This study aims to investigate the protective effect of Cyphomandra betacea in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats fed with high fat diet. Rats were fed on either normal chow or high fat diet for 10 weeks for obesity induction phase and subsequently received C. betacea extract at low dose (150 mg kg(-1)), medium dose (200 mg kg(-1)), or high dose (300 mg kg(-1)) or placebo via oral gavages for another 7 weeks for treatment phase. Treatment of obese rats with C. betacea extracts led to a significant decrease in total cholesterol and significant increase in HDL-C (p < 0.05). Also there was a trend of positive reduction in blood glucose, triglyceride, and LDL-C with positive reduction of body weight detected in medium and high dosage of C. betacea extract. Interestingly, C. betacea treated rats showed positive improvement of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity along with a significant increase of total antioxidant status (TAS) (p < 0.05). Further, rats treated with C. betacea show significantly lower in TNF-α and IL-6 activities (p < 0.05). This study demonstrates the potential use of Cyphomandra betacea extract for weight maintenance and complimentary therapy to suppress some obesity complication signs.
Different diseases are observed in vegetables, fruits, cereals, and commercial crops by farmers and agricultural experts. Nonetheless, this evaluation process is time-consuming, and initial symptoms are primarily visible at microscopic levels, limiting the possibility of an accurate diagnosis. This paper proposes an innovative method for identifying and classifying infected brinjal leaves using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNN) and Radial Basis Feed Forward Neural Networks (RBFNN). We collected 1100 images of brinjal leaf disease that were caused by five different species (Pseudomonas solanacearum, Cercospora solani, Alternaria melongenea, Pythium aphanidermatum, and Tobacco Mosaic Virus) and 400 images of healthy leaves from India's agricultural form. First, the original plant leaf is preprocessed by a Gaussian filter to reduce the noise and improve the quality of the image through image enhancement. A segmentation method based on expectation and maximization (EM) is then utilized to segment the leaf's-diseased regions. Next, the discrete Shearlet transform is used to extract the main features of the images such as texture, color, and structure, which are then merged to produce vectors. Lastly, DCNN and RBFNN are used to classify brinjal leaves based on their disease types. The DCNN achieved a mean accuracy of 93.30% (with fusion) and 76.70% (without fusion) compared to the RBFNN (82%-without fusion, 87%-with fusion) in classifying leaf diseases.
Fusarium species is one of the common pathogens of post-harvest disease to cause rot on tomato and other perishable vegetable fruits. The objectives of this study were to determine the diversity of Fusarium isolated species from post-harvest diseases of tomato fruit, to identify the causal organisms by using phenotype characteristics and to verify the pathogens of Fusarium fruit of tomato based on pathogenicity test. Carnation leaf-piece agar (CLA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA) media were used for phenotype-based identification of the Fusarium isolates with emphasis for characterizations of the shapes and sizes of the macroconidia and microconidia, colony features, growth rates, conidiogenous cells and chlamydospores. A total of 180 Fusarium isolates were obtained from 13 locations throughout Selangor. Fusarium solani was most abundantly isolated (34%) followed by F. semitectum (31%) and F. oxysporum (31%), F. subglutinans (3%) while the least was F. equiseti (1%). Twenty seven isolates were tested for pathogenicity test by injecting 1 mL of the conidial suspension onto healthy tomatoes. All the tested Fusarium isolates were pathogenic on tomato with different severity levels. The non-inoculated controls showed no symptoms of fruit rot. The most virulent was F. oxysporum isolate B711T with DSI 93.75%, while the least were isolates of F. solani (B647T) and F. oxysporum (B727T) with DSI 37.5%. Majority of the isolated Fusarium species can potentially produce mycotoxins as their secondary metabolites. The potential production of mycotoxins by pathogenic isolates of Fusarium species in contaminated tomato fruits could pose health hazards when consumed.
