+1.60%), and serum glucose concentration (+23.35%) of beef cattle (p < 0.05), while it also significantly reduced hepatic malondialdehyde contents by 25.69% (p = 0.02). Moreover, the TAN group showed significantly higher alpha diversity (p < 0.05) and increased relative abundance of Ruminococcus and Saccharomonas (LDA > 2.50, p < 0.05), while the relative abundance of Prevotellaceae in rumen microbial community was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) as compared to that of the CON group. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of TAN could improve the growth and slaughter performance and health status of beef cattle, and these favorable effects might be attributed to its ability to alleviate liver lipid peroxidation, enhance glucose metabolism, and promote a balanced rumen microbiota for optimal fermentation.
... Phenolic compounds are the major constituents of plant materials and contribute to their antioxidant capacity. Plants, fruits, and their extracts that reflect concentrations of phenolic compounds are thus considered to be good sources of antioxidants for inhibiting the oxidation of foods (Pennington;Fisher, 2009). The DPPH assay involves a fast electron transfer reaction (SET) and a slow hydrogen atom transfer reaction (HAT), mainly in hydrogen-accepting solvents, such as methanol and ethanol (Huang;Boxin;Prior, 2005). ...
... Phenolic compounds are the major constituents of plant materials and contribute to their antioxidant capacity. Plants, fruits, and their extracts that reflect concentrations of phenolic compounds are thus considered to be good sources of antioxidants for inhibiting the oxidation of foods (Pennington;Fisher, 2009). The DPPH assay involves a fast electron transfer reaction (SET) and a slow hydrogen atom transfer reaction (HAT), mainly in hydrogen-accepting solvents, such as methanol and ethanol (Huang;Boxin;Prior, 2005). ...
The use of natural antioxidants extracted from plants is an alternative to the application of synthetic antioxidants. In this study, we evaluated the oxidative stability of soybean oil after the addition of Curcuma longa L. leaf extracts compared to its oxidative stability with the synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT Different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) of ethanolic extract of Curcuma longa L. leaves were added to the oil, and the mixture was heated at 60 ±2 °C for 12 days. Several parameters of oxidative stability, including the peroxide index (PI), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and conjugated dienes and trienes, were analyzed every three days. The results were promising, the oils to which the Curcuma longa L. leaf extract was added showed a reduction in all parameters, indicating oxidative deterioration under the influence of the concentration of the extract and the duration of treatment. The extract was less effective at low concentrations (0.5%), the parameters did not vary considerably. The PI was low in all treatments until the third day. The PI of the soybean oil treated with 1.5% extract was lower than that after treatment with the synthetic antioxidant and the blank treatment on days 6 to 12. The highest production of TBARS was observed in the blank treatment on days 6 to 12, and the lowest values of TBARS were recorded in the soybean oil treated with 1.5% extract. For the same concentration, the conjugated dienes varied from 2.05 to 8.6, and the trienes from 0.57 to 1.59.
Index terms:
Natural antioxidants; oxidative stability; peroxide index; plants
... Beta-carotene is part of the carotenoid family. It reaches our body partially transformed into vitamin A, found mainly in colorful vegetables and fruits [195,196] (Table 3). B-carotene administered orally was reported to be metabolized in the animal or human body to form vitamin A, which is subsequently stored in the liver [195,196]. ...
... It reaches our body partially transformed into vitamin A, found mainly in colorful vegetables and fruits [195,196] (Table 3). B-carotene administered orally was reported to be metabolized in the animal or human body to form vitamin A, which is subsequently stored in the liver [195,196]. ...
It is more effective to maintain good health than to regain it after losing it. This work focuses on the biochemical defense mechanisms against free radicals and their role in building and maintaining antioxidant shields, aiming to show how to balance, as much as possible, the situations in which we are exposed to free radicals. To achieve this aim, foods, fruits, and marine algae with a high antioxidant content should constitute the basis of nutritional elements, since natural products are known to have significantly greater assimilation efficiency. This review also gives the perspective in which the use of antioxidants can extend the life of food products, by protecting them from damage caused by oxidation as well as their use as food additives.
... Although these data-driven methods are valuable approaches to identify inherent patterns or groupings in the data, they may not perform as well in identifying groupings that are relevant to disease prevention or health promotion (14), which is of importance in this current study. Although a purely data-driven approach to clustering was not used in this instance, such approaches warrant further investigation because groupings driven by the underlying data structures of food composition may help researchers develop food groups for FFQs (33,34), LOA, limits of agreement; TEI, total energy intake. 2 All correlations were statistically significant, P < 0.001. 3 Percentage of participants cross-classified into the same quartile. ...
... Clustering in meal-based dietary analysis 2303 be useful in teaching about food composition, and aid health professionals to produce dietary advice about foods with similar compositions when the contents of multiple nutrients are of interest (33). ...
Background
Examination of meal intakes can elucidate the role of individual meals or meal patterns in health not evident by examining nutrient and food intakes. To date, meal-based research has been limited to focus on population rather than individual intakes, without considering portions or nutrient content when characterizing meals.
Objectives
To characterize meals commonly consumed, incorporating portions and nutritional content, and to determine the accuracy of nutrient intake estimates using these meals at both population and individual levels.
Design
The 2008–2010 Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey (NANS) data were used. 1500 participants, with an age (mean ± SD) of 44.5 ± 17.0 and BMI of 27.1 ± 5.0, recorded their intake using a 4-day weighed food diary. Food groups were identified using k-means clustering. Partitioning around the medoids clustering was used to categorize similar meals into groups (generic meals) based on their Nutrient Rich Foods Index (NRF9.3) score and the food groups that they contained. The nutrient content for each generic meal was defined as the mean content of the grouped meals. 7 standard portion sizes were defined for each generic meal. Mean daily nutrient intakes were estimated using the original and the generic data.
Results
The 27,336 meals consumed were aggregated to 63 generic meals. Effect sizes from the comparisons of mean daily nutrient intakes (from the original v generic meals) were negligible or small, with P values ranging from < 0.001 to 0.941. When participants were classified according to nutrient-based guidelines (high, adequate, or low), the proportion of individuals who were classified into the same category ranged from 55.3% to 91.5%.
Conclusions
A generic meal-based method can estimate nutrient intakes based on meal rather than food intake at the sample population and individual levels. Future work will focus on incorporating this concept to a meal-based dietary intake assessment tool.
... Acquiring longitudinal dietary data in this population is essential to confirm the observed associations. Also, although categorizing FV by color is easily done for foods that are monochromatic and distinctive, classification is more complex and challenging to do when the definition is unclear of whether the color refers to the internal or external, or edible portion of the FV [26,66,67]. For example, spinach is easily discernible as green, but the color classification is not as straightforward for a red compared to a green apple or an avocado. ...
... Thus, the comparability of our results might be limited to studies that used the same FV classification. Although this simple color FV classification has not been validated yet, it has been used in multiple publications [26,66,67]. ...
Background
Color groups of fruits and vegetables (FV) are part of a healthy diet, but evidence for an association with cardiometabolic outcomes is inconsistent.
Objective
To examine the association between intake of FV of different colors with incident diabetes and cardiometabolic risk biomarkers among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos.
Subjects/methods
We used data from 9206 adults ages 18–74 years who were free of diabetes at baseline (2008–2011) and had follow-up data at visit 2 (2014–2017) in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a multicenter, prospective cohort study of self-identified Hispanics/Latinos. Dietary intake was assessed using two 24 h recalls at baseline. FV were categorized into five color groups: green, white, yellow/orange, red/purple, and uncategorized. Diabetes was defined based on laboratory measures and self-reported antihyperglycemic medication. We used survey logistic regression models to evaluate the association between FV color groups and incident diabetes and survey linear regression models to evaluate the association of FV color groups with cardiometabolic risk biomarkers at visit 2.
Results
During ~6 years of follow-up, 970 incident cases of diabetes were documented. The red/purple FV color group was the least consumed (0.21 servings/day), whereas white FV were the most consumed (0.92 servings/day). For each serving of total FV intake, body mass index (BMI) was lower by 0.24% ( p = 0.03) and insulin by 0.69% ( p = 0.03). For each serving of red/purple FV intake, HDL was 1.59% higher ( p = 0.04). For each serving of white FV intake (with potato), post-OGTT was 0.83% lower ( p = 0.04) and triglycerides 1.43% lower ( p = 0.04). There was no association between FV intake and incident diabetes.
Conclusions
Specific FV colors were associated with cardiometabolic benefits though the associations were of relatively small magnitudes. Dietary recommendations could consider varying colors of FV intake, especially white and red/purple color groups, for a healthy diet.
... Several studies have investigated the clustering of food items [8][9][10][11][12] and nutrient co-occurrence patterns [13,14] using statistical methods, but only one was found to use data from Africa [15]. More specifically, the study of nutrient patterns in South Africa has been limited to consumption data [16][17][18][19]. ...
... Similarly, orange-coloured fruit and vegetables grouped together, which was not seen under the nutrient pattern analysis. This type of clustering was also identified in Pennington et al. [10]. The daily consumption of dark-green leafy vegetables and orangecoloured fruit and vegetables is recommended as per the South African FBDGs [4] and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans [31] and is important for a healthy diet as they are rich sources of vitamins and minerals [4]. ...
