R. Mafrica’s research while affiliated with Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria and other places

Citrus fruits are extensively cultivated worldwide, with Italy and Spain being major producers. In Southern Italy, particularly in Reggio Calabria, a typical citrus fruit is produced, namely, bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau), known for its mysterious origins and exceptional quality essential oil protected by the EU’s PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) designation. Despite historical challenges, bergamot has regained prominence for its nutraceutical potential, especially its flavonoid-rich juice, offering significant health benefits. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the qualitative and quantitative differences of bergamot juice in Calabrian production areas. For this reason, this work aims to investigate the quality characteristics of bergamot juice produced in different areas of Calabria sites. The results showed the best quality attributes of bergamot fruits harvested in the PDO area. In particular, higher levels of total soluble solids, stable acidity, and higher juice were found. In addition, higher contents of ascorbic and citric acids, which are nutritionally valuable and tasteful, were found. The phenolic profile, characterized by the key compounds of bergamot, highlighted the better nutraceutical potential of the fruit grown in the PDO area.

Citrus fruits are extensively cultivated worldwide, with Italy and Spain being major producers. Southern Italy, particularly in Reggio Calabria, a typical citrus fruit is produced, namely, bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau), known for its mysterious origins and exceptional quality essential oil protected by the EU's PDO designation. Despite historical challenges, bergamot has regained prominence for its nutraceutical potential, especially its flavonoid-rich juice, offering significant health benefits. However, little attention has been paid to understanding the qualitative and quantitative differences of bergamot juice in Calabrian production areas. For this reason, this work aims to investigate the quality characteristics of bergamot juice produced in different areas of Ca-labria sites. The results showed the best quality attributes of bergamot fruits harvested in the DPO area. In particular, higher levels of total soluble solids, stable acidity and higher juice were found. In addition, higher contents of ascorbic and citric acids, which are nutritionally valuable and tasteful, were found. The phenolic profile, characterized by the key compounds of bergamot, highlighted the better nutraceutical potential of the fruit grown in the DPO area.

In this study, the effects of altering carbohydrate supply, carried out through branch girdling, on the carpometric and qualitative characteristics of the Feminello Zagara Bianca variety lemon fruits were evaluated. Four girdling times (70, 100, 130, 160 days) were compared with a control. The results showed important effects of alteration times of the supply of carbohydrates to fruit sinks on many carpometric and qualitative characteristics of lemons. Fruits from trees with early girdled branches (70 and 100 DAFB) showed higher weights and juice contents than those with later girdled branches (130 and 160 DAFB) and from ungirdled trees. The increased availability of carbohydrates for fruit in the initial period of the cell enlargement phase allowed the lemons of the trees girdled at 70 and 100 DAFB to anticipate the degreening process of the peel and pulp and ripening process. The advancement of the ripening process determined that the fruits of trees with early girdled branches had a lower acidity content compared with those harvested after the catabolism of citric acid. The knowledge acquired with this study provides new information on factors affecting the growth and ripening of lemons, the improvement of fruit quality, and the anticipation of harvest time.

In this study, ripening period and several pomological and qualitative characteristics of brebas were determined in forty autochthonous fig accessions grown in Calabria (South Italy). The evaluated forty accessions are characterized by producing brebas with a very different ripening period, carpometric and qualitative characteristics. Regarding the ripening period, on the whole the studied accessions are able to guarantee a very large brebas harvesting period extending for almost seven weeks (from the end of the first ten days of June to the middle of the third ten days of July). Also, most of the accessions produced brebas of carpometric and qualitative characteristics similar or even superior to those produced by other more widespread cultivars. The evaluated accessions can be very important not only for its possible use in genetic improvement programs but also for its immediate use to create new commercial orchards for the production of brebas.