In developing countries, farming businesses are dominated by small-scale farmers with limited resources. Such farmers are subjected to high risks, influencing the success rate of their agricultural endeavors. This study, conducted in Aceh Province, Indonesia, measured the risk tolerance among six groups of farmers with businesses based on the following seasonal commodities: paddy, corn, soy, chili, potato, and tomato. A total of 360 respondents were surveyed and 54 key respondents interviewed. A Likert scale was used to assess the risk tolerance levels of the farmers, and ordinal regression analysis to analyze the factors influencing risk tolerance. Paddy, chili, and potato farmers had a relatively high tolerance to farming risks, whereas corn and tomato farmers showed a moderate tolerance. Soy farmers were classified into the low risk tolerance category. Ordinal analysis indicated that the risk tolerance of farmers in each commodity group was influenced by specific factors. Overall, it was found that the farmers' attitudes to risk tolerance were significantly affected by the following factors: experience, education, farming income, capital, land status, and land size. An intervention strategy including improvements in the curriculum, actors, network, scope of clusters, and technology are among the strategies required to positively improve farmers' perceptions and increase their tolerance to farming risks.
Cyphomandra betacea is one of the underutilized fruits which can be found in tropical and subtropical countries. This study was conducted to determine the antioxidant activity and phytochemical contents in different parts (i.e., flesh and peel) of the fruits. Antioxidants were analyzed using DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging assays as well as FRAP assay. Anticholinesterase activity was determined using enzymatic assay using acetyl cholinesterase enzyme. For 80% methanol extract, the peel of the fruit displayed higher antioxidant activity in both FRAP and ABTS free radical scavenging assays while the flesh displayed higher antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay. Total phenolic and total flavonoid content were higher in the peel with the values of 4.89 ± 0.04 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g and 3.36 ± 0.01 mg rutin equivalent (RU)/g, respectively. Total anthocyanin and carotenoid content were higher in the flesh of the fruit with the values of 4.15 ± 0.04 mg/100 g and 25.13 ± 0.35 mg/100 g. The anticholinesterase was also higher in the peel of C. betacea. The same trends of phytochemicals, antioxidant, and anticholinesterase were also observed in the distilled water extracts. These findings suggested that C. betacea has a potential as natural antioxidant-rich nutraceutical products.
The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of the frying media and storage time on the fatty acid composition (FAC) and iodine value (IV) of deep-fat fried potato chips. The frying experiment was conducted at 180ºC for five consecutive days. Six frying media were considered as the main treatments: refined, bleached, deodorized (RBD) palm olein (A), canola oil (C), RBD palm olein/sesame oil (AB, 1:1 w/w), RBD palm olein/canola oil (AC, 1:1, w/w), sesame oil/canola oil (BC, 1:1, w/w), and RBD palm olein/sesame oil/canola oil (ABC, 1:1:1, w/w/w). The initial degrees of unsaturation of the consumed oils, A, C, AB, AC, BC, and ABC, were 58.6, 94.0, 68.0, 72.2, 87.7, and 75.8 (g/100 g), respectively. The fatty acid analysis showed that there was a decrease in both the linolenic acid (C18:3) and linoleic acid (C18:2) contents, whereas the palmitic acid (C16:0) increased with a prolonged frying time. The chemical analysis showed that there was a significant (p < 0.05) difference in terms of the IV for each frying oil during the five consecutive days of frying (day 0 to 5). Oil C had the least stability in terms of deep-fat frying due to a high level of unsaturated fatty acids. Conversely, oil AC had the best stability due to the smallest reduction of the C18:2/C16:0 ratio and the IV.
Citric acid (CA) has a high demand due to its various uses in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the natural supply of CA is minimal compared to its growing industrial demand. The increasing demand for CA can be fulfilled by using biotechnological processes. This study utilized liquid state bioconversion by Aspergillus niger for CA production using sugarcane molasses as the primary substrate. Sugarcane molasses which is agricultural waste consists of significant proportion of organic matters such as lipids and carbohydrates. This makes sugarcane molasses as a potential and alternative source of producing CA at a lower cost. In this study, statistical optimization was applied to improve CA production using submerged fermentation in shake flasks. Aspergillus niger was cultured in potato dextrose agar. Then, inoculum spores were introduced into the fermentation media for a specific duration according to the experimental design from Central Composite Design (CCD) tool under Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in Design Expert 6.0 software. Three parameters were chosen to be optimized at 32⁰C i.e.agitation rate (160, 80, 200 rpm), substrate concentration (47, 60, 73%) and fermentation time (24, 72, 120 h). High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) analyses were conducted to measure CA yield. The optimization study showed that the media incubated for 72 hours with a substrate concentration of 60% and an agitation speed of 180 rpm produced the highest CA yield(21.2 g/L).The analysis of variance (ANOVA) also showed that CCD quadratic model was significant with P-value< 0.0104 and R2is0.8964.