Food composition databases (FCDBs) provide the nutritional content of foods and are essential for developing nutrition guidance and effective intervention programs to improve nutrition of a population. In public and nutritional health research studies, FCDBs are used in the estimation of nutrient intake profiles at the population levels. However, such studies investigating nutrient co-occurrence and profile patterns within the African context are very rare. This study aimed to identify nutrient co-occurrence patterns within the South African FCDB (SAFCDB). A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to 28 nutrients and 971 foods in the South African FCDB to determine compositionally similar food items. A second principal component analysis was applied to the food items for validation. Eight nutrient patterns (NPs) explaining 73.4% of the nutrient variation among foods were identified: (1) high magnesium and manganese; (2) high copper and vitamin B12; (3) high animal protein, niacin, and vitamin B6; (4) high fatty acids and vitamin E; (5) high calcium, phosphorous and sodium; (6) low moisture and high available carbohydrate; (7) high cholesterol and vitamin D; and (8) low zinc and high vitamin C. Similar food patterns (FPs) were identified from a PCA on food items, yielding subgroups such as dark-green, leafy vegetables and, orange-coloured fruit and vegetables. One food pattern was associated with high sodium levels and contained bread, processed meat and seafood, canned vegetables, and sauces. The data-driven nutrient and food patterns found in this study were consistent with and support the South African food-based dietary guidelines and the national salt regulations.
... In [3], the authors gave provision for the use of publicly available fruit-in-orchard image data set to grant method comparisons and for the implementation of transfer learning of deep learning models. ...
Agriculture has become an important thing in everyday life .Among this, fruits are a great thing in everyday life. Classification of fruits based on their accuracy is a decent approach to all the fruit sellers. There is much parallelism between apple and cherry and various kinds of similarities are present in many types of fruits, so the classification plays an important role. However, there are troubles in fruit classification using machine learning algorithms like Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Convolution Neural Network (CNN). So, the methods of CNN, pooling layers and fully connected network have been applied to overcome the problems. The CNN and pooling layers have been applied to extract the features of the fruits. Keywords: Agriculture, Convolution Neural Network, machine learning, Support Vector Machine.
... Regarding the presentation, 90% preferred a carton box. Source Developed according to Aguileras (2020), Pennington and Fisher (2009), Munteanu and Apetrei (2021) ...
The last two decades have witnessed significant growth in Latin American cities, with 81% of the region's inhabitants living in urban areas. This tendency affects the quality of citizens’ lives and produces greater demand for resources and services. This study aims to provide alternative solutions to improve the problems of vehicular congestion and logistics processes in one of the most congested sectors of Popayán. First, logistics operations were characterized in the city center using the last mile/km2-MIT methodology. This methodology allowed us to identify areas with the greater vehicular flow and a higher density of economic activities. Subsequently, two scenarios were evaluated with discrete simulations to determine the loading and unloading zones and schedules for loading and unloading times to suggest improvements in vehicular flow. The results showed an 8% improvement in loading and unloading zones, a 12% increase in the pedestrian/vehicle ratio, an 18% improvement in pedestrian trips, and a 16% reduction in vehicle flow disruptions. Finally, the chapter provides a proactive tool for decision-makers to guide public policies aimed at improving urban-to-last-mile freight distribution in Popayán.KeywordsTraffic flowPublic policyLast mileSimulation
... This derivation of portfolio theory suggests better outcomes by integrating the uncorrelated assets and enterprises with dissimilar risk situations. Portfolio diversification includes the addition of returns but diversification of risks (Figge 2004;Pennington and Fisher 2009). From this theoretical perspective, we argue two propositions: 1) higher stable returns for small farms are likely to be achieved from diversified small farms with the addition of alternative on-farm enterprises than diversified small farms adopting multiple crop and livestock enterprises, 2) Any of these strategic diversification choices (diversification by adding of alternative onfarm business enterprises or by adopting multiple crops and livestock enterprises) provide higher stable returns for small farms than specialization. ...
In response to survival challenges, small farms in the United States undertake decisions to minimize downside risk or maximize gross revenue. Using primary survey data of small farms in Tennessee, we examined farmers’ strategic decisions on specialization or other forms of diversification and estimated the impacts of these decisions on farm financial performance. We found that farmer’s age, farmland holdings, use of a smartphone in farm-related activities, and off-farm work significantly influenced these strategic decisions. Our multinomial endogenous switching regression estimates suggested that small farms could attain significantly higher performance, around 45% higher gross farm income and a 30% higher return on assets, by adding alternative on-farm enterprises.
... The advent of irradiation processes in food preservation in scientific experimentations and the uniting of different improved techniques as cited in the literature [5,6] could be the ''go-to'' technologies in future applications. Cucumis sativus is a widely cultivated creeping vine plant, which anchor to the soil and elevates with the aid of objects for support as it wrapped itself on these objects with the help of spiraling tendrils [7][8][9], in the Cucurbitaceae gourd family, while the Solanum tuberosum is one of some 150 tuber-bearing species of the genus Solanaceae or Nightshade family [10]. Food preservation via irradiation processes commonly employs three types of radiation sources which include accelerated electron beams (E-beams), gamma irradiation with cobalt-60 or cesium-137, and X-ray machines. ...
This paper investigates the postharvest shelf life extension of cucumber and irish potato using X-rays, in Benue State, Nigeria. The selection of samples for the research was done from the traditional markets in Gboko for similar properties as depicted in the literature. For both products, six samples each with one kept as the control sample were X-ray irradiated with and of X-rays. An ambient storage temperature range of 27-30 o C was recorded. The measured density, moisture content M.C (%), and pH were in the intervals: , , and for cucumber, and , , and for irish potato respectively. The percentage mass shrinkage (()) of the control and 100 X-ray irradiated samples were: 45.0% and 31.6% for cucumber, and 23.8% and 20.5% for irish potato respectively. The mass shrinkage () was found to increase during preservation and higher values extended the shelf life of the products. The of X-rays was effective in preserving cucumber for an additional 7-8 days and irish potato for additional 10-15 days of storage. In essence, cucumber and irish potato can be stored by exposure to specific values of diagnostic X-rays.
... However, aside from the general WHO/FAO recommendations on the mass intake of F&V, there are no unified guidelines to orient individuals toward a diversified intake. Recommendations may vary from country to country based on the classification adopted for fruit and vegetable groups and subgroups (e.g., color, botanical family), as well as on local availability and consumption (Pennington & Fisher, 2009). In this study, we refer to the 10 subgroups defined by Pennington and Fisher (2010), in which F&V are classified according to the similarity of the plant products in composition and nutrient concentration (Table S1). ...
The rapid urban growth seen globally in recent years has not been supported by a simultaneous increase in agricultural land and/or crop productivity. Producing crops in (peri-)urban areas shows good potential to provide the vegetable products for a healthy and balanced diet for the growing population, but it has to deal with the local availability of resources. Thus, meeting the food requirements of the urban population as efficiently and robustly as possible is a challenge. This study developed a methodology to estimate the use of resources of urban farming systems to produce energy- and nutrient-dense vegetables capable of meeting human dietary needs. The method was applied to two extremely different cultivation systems (an open field farm and a plant factory with artificial lighting) for the production of seven crops. The results on the resource efficiencies to meet the annual per-capita vegetable requirements are discussed in relation to crop type, local climate and cultivation system. The application of this methodology can support farmers' decisions on the choice of crops and the type of urban farming systems that are most efficient in contributing to a plant-based diet. The results can also be translated into water, energy, and surface area needed to meet the nutritional requirements at a city-regional level.
... Tuber and root vegetables: sweet potatoes, ensabi leaves, turnips, radishes, and onions [65]. ...
In the Peninsular Malaysia and Northern Borneo island of Malaysia, various rich indigenous leafy vegetables and fruits grow and contribute to the nutritional and dietary values of the population. They have high water contents, thus, naturally vulnerable to rapid food spoilage. Food preservation and processing play a vital
role in the inhibition of food pathogens in fruits and vegetables that are prevalent in Malaysia. Lactic acid fermentation is generally a local-based bioprocess, among the oldest form and well-known for food-processing techniques among indigenous people there. The long shelf life of fermented vegetables and fruits improves
their nutritional values and antioxidant potentials. Fermented leaves and vegetables can be utilized as a potential source of probiotics as they are host for several lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus confusus,Weissella paramesenteroides, Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus buchneri, Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus pentosus, Pediococcus acidilactici, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. These strains may be more viable in metabolic systems whereby they can contribute to a substantial increase in essential biologically active element than industrial starter cultures. This
review is aimed to address some essential fermented fruits and vegetables in Malaysia and their remarkable reputations as a potential sources of natural probiotics
... Also, some vegetables have edible roots and leaves (Tamokou et al. 2017). Different vegetables include stems, roots, seeds, bulbs, leaves, flowers, tubers, and mushrooms (Pennington and Fisher 2009). Consuming vegetables with light and dark green colors is necessary to maintain the health of the body. ...
... Food is one of the physiological needs of human beings, as shown in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1943). A large number of fruits and vegetables (Pennington et al., 2009) are consumed as food daily. Consumable fruits and vegetables have to pass many stages before they reach the end customer. ...