Many fruit tree species develop symbioses relationships with mycorrhizal fungi by which they improve their efficiency in water and nutrient uptake and, in turn, increase their vegetative growth and productivity, particularly under stressful environments. These benefits origin from the effects that mycorrhizal determined on the root architecture, morphology and physiology. Usually, few attentions has been devoted to the tree root structure and function, especially, in fig plants during their growth phase in the nursery. Recently, several root traits or phenes have been reported as fundamental for the root functions such as the root length ratio (plant’s potential for the exploitation of soil resources); root mass ratio (allocation traits); the root fineness and tissue density (structural traits); the root very fine, fine and coarse (functional traits). Aim of the study was to test the effects of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the root architecture traits of self-rooted cuttings of two fig (Ficus carica L.) cultivars: Dottato and Natalese. The root architecture traits were evaluated by image analysis system (WinRHIZO). Single root traits and rooting architecture models were statistically tested by univariate and multivariate analysis, respectively. This study confirmed that also the Ficus carica was positively responsiveness to the mycorrhizal inoculation but with cultivar-dependent patterns. Further, the fig with coarse root architecture is more responsive to the fungi inoculation and the AMF induced different root architecture models in Natalese and Dottato suggesting diverse root strategies for exploiting the soil resources.

Trees of the olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivar Carolea grown in Calabria (Italy) in three sites with different main climate traits (temperatures, rainfall, Growth Degree Days seasonal variations) were studied for three years to see the ripening time course and quality of the oils. The optimal harvesting time for obtaining the best-quality olive oils was defined for each site. The effect on quality indexes of three harvesting periods was also considered, linking this to the observed various thermal regimes. The different climates largely affected the growth and the development of fruits and the quality of obtained oils. Lower temperatures and higher rainfall slow down fruit growth and development and delay ripening. Olive oils of good quality (free acidity, fatty acid composition, antioxidant components and oxidative stability were obtained in the site with lower temperatures and higher rainfall when fruits were still yellow-green ripe and had a detachment index between 1.9 and 1.5. Climate change, evidenced by rising temperatures, led to the movement of olive groves from the high-temperature coastal plain to the intern foothills.

The valorization of minor accessions of olive is potentially a good way to improve the qualitative production of a specific territory. Olive oils of four minor accessions (Ciciarello, Tonda di Filogaso, and Ottobratica Calipa and Ottobratica Cannavà clones) produced in the same area of the Calabria region were characterized for the principal qualitative analyses at two drupe harvesting periods (October and November). Good quality in terms of free acidity, peroxides, spectrophotometric indexes, and fatty acid composition was observed in olive oils produced at both drupe harvesting times, with the exception of those of Tonda di Filogaso, which showed a free acidity level over the legal limit for extra virgin olive oil in the second harvesting time. All of the olive oils possessed at both production periods averagely abundant total polyphenols (460–778 mg/kg) and tocopherols (224–595 mg/kg), and the amounts changed in the experimental years for expected different environmental variations. Ottobratica Cannavà and Ottobratica Calipa clones showed some peculiar qualitative characteristics (free acidity, peroxides, fatty acid composition, and total polyphenols), distancing themselves from the principal variety of reference, Ottobratica.

The biofortification of food crops for human consumption is a direct strategy for increasing dietary intake of selenium (Se). The aims of this study were the evaluation of different Se-fortification variables (concentration and number of foliar applications) for obtainment of fortified olives and the efficacy of two technological treatments (brining and dehydration) applied to them in the maintenance of this element. The research was carried out in two experiments: the results of first one were that the application of the highest Se concentration (75 mL L−1) on olive trees was useful to obtain fortified Gordal olives (650 µg kg−1) but the further brining process did not allow an acceptable retention of this nutrient in olive pulp for its dissolution in brines: the decrease was from 92 to 99%. The second experiment concerned in different number of foliar applications of the best previously tested Se-solution (75 mL·L−1) to obtain fortified Carolea olives, that were then submitted to different drying processes to became edible. The available selenium in the final products was better retained in olives dried without any preliminary treatment prior to drying and in those pre-treated by dried salt, with different trends linked to foliar application number.