A green synthesis route for the production of silver nanoparticles using methanol extract from Solanum xanthocarpum berry (SXE) is reported in the present investigation. Silver nanoparticles (AgNps), having a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band centered at 406 nm, were synthesized by reacting SXE (as capping as well as reducing agent) with AgNO(3) during a 25 min process at 45 °C. The synthesized AgNps were characterized using UV-Visible spectrophotometry, powdered X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the time of reaction, temperature and volume ratio of SXE to AgNO(3) could accelerate the reduction rate of Ag(+) and affect the AgNps size and shape. The nanoparticles were found to be about 10 nm in size, mono-dispersed in nature, and spherical in shape. In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of synthesized AgNps was tested against 34 clinical isolates and two reference strains of Helicobacter pylori by the agar dilution method and compared with AgNO(3) and four standard drugs, namely amoxicillin (AMX), clarithromycin (CLA), metronidazole (MNZ) and tetracycline (TET), being used in anti-H. pylori therapy. Typical AgNps sample (S1) effectively inhibited the growth of H. pylori, indicating a stronger anti-H. pylori activity than that of AgNO(3) or MNZ, being almost equally potent to TET and less potent than AMX and CLA. AgNps under study were found to be equally efficient against the antibiotic-resistant and antibiotic-susceptible strains of H. pylori. Besides, in the H. pylori urease inhibitory assay, S1 also exhibited a significant inhibition. Lineweaver-Burk plots revealed that the mechanism of inhibition was noncompetitive.
The aim of this study was to determine hydrolytic stability [acid value (AV)] and oxidative stability [peroxide value (PV) and conjugated dienes (CD)] of selected blended oils during potato frying. The blended oils were prepared by blending palm oil with corn oil (POCO), sesame oil (POSO) and rice bran oil (PORBO). Blended vegetable oils were prepared in a ratio of 1 to 1 (v/v) and tested for 0, 10 and 20 times after frying potato. AV and PV were determined by titration method, while CD was determined using the spectrophotometric method. Increasing frequency of oil frying contributed to increased level of AV in all blended oils. PVs were increased in all samples, with most noticeable increment observed in POSO, followed by PORBO and POCO. CD levels of the blended oils were also increased after 20 times of potato frying compared with the unused oil and after 10 times of frying. POCO was the most stable oil in terms of hydrolytic and oxidative stabilities. It is most suitable for deep-fat frying of potato chips and industrial application.
Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the parameters for microwave-assisted extraction of polysaccharides from Cyphomandra betacea. The results showed a good fit with a second-order polynomial equation that was statistically acceptable at P<0.05. Optimal conditions for the extraction of polysaccharides were: extraction time, 2h; microwave power, 400W; extraction temperature, 60°C; and ratio of raw material to water 1:40 (g/mL). Under the optimized conditions, the yield of polysaccharides was found to be relatively high (about 36.52%). The in vitro biological activities of antioxidant and antitumor were evaluated. The IC50 value of polysaccharides was found to be 3mg/mL. The percentage of Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Our results showed that polysaccharides inhibited proliferation of MCF-7 (Breast carcinoma), A549 (Human lung carcinoma) and HepG2 (Liver carcinoma) with an IC50 of 0.23mg/mL, 0.17mg/mL and 0.62mg/mL respectively after 48h incubation. Polysaccharides were shown to promote apoptosis as seen in the nuclear morphological examination study using acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) staining. This is the first report on the effects of polysaccharides extracted from Cyphomandra betacea which exhibited stronger antioxidant and antitumor activities.
Dickeya chrysanthemi is well known as a plant pathogen that caused major blackleg in the European potato industry in the 1990s. D. chrysanthemi strain L11 was discovered in a recreational lake in Malaysia. Here, we present its draft genome sequence.
The effects of orange sweet potato flour addition to tapioca starch on the expansion, oil absorption,
bulk density, water absorption index (WAI), water solubility index (WSI), hardness and colour of fried extruded fish crackers were investigated. The microstructure properties were assessed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and the sensory properties of fried extruded fish crackers were determined by quantitative descriptive analysis method. The shape and texture of the product were similar to that of normal breakfast cereal. Light brownish and slightly harder texture was obtained with addition of orange sweet potato flour to tapioca starch in the fried extruded fish crackers. The bulk density and water solubility index (WSI) increased with the increase in orange sweet potato flour addition. However, water absorption index (WAI), linear expansion, expansion ratio, volume expansion and oil absorption decreased as the amount of orange sweet potato increased. The microstructure studies revealed that fried extruded fish crackers with high percentage of orange sweet potato flour had small air cells and thick cell wall. The fried extruded fish crackers with 30% fish, 14% orange sweet potato flour and 56% tapioca starch had high crispiness score and accepted by the trained panellists.