Customer satisfaction depends on the availability of different varieties of fruits and vegetables in a supermarket store as well as the quality of this supermarket store for fruits and vegetables. The store may contain different variety of fruits and vegetables in a utopian environment. Apart from this, there are several quality parameters of a fruits and vegetable store. The quality evaluation of fruits and vegetable stores located in a supermarket is a big challenge for managerial personnel. Here, a quality evaluation framework is proposed for the fruits and vegetable store. The committee of experts identifies and finalizes the quality evaluation parameters through a brainstorming session. Fuzzy AHP is used to calculate the weights of evaluation parameters. A fuzzy TOPSIS generally ranks for the alternative stores. An improved fuzzy TOPSIS, which is named fuzzy k-TOPSIS, is proposed here to evaluate the quality of fruits and vegetable stores located in a supermarket. The fuzzy k-TOPSIS will provide rank as well as classification of the alternatives. A numerical example is demonstrated for a better understanding of the proposed framework.
... Thus, the irregularity of fruit shape can be used as a quality measure. Graphical data that are extracted using shape features play an important role in automated fruit grading [2][3]. ...
Fruits sorting, recognizing, and classifying are essential post-harvest operations, as they contribute to the quality of food industry, thereby increasing the exported quantity of food. Today, an automated system for fruit classification and recognition is very important, especially when exporting to markets where quality of fruit must be high. In this study, the advantages and disadvantages of the various shape-based feature extraction algorithms and technologies that are used in sorting, classifying, and grading of fruits, as well as fruits quality estimation, are discussed in order to provide a good understanding of the use of shape-based feature extraction techniques.
... In general, the total preservative capacity of fruit and vegetable extracts would reflect the concentration of a wide range of constituents such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), alphatocopherol (vitamin E), beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor), various flavonoids and other phenolic compounds [43,44]. Among the main bioactive compounds identified in plant extracts, phenolic acids (e.g., p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid and gallic acid), phenolic diterpenes (e.g., carnosic acid and epirosmanol) and flavonoids (e.g., aromatic compounds) can be mentioned [45,46]. ...
Seafoods are known to include high contents of valuable constituents. However, they are reported to be highly perishable products, whose quality rapidly declines post-mortem, thus demanding efficient processing and storage. Among the traditional technologies, canning represents one of the most important means of marine species preservation. However, owing to the thermal sensitivity of the chemical constituents of marine species, remarkable degradative mechanisms can be produced and lead to important quality losses. The demand for better quality food makes the need for advanced preservation techniques a topic to be addressed continually in the case of seafood. One such strategy is the employment of preservative compounds obtained from natural resources. The current review provides an overview of the research carried out concerning the effect of the addition of bioactive compounds to the packing medium on the thermal stability of canned seafood. This review addresses the preservative effect of polyphenol-rich oils (i.e., extra virgin olive oil) and different kinds of products or extracts obtained from plants, algae and seafood by-products. In agreement with the great incidence of lipid damage on the nutritional and acceptability values during high-temperature seafood processing, this work is especially focussed on the inhibitory effect of lipid oxidation development.
... There are many varieties of fruits and vegetables available. According to Pennington and Fisher (2009), classifications of fruits and vegetables are most helpful for dietary assessment and guidance and play a significant part in the nutritional supplement intake of humans. This is because fruits and vegetables are primary sources that contain some essential nutrients and phytochemicals that may reduce the risk of chronic disease. ...
Fruits and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet and human health. The presence of many vitamins and other substances in fruits and vegetables provides nutrients to the body. However, many people are not concerned about the importance of fruits and vegetables consumption in their daily lives. On that note, a study on the fruits and vegetables consumption among adults in Malaysia was conducted. This study can be very useful in providing more details about the consumption patterns of fruits and vegetables among respondents according to demographic characteristics and also in gaining new knowledge about the intake of fruits and vegetables in our lives. This survey is a cross-sectional study where data was collected through primary data by distributing the questionnaires using Google Form. A total of 291 adults participated in this study. The findings indicated that vegetables like garlic and onions are highly consumed daily. Meanwhile, fruit intakes such as oranges, watermelon, bananas and guava were highly consumed by most respondents. This study also identified that there is a significant association in the frequency of fruits consumption between race and age categories. On the other hand, there is a significant association between the frequency of vegetables consumption and gender. Malaysian adults consume a variety of fruits and vegetables. However, less than 50% of the respondents eat vegetables every day, and around 32% of them prefer to eat fruits 1 to 3 times per week. Many respondents did not know that fruits and vegetables contained lots of nutrients. Half of them did not know the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, there is a need to educate respondents about the nutrient content and the importance of increasing their consumption of fruits and vegetables and encourage Malaysians to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day in the context of a low-fat and high-fiber diet. It suggested that for future research, another study will be conducted to gain more information on attitudes and knowledge on fruits and vegetables consumption patterns among Malaysian adults as well as to improve what has been left in the current research.
... One of the hot themes within the academic field of research is fruit categorization, which is required to provide people with appropriate dietary guidance. This guidance can help to choose the appropriate food kinds to investigate their nutrient and health requirements (Pennington and Fisher, 2009). Furthermore, fruit categorization techniques have been adopted in many food factories to package their products automatically. ...
Guava is one of the main agricultural products in the northern part of Jordan. The classification of fruit products is an essential part in the packaging, shipment, and marketing processes. Normally, the classification and grading of fruits are performed manually, which incur additional overheads in the harvesting and marketing procedures. This adds to the final pricing of fruits and vegetables. The automatic classification and grading of fruits and vegetables can save substantial costs and efforts in addition to avoiding long delays. In this work, we propose an automatic classification system for grading and classifying guava fruits using image-processing techniques. The proposed research will provide a rich analysis and investigation of several features of the problem at hand. Our study will convey and integrate shape, color, and texture descriptors. During the preprocessing step, many morphological operations will be applied accompanied with filtering using various filters like the Wiener Filter. In the classification phase of the proposed system, at least two classification approaches will be considered including the artificial ant colony algorithm and the minimum distance classifier. Moreover, in the experimental part we will collect a large number of input samples (images) with different projections.
... A reason for the lack of distinction between vegetable and starch may be due to the overlapping characteristics of these food groups and indeed nutrition scientists have classified certain vegetables as "starchy vegetables". 20 Unique to this process emphasizing the local terms appeared to reduce terminology used by Federal Nutrition Programs, which are influential. However, the CHL staff across the jurisdictions remained focused on local perspectives. ...
Indigenous peoples of the Pacific have seen major shifts in dietary patterns due to foreign colonization, which introduced an array of new foods. Today, foods considered traditional and acculturated are consumed in various extents. However, the definitions and identity of traditional versus acculturated foods has become unclear as many introduced foods have been incorporated into Pacific cultures. The purpose of this study was to capture culturally relevant definitions of traditional, acculturated, and locally grown foods among 10 jurisdictions of the US-Affiliated Pacific (USAP) region with a focus on fruits and vegetables. Questionnaires were used to capture definitions of these terms, and to identify a list of foods (n=121) as traditional, acculturated, and/or locally grown in addition to classify them into food groups (ie, fruit, vegetable, starch, and/or grain). For the most part, definitions of traditional, acculturated, and locally grown were agreed upon by participating USAP jurisdictions, with some supplementary caveats presented by different jurisdictions. More foods were identified as acculturated (n=75) than traditional (n=37). Fruits (n=55) were the most frequent designation and about a third were vegetables (n=44). The majority of the jurisdictions reported growing at least half of the food items. This is the first study to identify and classify foods of the Pacific from the perspective of those indigenous to the USAP region. Understanding these similarities and differences in how food is classified and identified, through the lens of those from the Pacific, is crucial for nutrition education, and understanding what foods are locally grown is important for future sustainability.
... Vegetables are also like fruits, have low-calorie fiber and can be consumed along with the skin of some fruits. Humans and animals consumed vegetables as food (Pennington & Fisher, 2009 Worldwide, potatoes are a staple vegetable and consumed largely. Potatoes are rich in starch and provide protein of high biological value which is not present in leafy vegetables (Camire et al., 2009). ...
Plant‐based foods are natural sources including vegetables, fruits, cereals and legumes. These foods consist of various types of nutrients in which carbohydrate is the basic component. However, some plant‐based diets contain carbohydrates in the form of fiber. The fiber is usually a nondigestible polysaccharide that is not digested in the human body. It is present in the form of soluble or insoluble in different part of foods like peel, bran, pulp and grain. Pectin, beta‐glucan, mucilage, psyllium, resistant starch and inulin are soluble fiber, and cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin are insoluble fiber attained from plant foods. The major function enhances immunity by creating gastrointestinal barrier, mucus production, immune cell activity and IgA level. Previous evidences showed that peoples with strong immunity have fewer chances of viral disease. A recent viral disease named COVID‐19 spread in the world and millions of peoples died due to this viral disease. Coronavirus mostly attacks humans that suffer with weak immune system. It is due chronic diseases like diabetes and CVD (cardiovascular disease). The current review shows that fiber‐containing plant‐based foods boost immunity and aid human against COVID‐19. The therapeutic role of fiber in the human body is to control the risk of hypertension and diabetes because a high‐fiber diet has the ability to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Fibers aid in GIT (gastrointestinal tract) and prevent constipation because it absorbs water and adds bulk to stool. The current review shows that fiber‐containing plant‐based foods boost immunity and aid human against covid‐19. The therapeutic role of fiber in the human body; is controlled the risk of hypertension and diabetes because a high‐fiber diet is the ability to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. Its aid in GIT and preventing constipation because it absorbs water and adds bulk to stool.
... Incorporation of herbs and botanicals with antioxidative properties in the broiler diet have been discovered to improve the shelf life of poultry meat by decreasing the rate of lipid oxidation [2]. Antioxidative properties of plants are attributed to compounds such as ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, β-carotene, various flavonoids, and other phenolic compounds [3]. ...
... The most essential antioxidant in M. oleifera is flavonoids, particularly flavonols (Pandey et al., 2012). They have a higher antioxidant capacity than vitamin C and can extend the life span of chicken products (Pennington and Fisher, 2009). These findings indicatd that M. oleifera leaves are an excellent addition to the chicken diet; however, dietary amounts should be carefully monitored. ...
Recently, developing countries have focused on using innovative feed in poultry nutrition. The plant Moringa oleifera is native to India but grows worldwide in tropical and subtropical climates. Moringa is planted on a large scale as it can tolerate severe dry and cold conditions. All parts of this plant can be used for commercial or nutritional purposes, and it has a favorable nutritional profile. Beneficial phytochemicals, minerals, and vitamins are abundant in the leaves. The leaf extracts can be used to treat malnutrition; they also possess anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Further, moringa contains antinutritional substances, such as trypsin inhibitors, phytates, tannins, oxalates, cyanide, and saponins, which have a harmful effect on mineral and protein metabolism. Previous research suggested that including moringa in chicken diets boosts their growth and productivity. Therefore, this review focuses on the characterization and application of M. oleifera in poultry nutrition and its potential toxicity. Furthermore, we discuss the nutritional content, phytochemicals, and antioxidants of M. oleifera leaf meal and its applicability in poultry rations.
... The number of robotic harvesting systems by fruit variety is presented in Fig. 1. Note that sweet peppers were included in this comparison, as they can be regarded as fruit from a botanical perspective (Pennington & Fisher, 2009) as well as their harvesting process is closer to fruit than a vegetable. Images of different applications are shown in Fig. 2, where different robot systems targeting the same fruits are arranged together and labelled, respectively. ...
Intelligent robots for fruit harvesting have been actively developed over the past decades to bridge the increasing gap between feeding a rapidly growing population and limited labour resources. Despite significant advancements in this field, widespread use of harvesting robots in orchards is yet to be seen. To identify the challenges and formulate future research and development directions, this work reviews the state-of-the-art of intelligent fruit harvesting robots by comparing their system architectures, visual perception approaches, fruit detachment methods and system performances. The potential reasons behind the inadequate performance of existing harvesting robots are analysed and a novel map of challenges and potential research directions is created, considering both environmental factors and user requirements.
... All fruits used for their manufacturing were richer in several minor compounds, belonging to different classes such as hydroxycinnamic acids, including feruloyl (4, 5, and 13), coumaroyl (2, 3, and 7), and sinapoyl (8) derivatives in all analysed Citrus, the terpenoids roseoside (6) and ichangin (28) in mandarin and orange pulps. The phenylpropanoid xanthoxylin (15) and two methoxyflavonoids (22 and 24) were detected only in lemon peels. Several minor peaks remained unidentified. ...
The increasing attention on the impact of food on human and environmental health has led to a greater awareness about nutrition, food processing, and food waste. In this perspective, the present work deals with the investigation of the chemical non-volatile and volatile profiles of two Citrus-based products, produced through a conscious process, using Citrus peels as natural gelling agents. Moreover, the total polyphenol content (TPC) and the antioxidant properties were evaluated, as well as their sensorial properties. Chemical and antioxidant results were compared with those of Citrus fresh fruits (C. reticulata, C. sinensis, and C. limon). Concerning the non-volatile fingerprint, the two samples showed a very similar composition, characterized by flavanones (naringenin, hesperetin, and eriodyctiol O-glycosides), flavones (diosmetin and apigenin C-glucosides), and limonoids (limonin, nomilinic acid, and its glucoside). The amount of both flavonoids and limonoids was higher in the Lemon product than in the Mixed Citrus one, as well as the TPC and the antioxidant activity. The aroma composition of the two samples was characterized by monoterpene hydrocarbons as the main chemical class, mainly represented by limonene. The sensorial analysis, finally, evidenced a good quality of both the products. These results showed that the most representative components of Citrus fruits persist even after the transformation process, and the aroma and sensorial properties endow an added value to Citrus preparations.
... Food is one of the physiological needs of human beings as shown in Maslow's hierarchy of needs [1]. A large number of fruits and vegetables [2] are consumed daily by humans. Consumable fruits and vegetables have to pass many stages before they reach the end customer. ...
The quality of fruits and vegetable stores should be maintained with high priority for customer satisfaction. The performance evaluation of fruits and vegetable store located in a supermarket is a big challenge for the managerial personnel of the supermarket. In this paper, a new performance evaluation framework is proposed for the fruits and vegetable store located in a supermarket. The criteria for performance evaluation have been found out in a hierarchical structure through a brainstorming session among the experts. The 4 top-level criteria are storage, processing, sales and transport. These 4 top-level criteria are broken into 9 lower-level criteria. Fuzzy AHP is used to calculate the weights of criteria for each level of the hierarchy. Fuzzy TOPSIS generally ranks the alternatives. An improved fuzzy TOPSIS, which is named fuzzy k-TOPSIS, is proposed here to find out the rank as well as classification of the stores of fruits and vegetables. The proposed framework is demonstrated here with a case study for a better understanding of the complete framework. HIGHLIGHTS The proposed framework integrates Fuzzy Set Theory, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), and k-means clustering for the performance evaluation of fruits and vegetable store located in a supermarket The main contribution of this paper is that the proposed framework not only ranks the alternative fruits and vegetable stores but also does a classification among the alternative fruits and vegetable stores based on their performance The proposed framework is demonstrated here with an illustrative example, which includes 24 stores of fruits and vegetables, 9 criteria, and the expert’s committee of 3 members The proposed framework can also be used in other Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problems GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
... Free radicals' accumulation in the human body could disturb the normal functions of cells and organs that successively result in the onset of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) [2]. Plants with a variety of bioactive compounds and antioxidant components are gaining popularity as a result of their efficacy in enhancing human health and nutrition [3,4]. ey have been linked to lower cancer and heart disease incidence and in turn the mortality rates [5,6]. ...
Plants possessing various bioactive compounds and antioxidant components have gained enormous attention because of their efficacy in enhancing human health and nutrition. Peppers (Capsicum annuum L.), because of their color, flavor, and nutritional value, are considered as one of the most popular vegetables around the world. In the present investigation, the effect of different solvents extractions (methanol, ethanol, and water) and oven drying on the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties was studied of red, yellow, and green peppers. The green pepper water extract showed the highest total polyphenol content (30.15 mg GAE/g DW) followed by red pepper water extract (28.73 mg GAE/g DW) and yellow pepper water extract (27.68 mg GAE/g DW), respectively. The methanol extracts of all the pepper samples showed higher TPC as compared to the ethanol extract. A similar trend was observed with the total flavonoid content (TFC). The antioxidant assays (DPPH scavenging and reducing power) echoed the findings of TPC and TFC. In both antioxidant assays, the highest antioxidant activity was shown by the water extract of green pepper, which was followed by the water extract of red pepper and yellow pepper. Furthermore, all extracts were assessed for their potential antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Aqueous extracts of all three pepper samples exhibited slightly higher inhibition zones as compared to their corresponding ethanolic and methanolic extract. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranged from 0.5 to 8.0 mg/ml. The lowest MIC values ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 mg/ml concentration were recorded for aqueous extracts of green pepper. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed tannic acid as the major phenolic compound in all three pepper samples. Thus, it is envisaged that the microwave drying/heating technique can improve the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the pepper.
... In the past, mushrooms were categorised within the plant kingdom and considered as vegetables. However, mushrooms are now categorised as fungi [147]. Mushrooms (also known as macrofungi) are different from microfungi (such as moulds, smuts and plant rusts) due to their visible fruiting bodies. ...
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a primary cause of deaths worldwide. Thrombotic diseases, specifically stroke and coronary heart diseases, account for around 85% of CVDs-induced deaths. Platelets (small circulating blood cells) are responsible for the prevention of excessive bleeding upon vascular injury, through blood clotting (haemostasis). However, unnecessary activation of platelets under pathological conditions, such as upon the rupture of atherosclerotic plaques, results in thrombus formation (thrombosis), which can cause life threatening conditions such as stroke or heart attack. Therefore, antiplatelet medications are usually prescribed for people who are at a high risk of thrombotic diseases. The currently used antiplatelet drugs are associated with major side effects such as excessive bleeding, and some patients are resistant to these drugs. Therefore, numerous studies have been conducted to develop new antiplatelet agents and notably, to establish the relationship between edible plants, specifically fruits, vegetables and spices, and cardiovascular health. Indeed, healthy and balanced diets have proven to be effective for the prevention of CVDs in diverse settings. A high intake of fruits and vegetables in regular diet is associated with lower risks for stroke and coronary heart diseases because of their plethora of phytochemical constituents. In this review, we discuss the impacts of commonly used selected edible plants (specifically vegetables, fruits and spices) and/or their isolated compounds on the modulation of platelet function, haemostasis and thrombosis.