This study was conducted to identify the causal organism of bark dieback disease of highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) observed in Korea. Blueberry, a woody plant that is native to North America, belongs to the family Ericaceae and genus Vaccinium. Of the 400 species of blueberry in the world, most are distributed in the tropics of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Highbush blueberry is abundantly grown in Canada and the United States and has become a popular commercial crop in Korea for products such as jam, wine, and sauce. Bark dieback disease of blueberry was found in Sunchang (<5% incidence), Jeollabuk-do, Korea in July 2009. Typical symptoms of the disease were blight and dieback on the stems with lesions extending along entire branches. Morphological examination revealed that the perithecia were of the globose type with a nipple, 155 to 490 (374.6) μm, and brown on the dead bark. Asci were bitunicate and clavate or cylindrical with dimensions of 63 to 125 × 16 to 20 μm and containing eight ascospores. Ascospores were of the long ovoid type with dimensions of 13.2 to 23.7 (17.98) × 25.4 to 41.1 (33.21) μm. From extracted genomic DNA, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-5.8S ribosomal DNA region was amplified with universal primers ITS1 (5'-TCCGTAGGTGAACCTGCGG-3') and ITS4 (5'-TCCTCCGCTTATTGATATGC-3'). A BLAST search of GenBank with the ITS sequence revealed that the Sunchang isolate (GenBank Accession No. HQ384217) had 99 to 100% sequence identity with the following Botryosphaeria dothidea accessions: FJ517657, AJ938005, FJ478129, FJ171723, and AJ938004. Phylogenetic analysis with the Sunchang isolate, B. dothidea strains, and related species revealed that the B. dothidea isolate and strains comprised a monophyletic group distinguished from other Botryosphaeria spp. including B. ribis, B. parva, B. protearum, B. lutea, B. australis, B. rhodina, B. obtuse, and B. stevensii (2). On the basis of morphological and molecular results, the isolate was identified as B. dothidea (Moug.) Ces. & De Not. A culture of B. dothidea isolate was grown on potato dextrose agar (PDA) for 10 days. A 5-mm plug was inoculated into stem wounds created with a No. 2 cork borer in 20 2-year-old disease-free blueberry plants grown in a greenhouse. Six plants inoculated with only PDA plugs served as noninoculated controls. The wounds were covered with Parafilm. After 3 months, the Parafilm was removed and black lesions were observed at the fungal inoculation sites, while no lesion was observed on the control plants. To complete Koch's postulates, the fungus was reisolated from the lesions and confirmed to be B. Dothidea (1). There is an urgent need to determine the spread of this disease in Korea, estimate the losses, and develop methods for reducing damage through biological and eco-friendly cultural control methods. References: (1) D. Jurc et al. Plant Pathol. 55:299, 2006. (2) B. Slippers et al. Mycologia 96:83, 2004.
In phytoremediation of co-contaminated soil, the simultaneous and efficient remediation of multiple pollutants is a major challenge rather than the removal of pollutants. A laboratory-scale experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of 5% addition of each of three different organic waste amendments (tea leaves, soy cake, and potato skin) to enhance the phytoaccumulation of lead (60 mg kg(-1)) and diesel fuel (25,000 mg kg(-1)) in co-contaminated soil by Dracaena reflexa Lam for a period of 180 day. The highest rate of oil degradation was recorded in co-contaminated soil planted with D. reflexa and amended with soy cake (75%), followed by potato skin (52.8%) and tea leaves (50.6%). Although plants did not accumulate hydrocarbon from the contaminated soil, significant bioaccumulation of lead in the roots and stems of D. reflexa was observed. At the end of 180 days, 16.7 and 9.8 mg kg(-1) of lead in the stems and roots of D. reflexa were recorded, respectively, for the treatment with tea leaves. These findings demonstrate the potential of organic waste amendments in enhancing phytoremediation of oil and bioaccumulation of lead.