... In addition, fruit and vegetable fungal diseases have been extensively studied [11]. Rhizomes and other vegetables such as crucifers, cucurbits, bulbs, and legumes are less susceptible to fungal illnesses than fruits, possibly because their pH is more favorable to bacterial pathogens [12]. In addition, many of the most common postharvest illnesses are caused by fungal species from the Penicillium, Monilinia, Botrytis, Alternaria, Rhizopus, Fusarium, Aspergillus, Gloeosporium, Geotrichum, and Mucor genera [13]. ...
Perishable food spoilage caused by fungi is a major cause of discomfort for food producers. Food sensory abnormalities range from aesthetic degeneration to significant aroma, color, or consistency alterations due to this spoilage. Bio-preservation is the use of natural or controlled bacteria or antimicrobials to enhance the quality and safety of food. It has the ability to harmonize and rationalize the required safety requirements with conventional preservation methods and food production safety and quality demands. Even though synthetic preservatives could fix such issues, there is indeed a significant social need for “clean label” foods. As a result, consumers are now seeking foods that are healthier, less processed, and safer. The implementation of antifungal compounds has gotten a lot of attention in recent decades. As a result, the identification and characterization of such antifungal agents has made promising advances. The present state of information on antifungal molecules, their modes of activity, connections with specific target fungi varieties, and uses in food production systems are summarized in this review.
... Thus, the antimicrobial activity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.), allspice (Pimenta dioica), and clove (S. aromaticum) is attributed to eugenol (2-methoxy-4-allyl phenol) and cinnamic aldehyde, which are major constituents of the volatile oils of these spices. The total antioxidant capacity of fruit and vegetable extracts reflects concentrations of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor), various flavonoids, and other phenolic compounds [22]. Such compounds have shown the ability to terminate free-radical reactions and scavenge for reactive oxygen species. ...
Marine species deteriorate rapidly post-mortem as a consequence of a variety of biochemical and microbial breakdown mechanisms. Due to the increasing demand for high-quality fresh seafood, different strategies are now available to retard spoilage for as long as possible. The present study provides an overview of a recently proposed strategy based on the addition of natural compounds to marine species. In this strategy, different kinds of natural preservative compounds are included in the flake-ice medium that is commonly used for chilled storage. Natural sources tested for this purpose include low-molecular-weight organic acids and different kinds of extracts of plants, macroalgae, and by-products resulting from marine species commercialization. The preservative action of such treatments is analyzed according to the effect on different deteriorative mechanisms (i.e., lipid hydrolysis, oxidation, and microbial activity development), as well as on the resulting sensory acceptability and shelf-life time. The basic objective of this review is to provide an overview concerning the positive effect that the presence in an icing system of natural preserving compounds may have on the quality of chilled marine species. Furthermore, various potential avenues are proposed to develop the practical and commercial employment of this technological strategy.
... When consumers buy vegetables in Japan, the color and size are more important than the shape and presence or absence of scratches [2]. In particular, the color is a criterion for judging not only deliciousness and freshness but also nutritional components [3][4][5]. For example, chlorophyll (Chl) concentration, which reflects leaf greenness, has been reported to have anticancer and anticholesterolemic effects as well as a preventive effect on lifestylerelated diseases owing to its antioxidant properties [6,7]. ...
The color and nutritional quality of vegetables directly affect the choices of consumers and thus affect the commercial value of the vegetable products. Green light can penetrate the outer leaves and reach the inner leaves to promote photochemical reaction of the overlapping leaves of head vegetables. However, whether this promotion can increase the nutritional components and change the color of the inner leaves of head cabbages, which is one of the major head vegetables largely produced worldwide, remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the changes in the colors and the concentrations of chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid of the inner leaves of two types of cabbages by externally irradiating the cabbage with green light. The results showed that a short-term (48 h) irradiation with low light intensity (50 μmol m ⁻² s ⁻¹ ) of green light enhanced the Chl concentration and colors of the inner leaves of cabbages, and the positive changes of these indicators increased as the leaf layers approached the head center of the cabbage. Simultaneously, we also establish a method to effectively estimate the Chl concentration using luminosity ( L* ) and greenness ( − a* ) when the Chl concentration is so low that it is difficult or not possible to be measured by SPAD meter. Our findings demonstrated that green light, as a new tool, can be used to control the colors and nutritional components of the inner leaves of cabbages. The discoveries will help produce head vegetables with the preferred phenotype desired by consumers using a plant factory with artificial lighting.
... The trained ResNet-18 model was used to evaluate the marbling potential of 17 types of fruits and plants. Candidates were chosen from across broad groups of fruits and vegetables such as pomme, stone, berry, citrus and tropical fruits and root and marrow [71]. The list of 17 candidates is given as follows: apple, breadfruit, brinjal (eggplant), carrot, grapefruit, jackfruit, manga, papaya, pear, persimmon, pineapple, radish, starfruit, watermelon, water chestnut (wc), wintermelon and yellow pepper. ...
Recent efforts for cell-based meat cuts focus on engineering edible scaffolds, with visual cues which are key to enhancing consumer acceptance, receiving less attention Here, we employed artificial intelligence (AI)-based screening of potential plant materials and discovered that jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) has the natural structures to recapitulate marbling visuals of meat cuts. Plant tissue compositions are exploited for its differential polyphenol adsorption to produce complex marbling patterns. A one-step colour control method by varying oxidation and incubation conditions of polyphenols was developed to produce permanent meat-like colours resembling chicken, pork, and beef. The scaffold exhibits a meat-like browning behaviour when cooked and is shown to support high-density porcine myoblasts culture without masking the marbled appearance. Surveys with 78 volunteers found that marbled jackfruit scaffolds improved consumer perception of cell-based meat by ∼8%. Our approach of combining AI, tissue engineering, and sensory science unlocks the possibility of creating a range of novel cell-based meat cuts with consumer focus.
Background: The colors of fruits and vegetables (FV) reflect the presence of pigmented bioactive compounds. The evidence of pre-diagnosis specific FV color group intake contributing to ovarian cancer (OC) survival is limited and inconsistent. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted between 2015 and 2020 with 700 newly diagnosed OC patients. Pre-diagnosis dietary information was assessed by a validated food frequency questionnaire. We classified FV into five groups based on the color of their edible parts (e.g., green, red/purple, orange/yellow, white, and uncategorized groups). Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association of specific color groups of FV before diagnosis with OC survival. Potential multiplicative and additive interactions were assessed. Results: 130 patients died during a median follow-up of 37.57 (interquartile: 24.77-50.20) months. We observed the improved survival with a higher pre-diagnosis intake of total FV (HRtertile 3 vs. tertile 1 = 0.63, 95%CI = 0.40-0.99), total vegetables (HRtertile 3 vs. tertile 1 = 0.57, 95%CI = 0.36-0.90), and red/purple FV (HRtertile 3 vs. tertile 1 = 0.52, 95%CI = 0.33-0.82). In addition, we observed significant dose-response relationships for per standard deviation increment between total vegetable intake (HR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.65-0.96) and red/purple group intake (HR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.60-0.99) before diagnosis with OC survival. Additionally, pre-diagnosis green FV intake was borderline associated with better OC survival (HRper standard deviation increment = 0.83; 95%CI = 0.69-1.00). In contrast, we did not observe significant associations between pre-diagnosis intake of total fruits, orange/yellow, white, and uncategorized groups and OC survival. Conclusion: Pre-diagnosis FV intake from various color groups, especially the green and red/purple ones, may improve OC survival. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.
Purpose
Unstructured data such as images have defied usage in property valuation for a long time. Instead, structured data in tabular format are commonly employed to estimate property prices. This study attempts to quantify the shape of land lots and uses the resultant output as an input variable for subsequent land valuation models.
Design/methodology/approach
Imagery data containing land lot shapes are fed into a convolutional neural network, and the shape of land lots is classified into two categories, regular and irregular-shaped. Then, the intermediate output (regularity score) is utilized in four downstream models to estimate land prices: random forest, gradient boosting, support vector machine and regression models.
Findings
Quantification of the land lot shapes and their exploitation in valuation led to an improvement in the predictive accuracy for all subsequent models.
Originality/value
The study findings are expected to promote the adoption of elusive price determinants such as the shape of a land lot, appearance of a house and the landscape of a neighborhood in property appraisal practices.
Disruptions in supply chains can lead to a market breakdown, and the products have different disruption sensitivities to processed food and fresh food. This work analyzes the disruptions caused in fresh food supply chains of Cochabamba’s vulnerable downtown population, Bolivia. Based on the data collected, a new food kit delivery policy is proposed based on mobile market distribution. The data collected considered vulnerable areas in a region, communities’ social characteristics as a typical diet, and food nutritional contribution, among others, for a week. Finally, this study identified the selected region’s products, networks, and delivery routes.KeywordsFresh food supply chainDistribution strategiesFood securityVulnerable regions
Background:
The independent associations of quantity and variety in fruit and vegetable (FV) with mortality in older people is still unclear.
Objectives:
The aim was to explore the association between the quantity and variety in fruit and vegetable consumption and mortality in older Chinese.
Methods:
19,597 participants of Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study aged 50+ years were recruited from 2003-06 and followed up until April 2021. Diet was assessed by a 300-item validated food frequency questionnaire. Variety as a continuous variable was defined as the number of unique FV items (excluding potatoes, legumes and fruit juices) intake per week over the past week. Associations of quantity and variety in FV with mortality and analyses by color of edible part were analyzed. Multivariable Cox regression yielded hazard radios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results:
During 286,821 person-years of follow-up, 4,385 deaths included 1,678 CVD, 1,450 cancer and 1,257 other causes. Compared with the lowest quintile of variety in FV, the highest quintile was associated with lower risks of all-cause (HR 0.81, 95%CI 0.73-0.89) and CVD mortality (HR 0.79, 0.67-0.92). Greater variety of green and white FV intake was associated with lower risks of all-cause and CVD morality, and greater variety of red/purple FV intake was associated with lower risks of all-cause and cancer mortality. However, quantity in FV intake showed no association with all-cause, CVD and cancer mortality.
Conclusion:
Our findings have first shown that the variety, rather than quantity, in FV intake was associated with lower risk of mortality in older Chinese. Dietary guidelines may recommend increasing variety in FV intake, especially green, red/purple and white FV in older people.
Background:
Blanching is a unit operation prior to drying of vegetables. Hot water blanching (HWB) of broccoli brings about quality decline and environmental problem. In this work, hot air assisted radio frequency heating blanching (HA-RFB) of broccoli was developed prior to further drying process. Blanching sufficiency, heating uniformity and heating rate during HA-RFB were investigated to improve the product physicochemical properties and texture. A desirable heating rate and uniformity was achieved with radio frequency assisted by 70°C of hot air under 10.7 cm of electrode gap, using cylindrical container for broccoli.
Results:
Under this condition, the relative peroxidase activity in broccoli decreased to 3.26% within 117 s, with 13.45% of weight loss. Compared to HWB broccoli, the products blanched by HA-RFB preserved better texture, bioactive compounds, as well as the microstructure. In addition, the content of ascorbic acid, sulforaphane and total glucosinolates in HA-RFB products were 251.1%, 131.9% and 36.7% higher than those in HWB broccoli. Furthermore, HA-RFB treatment led to a higher weight loss (13.45±0.50%) than HWB (8.70±1.70%), which is greatly beneficial to the subsequent drying process.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrated that HA-RFB could be a promising substitute of HWB to blanch broccoli and other flower vegetables, especially as a pretreatment of drying process. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Green leafy vegetables (GLVs), especially lettuce and spinach, are the key source of bioactive antioxidants in a diet. This research compared the contents and composition of lettuce and spinach bioactive compounds with emerging GLVs, moringa and fenugreek. Liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) with single ion monitoring (SIM) was used to examine carotenoids and tocols, while phytosterols were examined using gas chromatography (GC)-MS. Among the studied GLVs, the (all-E)-lutein was the most dominating carotenoid ranging between 31.3 (green/red lettuce)–45.3 % (fenugreek) of total carotenoids, followed by (all-E)-violaxanthin and (all-E)-β-carotene. Surprisingly, (all-E)-β-carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid, was the second most dominating carotenoid in moringa, accounting for 109.2 µg/g fresh weight (FW). Moreover, the significantly highest (p < 0.05; Tukey HSD) contents of total carotenoids (473.3 µg/g FW), α-tocopherol (83.7 µg/g FW), and total phytosterols (206.4 µg/g FW) were recorded in moringa. Therefore, moringa foliage may serve as an affordable source of nutritionally vital constituents in a diet.
Fruits are considered a significant component to offer humans adequate nutrients, like carbohydrates, vitamins, and dietary fiber but the ripening of fruits is a major issue as the ripening of fruits is detected considering more or less time based on microclimate conditions. This article proposes a new technique to classify fruit ripening using the deep model. Here, the input images like mango, apple, and banana are fed to preprocessing phase wherein Gaussian filtering is adapted to eliminate unwanted distortions. Features like color histogram, histogram of gradients, statistical features, local Gabor binary patterns, significant local binary pattern, and convolution neural network (CNN) features are mined to classify fruit. The DCNN training is done with the adopted tunicate‐based Henry gas solubility optimization algorithm (THGSO) obtained by integrating the tunicate swarm algorithm and Henry gas solubility optimization (HGSO). Then, ripening classification is done with deep residual network (DRN). The DRN training is done using the adopted THGSO. The adopted THGSO‐based DRN presented developed fruit classification performance with elevated accuracy 91.4%, sensitivity 92.5%, and specificity 87.5%. The adopted THGSO‐based DRN provided improved fruit ripening performance with maximum accuracy 92.5%, sensitivity 93.5%, and specificity 90.5%.
Soft clustering is able to handle overlapping data thanks to membership functions that allow examples to belong to several clusters. However, the formula linking membership functions to centers and the adoption of fixed time steps, when updating the parameters, prevents research from exploring areas that may be promising. To alleviate this complexity and enlarge the search space, we propose a constrained optimization model that de-assigns memberships from centers. To take advantage of the ability of neural networks to understand the characteristics of the data and of dynamic systems to remember previous groupings, we solve the proposed model by the third-order gradient recurrent network whose stability point is formed by the memberships and the centers. In this respect, the fixed time step Euler-Cauchy algorithm prevents the search from exploring promising regions. To remedy this problem, we adopt a variable time step that allows a maximum decay of the Lyaponuv function at each iteration. We demonstrate that dissociating the membership coefficients from the group centers results in a less complex optimization model with a larger set of feasible solutions offering better optimal fuzzy clustering. We compared our method to different clustering methods basing on silhouette, separability, compactness criterion, and on Dunn’s index; our method has shown its superiority on academic data sets. We used our method to group plants based on 24 nutrients which results in a better classification in comparison with the unidimensional methods.
Background
Calcium and iron are crucial essential minerals. Iron is mainly responsible for transporting oxygen in the body and the immune system. In comparison, calcium’s primary function is in human bones and teeth. Due to that, it is vital to quantify the amount of vegetables.
Objective
Optimization and validation of three analytical procedures visible, AES and AAS, were developed to determine calcium and iron in vegetables and wastewater samples using RSM via BBD. The design helps to reduce experiment trials with selected variables to find a correlation between them and their respective dependent variables.
Methods
Method I was developed to quantify calcium in vegetables mixed with concentrated 3M HNO3 and heated the mixture to reflux as per the BBD. Then, cooled, filtered, and completed with 3M HNO3 to be carried out utilizing AES and AAS. For method II, vegetables were mixed with nitric acid and sulfuric acid solution with an optimized 5M KSCN solution, which was computed using the AAS and visible spectrophotometry.
Results
First, % water content was calculated for all vegetables, higher in malabar spinach and lower in peas. The Ca and Fe contents were present within 0.59–2.68 mg and 35.8–211.5 mg, respectively in 100g of vegetables. The results showed a higher amount of iron was available in spinach and a lower amount in okra. In contrast, the highest calcium amount was present in broccoli and the lowest amount was in peas. The Ca and Fe content were between 0.015–137.25 and 0.01–147.85 µg/mL in the wastewater samples.
Conclusion
These methods can help to determine the amount of calcium and iron for the quality control samples in research & development, food and the environmental industry.
Highlights
Three validated analytical techniques quantify calcium and iron in vegetables and wastewater samples. The RSM–BBD optimized the method and determined its crucial factors.
An up-to-date nitrate food composition database of plant-based foods is lacking. Such a resource is imperative to obtain a robust assessment of dietary nitrate intakes and facilitate more empirical evaluation of health implications. We updated and expanded our 2017 vegetable nitrate database by including data published between 2016 – 2021 and data on fruits, cereals, herbs, spices, pulses and nuts (1980 – 2021). Of the collated nitrate contents for 264 plant-based foods from 64 countries, 120 were obtained from three or more references. Despite substantial variations, leaf vegetables were the top nitrate-containing foods, followed by stem & shoot vegetables, herbs and spices, root vegetables, flower vegetables, tuber vegetables, nuts, fruit vegetables, legume/seed vegetables, fruits and cereals. Banana and strawberry contained far higher amounts of nitrate than previously recognised. In conjunction with the recent animal-based food nitrate & nitrite database, this database can now be used to evaluate dietary nitrate intake in clinical and epidemiological studies.
Bio‐hybrid solar cells, which are inspired by photosynthesis process in plants, are new low‐cost and environmentally friendly solar cells. In this kind of solar cells, photosystem I (PSI), which is the main part of photosynthesis process, is used as active layer and works as light absorber. In the present study, we extracted PSI from some easily accessible plants including spinach, Tung‐Oh, chye sim, local endive, beet greens, leek, Swiss chard and romaine lettuce and studied their light absorbance properties. We showed that the optical band gap of PSI extracted from all of these plants is about 1.8 eV which indicates the potential of these plants for using in bio‐hybrid solar cells. It was shown that, due to the higher light absorbance, spinach is the best plant for this kind of solar cells. Also, the effect of temperature on light absorbance of PSI extracted from spinach was investigated and showed that the light absorbance of PSI considerably decreases in high temperature values such as 80°C. Furthermore, we studied alkaline and acidic environments on PSI light absorbance and showed that the alkaline pH stress has no destructive effect on light absorbance, while the acidic pH stress causes a considerable decrease in light absorbance which is important in bio‐hybrid solar cell fabrication. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Vegetables are a ubiquitous part of everyday meals in Nigeria and have been widely recognized as an essential source of nutrients and dietary fiber for proper health development and wellbeing. The demand for vegetables has increased considerably in recent years. However, research has linked vegetable intake with various pathogenic bacteria that are of public health concern. The purpose of the current study was to isolate and identify the bacterial composition of bitter leaf, fluted pumpkin, and scent leaf commonly sold at various markets in Anambra State. These bacteria were examined with the standard microbiological methods. The serial dilution technique was applied. The result revealed that the samples collected from different sellers containedvarious microbial loads. Bitter leaf contained a higher load of bacteria, while the pumpkin leaf contained a moderate load of bacteria. The lowest plate count was recorded for the scent leaf. The bacteria isolated from the samples were Bacillus, Pseudomonas species, Erwinia spp, and Streptococcus. Thus, it is concluded that the vegetables sold in the rural markets contain a massive number of bacteria above the world health organization recommendation. Indeed, there should be proper washing of vegetables with clean water and disinfecting the bacteria with sodium chloride to safeguard the health of the final consumer.
Plants are creatures that are very unique and can contribute to many scientific fields. There was, and still was, an enormous need to use plants to reduce or eliminate the use of the chemicals. Every single part of these plants even their wastes are beneficial. As a result, the term green chemistry appeared toward nanoparticles development and their applications. Recycling waste from plants to have an environment that is environmentally friendly, as well. This can be approached via various applications that will be reported in this review. Biosynthesizing is the field where the plant extract is used without any chemical ingredients to synthesize the nanoparticles. These nanoparticles will be contamination-free and have a well-defined size and morphology. Various valuable nanoparticles such as gold, silver, carbon, copper, silica, chitosan, titanium dioxide, and zinc can be obtained from fruit peels. In this review, we are reporting the usage of fruit peel waste from different horticulture crops for synthesis some bionanomaterials.
The antioxidant activities of peel, pulp and seed fractions of 28 fruits commonly consumed in China were determined using the ferric reducing/antioxidant power assay (FRAP assay). The contribution of vitamin C to the antioxidant activity of fruit pulps was also calculated. The results showed that hawthorn pulp had the highest FRAP value among all fruit pulps and followed by date, guava, kiwifruit, purple mulberry, strawberry, white pomegranate, lukan and honey tangerine pulps and etc. Most of fruit peel and seed fractions were stronger than the pulp fractions in antioxidant activity based on their FRAP values. The contribution of vitamin C to the FRAP value of fruit pulps varied greatly from fruit to fruit as calculated. We concluded that peel and seed fractions of some fruits, such as pomegranate peel, grape seed, hawthorn peel, longan and lychee seeds possessed relatively high antioxidant activity and might be rich sources of natural antioxidants.
The unsaponifiable lipid fraction of plant-based foods is a potential source of bioactive components such as phytosterols, squalene, and tocopherols. The objective of the present study was to determine the levels of phytosterols, and squalene, as well as tocopherols (alpha and beta + gamma) in selected grains, seeds, and legumes. The method comprised acid hydrolysis and lipid extraction followed by alkaline saponification, prior to analysis by HPLC. In addition, the fatty acid profile of the foods was determined via total lipid extraction, fatty acid derivitisation and GC analysis. In general, beta-sitosterol was the most prevalent phytosterol, ranging in concentration from 24.9 mg/100 g in pumpkin seed to 191.4 mg/100 g in peas. Squalene identified in all foods examined in this study, was particularly abundant in pumpkin seed (89.0 mg/100 g). The sum of alpha- and beta+ gamma-tocopherols ranged from 0.1 mg/100 g in rye to 15.9 mg/100 g in pumpkin seeds. Total oil content ranged from 0.9% (w/w) in butter beans to 42.3% (w/w) in pumpkin seed and the type of fat, in all foods examined, was predominantly unsaturated. In conclusion, seeds, grains, and legumes are a rich natural source of phytosterols. Additionally, they contain noticeable amounts of squalene and tocopherols, and in general, their fatty acid profile is favorable.
The total antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of edible portions and seeds of avocado, jackfruit, longan, mango and tamarind were studied. In addition, the relationship between antioxidant activity, phenolic content and the different degrees of heating of mango seed kernel was investigated. The seeds showed a much higher antioxidant activity and phenolic content than the edible portions. The contribution of all the fruit seed fractions to the total antioxidant activity and phenolic content was always >70%. ABTS cation radical-scavenging and FRAP assays were employed for the determination of antioxidant activity; FCR assay was used to measure the total phenolic content. The AEAC and FRAP of ethanolic extracts of MSKP products increased to a maximum after heating to 160 °C. The total phenolic content in extracts of MSKP products increased from 50.3 to 160 mg/g GAE with an increase in heating temperature to 160 °C.
The total antioxidant activity of 12 fruits and 5 commercial fruit juices was measured in this study using automated oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay. On the basis of the wet weight of the fruits (edible portion), strawberry had the highest ORAC activity (micromoles of Trolox equivalents per gram) followed by plum, orange, red grape, kiwi fruit, pink grapefruit, white grape, banana, apple, tomato, pear, and honeydew melon. On the basis of the dry weight of the fruits, strawberry again had the highest ORAC activity followed by plum, orange, pink grapefruit, tomato, kiwi fruit, red grape, white grape, apple, honeydew melon, pear, and banana. Most of the antioxidant capacity of these fruits was from the juice fractions. The contribution of the fruit pulp fraction (extracted with acetone) to the total ORAC activity of a fruit was usually less than 10%. Among the commercial fruit juices, grape juice had the highest ORAC activity followed by grapefruit juice, tomato juice, orange juice, and apple juice.
Previously, some fruits were shown to contain high antioxidant activities. In this paper, we report the antioxidant activities of 22 common vegetables, one green tea, and one black tea measured using the automated oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay with three different reactive species: a peroxyl radical generator, a hydroxyl radical generator, and Cu2+, a transition metal. Based on the fresh weight of the vegetable, garlic had the highest antioxidant activity (micromol of Trolox equiv/g) against peroxyl radicals (19.4) followed by kale (17.7), spinach (12.6), Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli flowers, beets, red bell pepper, onion, corn, eggplant (9.8-3.9), cauliflower, potato, sweet potato, cabbage, leaf lettuce, string bean, carrot, yellow squash, iceberg lettuce, celery, and cucumber (3.8-0.5); kale had the highest antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radicals followed by Brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, beets, spinach, broccoli flowers, and the others. The green and black teas had much higher antioxidant activities against peroxyl radicals than all these vegetables. However, the tea also showed a prooxidant activity in the presence of Cu2+, which was not found with any of the vegetables studied.
Mathematical clustering algorithms were used to classify foods within dairy, grain, and fat commodity groups on the basis of nutrients with limited availability in the food supply as well as those posing a possible health risk due to excess consumption. The procedure overcomes the problem that has made objective and accurate grouping, i.e., dealing simultaneously with 10 or more nutrients, difficult. The clustering routine classifies foods on the basis of similar nutrient content for any number of food attributes and assigns a degree of association to each food to indicate its compositional similarity to a prototype food for the cluster group. Foods within dairy, grain, and fat commodity groups were clustered on the basis of similar content of vitamin B-6, calcium, iron, magnesium, folacin, zinc, and added sugar, fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Whole milk and natural cheese clustered together on the basis of their moderate nutrient and relatively high fat and sodium content. Whole wheat breads, pumpernickel bread, and pancakes from mix constituted a grain subgroup with highest nutrient content, lowest cholesterol and sugar, lower fat, and higher sodium. Other subgroups based upon similarities in attributes were identified within food commodity categories. The result is an expansion of some food groups to incorporate concepts of both nutritional adequacy and moderation of food components of current nutritional concern.
Plant sterols are known to have serum cholesterol lowering effects. A high dietary intake might therefore have a positive impact on health. All food items of vegetable origin contain some amount of plant sterols. The aim of this study was to analyse the plant sterol content of vegetables and fruits commonly consumed in Sweden, and to compare fresh and cooked samples of the same items.
Altogether 20 different vegetables and 14 fruits were analysed. All vegetables and fruits were purchased in two shops in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Lyophilization was performed within one month of the items being purchased. The samples were frozen at −20 (C and analysed within six months, with a GLC method after acid hydrolysis, alkaline hydrolysis and silylation with tri-methylsilylether. The acid hydrolysis was done in order to detect the fraction of glycosylated plant sterols, which are split during boiling with HCl.
The median plant sterol content of vegetables was 14 (3.8–50) mg/100 g edible portion. The highest concentrations were found in broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and olives. The median plant sterol content of fruits was 16 (3–44) mg/100 g edible portion. The highest concentrations were found in oranges and passion fruits.
The plant sterol concentrations were thus low in vegetables and fruits commonly consumed in Sweden. A serum cholesterol lowering effect attributed to the plant sterols in vegetables and fruits would therefore be of limited significance.
Epidemiologic data support the association between high intake of vegetables and fruits and low risk of chronic disease. There are several biologically plausible reasons why consumption of vegetables and fruit might slow or prevent the onset of chronic diseases. Vegetables and fruit are rich sources of a variety of nutrients, including vitamins, trace minerals, and dietary fiber, and many other classes of biologically active compounds. These phytochemicals can have complementary and overlapping mechanisms of action, including modulation of detoxification enzymes, stimulation of the immune system, reduction of platelet aggregation, modulation of cholesterol synthesis and hormone metabolism, reduction of blood pressure, and antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral effects. Although these effects have been examined primarily in animal and cell-culture models, experimental dietary studies in humans have also shown the capacity of vegetables and fruit and their constituents to modulate some of these potential disease-preventive mechanisms. The human studies have relied on intermediate endpoints related to disease risk. Design methodologies used include multiple-arm trials, randomized crossover studies, and more compromised designs such as nonrandomized crossovers and pre- and posttreatment analyses. Length of treatment ranged from a single dose to years depending on the mechanism of interest. Stringency of dietary control varied from addition of supplements to a habitual diet to provision of all food for the duration of a treatment. Rigorously conducted experimental dietary studies in humans are an important link between population- and laboratory-based research.
Considerable scientific evidence suggests that whole grains, as commonly consumed in the United States and Europe, reduce risk for chronic disease including cancer and heart disease. Whole grains provide a wide range of nutrients and phytochemicals that may work synergistically to optimize human health. Fruits and vegetables provide protection against age related diseases. It is believed their high content of antioxidant compounds is key to such protection.
This research compares the antioxidant activity of whole grain, ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals to that of fruits and vegetables.
Antioxidant activity was determined by dispersing finely ground samples in a 50% aqueous methanol solution of the stable free radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). DPPH, which forms a deep purple solution, reacts with antioxidants and color loss at 515 nm correlates to antioxidant content, which is expressed as Trolox equivalents/100 grams (TE).
Whole grain breakfast cereals analyzed in this study contained from 2,200-3,500 TE. By comparison, fruits generally ranged from 600-1,700 TE, with a high of 2,200 TE for red plums. Berries averaged 3,700 TE and. vegetables averaged 450 TE with a high of 1,400 TE for red cabbage. A 41 gram average serving of RTE breakfast cereal provides 1,120 TE, while an average 85 gram serving of vegetables or fruits provides 380 and 1,020 TE, respectively.
Whole grain breakfast cereals, fruits and vegetables are all important dietary sources of antioxidants.
The role of dietary fat in the etiology of chronic diseases is both a qualitative and a quantitative issue. The dietary fat intake is largely influenced by behavioral and social influences on food choice. Ongoing scientific research has led to dietary recommendations with main concerns being the percentage of saturated, essential fatty acids and cholesterol with respect to total energy intake. However, the compositional complexity of food choice constituting the diet is a critical concept complicating the interpretation of epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory evidence to define the role of dietary fat in the etiology of diseases. This study was conducted on the observation of the need to better systematically classify consumable food based on complex composition and lamb meat is randomly selected as a non-specific subset for application of hierarchical cluster analysis method to obtain the dendogram using average linkage. Data on fat composition of consumable lamb prepared by different methods was obtained from USDA Nutrient Database for Standart Reference. Using agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis lamb meat was grouped into two main clusters among which one divided into two families of which each was subdivided into two subfamilies based on fatty acids, cholesterol and energy composition. Present work may be considered as a leading study to systematically classify larger food sets. As high fat foods are rich in flavor and overall palatability, the outcome of this study may lead to behaviorally more acceptable but healthier dietary replacements. Besides future use of the results obtained may reveal the effect of complex compositional dietary influences on health and disease and may have superiority to studies questioning individual dietary items. Furthermore, hieararchial cluster analysis may be used to cluster food including other compositional data in food items like amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates, as well.
Both lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities were determined using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC(FL)) assay with fluorescein as the fluorescent probe and 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride as a peroxyl radical generator on over 100 different kinds of foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, spices, cereals, infant, and other foods. Most of the foods were collected from four different regions and during two different seasons in U.S. markets. Total phenolics of each sample were also measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. Hydrophilic ORAC(FL) values (H-ORAC(FL)) ranged from 0.87 to 2641 micromol of Trolox equivalents (TE)/g among all of the foods, whereas lipophilic ORAC(FL) values (L-ORAC(FL)) ranged from 0.07 to 1611 micromol of TE/g. Generally, L-ORAC(FL) values were <10% of the H-ORAC(FL) values except for a very few samples. Total antioxidant capacity was calculated by combining L-ORAC(FL) and H-ORAC(FL). Differences of ORAC(FL) values in fruits and vegetables from different seasons and regions were relatively large for some foods but could not be analyzed in detail because of the sampling scheme. Two different processing methods, cooking and peeling, were used on selected foods to evaluate the impact of processing on ORAC(FL). The data demonstrated that processing can have significant effects on ORAC(FL). Considering all of the foods analyzed, the relationship between TP and H-ORAC(FL) showed a very weak correlation. Total hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant capacity intakes were calculated to be 5558 and 166 micromol of TE/day, respectively, on the basis of data from the USDA Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (1994-1996).
Thirty-seven apricot varieties, including four new releases (Rojo Pasión, Murciana, Selene, and Dorada) obtained from different crosses between apricot varieties and three traditional Spanish cultivars (Currot, Mauricio, and Búlida), were separated according to flesh color into four groups: white, yellow, light orange, and orange (mean hue angles in flesh were 88.1, 85.0, 77.6, and 72.4, respectively). Four phenolic compound groups, procyanidins, hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives, flavonols, and anthocyanins, were identified by HPLC-MS/MS and individually quantified using HPLC-DAD. Chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids, procyanidins B1, B2, and B4, and some procyanidin trimers, quercetin 3-rutinoside, kaempferol 3-rhamnosyl-hexoside and quercetin 3-acetyl-hexoside, cyanidin 3-rutinoside, and 3-glucoside, were detected and quantified in the skin and flesh of the different cultivars. The total phenolics content, quantified as the addition of the individual compounds quantified by HPLC, ranged between 32.6 and 160.0 mg 100 g(-1) of edible tissue. No correlation between the flesh color and the phenolic content of the different cultivars was observed.
The anthocyanin pattern of artichoke heads (Cynara scolymus L.) has been investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. For this purpose a suitable extraction and liquid chromatographic method was developed. Besides the main anthocyanins-cyanidin 3,5-diglucoside, cyanidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3,5-malonyldiglucoside, cyanidin 3-(3''-malonyl)glucoside, and cyanidin 3-(6''-malonyl)glucoside-several minor compounds were identified. Among these, two peonidin derivatives and one delphinidin derivative were characterized on the basis of their fragmentation patterns. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report on anthocyanins in artichoke heads consisting of aglycones other than those of cyanidin. Quantification of individual compounds was performed by external calibration. Cyanidin 3-(6''-malonyl)glucoside was found to be the major anthocyanin in all the samples analyzed. Total anthocyanin content ranged from 8.4 to 1,705.4 mg kg(-1) dry mass.
To identify food selections in each MyPyramid food group or subgroup reflective of typical consumption patterns by Americans, and the nutrient intake that can be expected from consuming a specified amount of these foods from each group, in a low-fat and no-added-sugars form.
An analytical process to identify food consumption choices within each food group and subgroup using national food consumption surveys, and to identify the expected nutrient content of each group using food composition databases.
Relative consumption of foods within each food group; nutrient content for each food group and subgroup (energy plus 27 nutrients).
Disaggregated foods from consumption surveys into component ingredients. Combined similar ingredients into "item clusters" and determined relative consumption of each. Calculated a consumption-weighted nutrient profile for each food group.
Consumption-weighted food intake selections and nutrient profiles were developed for all MyPyramid food groups and subgroups.
This analytical process derived food group and subgroup composites which estimate typical food choices within each MyPyramid food group. These were used to assess the adequacy of the MyPyramid food intake patterns as they were being iteratively developed.
The purpose of this research was to design food intake patterns based on typical American food selections that would meet Dietary Guidelines and Dietary Reference Intake recommendations.
Analytic process to identify appropriate amounts from each food group that together will meet nutritional goals for various age/gender groups.
Projected intake of energy, 9 vitamins, 8 minerals, 8 macronutrients, and dietary fiber in each food intake pattern.
Iterative comparison of nutrients in each food intake pattern to Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines recommendations set as goals for that pattern.
Food intake patterns were established that met almost all nutrient goals within estimated energy needs. Intakes of vitamin E at all energy levels, potassium at lower energy levels, and sodium at higher energy levels did not meet goals.
The food intake patterns provide a foundation of food choices that will meet nutritional recommendations. They form the scientific basis for the MyPyramid Food Guidance System and can also be used as a starting point for developing other educational programs or materials.
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