BACKGROUND: Trichoderma sp. SL2 has been previously reported to enhance rice germination, vigour, growth and physiological characteristics. The use of Potato Dextrose Agar as carrier of Trichoderma sp. SL2 inoculant is not practical for field application due to its short shelf life and high cost. This study focuses on the use of corn and sugarcane bagasse as potential carriers for Trichoderma sp. SL2 inoculants.
FINDINGS: A completely randomized design was applied for this study. Trichoderma sp. SL2 suspension mixed with corn and sugarcane bagasse were used as treatment mixture in soil. Growth parameters including rice seedling height, root length, wet weight, leaf number and biomass were measured and compared to control. The results showed that Trichoderma sp. SL2 mixed with corn significantly enhanced rice seedlings root length, wet weight and biomass compared to Trichoderma sp. SL2 mixed with sugarcane bagasse and control.
CONCLUSION: Corn can be a potential carrier for Trichoderma spp. inoculants for field application.
This review article highlights the thermal behaviors of selected starches that were studied using differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) with data shown in various research publications. The starches of sago, potato, sweet potato, cassava, yam, and corn are included in this overview. Our examinations indicate that thermal properties are highly affected by the type of starch, its amylose/amylopectin content, and the presence of other food ingredients such as sugar, sodium chloride, water, milk, hydrocolloids, and meat. When the heating temperatures of the starches were increased, the DSC measurements also showed an increase in the temperatures of the gelatinization (onset [To ], peak [Tp ], and conclusion [Tc ]). This may be attributed to the differences in the degree of crystallinity of the starch, which provides structural stability and makes the granule more resistant to gelatinization.
Waste-to-energy conversion presents a pivotal strategy for mitigating the energy crisis and curbing environmental pollution. Pyrolysis is a widely embraced thermochemical approach for transforming waste into valuable energy resources. This study delves into the co-pyrolysis of terrestrial biomass (potato peel) and marine biomass (Sargassum angastifolium) to optimize the quantity and quality of the resultant bio-oil and biochar. Initially, thermogravimetric analysis was conducted at varying heating rates (5, 20, and 50 °C/min) to elucidate the thermal degradation behavior of individual samples. Subsequently, comprehensive analyses employing FTIR, XRD, XRF, BET, FE-SEM, and GC-MS were employed to assess the composition and morphology of pyrolysis products. Results demonstrated an augmented bio-oil yield in mixed samples, with the highest yield of 27.1 wt% attained in a composition comprising 75% potato peel and 25% Sargassum angastifolium. As confirmed by GC-MS analysis, mixed samples exhibited reduced acidity, particularly evident in the bio-oil produced from a 75% Sargassum angastifolium blend, which exhibited approximately half the original acidity. FTIR analysis revealed key functional groups on the biochar surface, including O-H, CO, and C-O moieties. XRD and XRF analyses indicated the presence of alkali and alkaline earth metals in the biochar, while BET analysis showed a surface area ranging from 0.64 to 1.60 m2/g. The favorable characteristics of the products highlight the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of co-pyrolyzing terrestrial and marine biomass for the generation of biofuels and value-added commodities.
In August 2008, 30% of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants in plots in Lubbock County, Texas showed yellowing, lateral stem dieback, upward leaf curling, enlargement of stems, adventitious roots, and swollen nodes. Yellowing in leaves was similar to that seen with zebra chip disease (ZC) of potato that was confirmed in a potato field 112 km away in July 2008 and was associated with a 'Candidatus Liberibacter' species (1), similar to findings earlier in 2008 in New Zealand and California (2,3). Tissue from four symptomatic plants of cv. Spitfire and two of cv. Celebrity were collected and DNA was extracted from midribs and petioles with a FastDNA Spin Kit (Qbiogene, Inc., Carlsbad, CA,). PCR amplification was done with 16S rRNA gene primers OA2 and OI2c, which are specific for "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" from potato and tomato and amplify a 1.1-kb fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of this new species (1,3). Amplicons of 1.1 kb were obtained from all samples and these were sequenced in both orientations (McLab, San Francisco, CA). Sequences of the 16S rRNA gene were identical for both Spitfire and Celebrity and were submitted to the NCBI as GenBank Accession Nos. FJ939136 and FJ939137, respectively. On the basis of a BLAST search, sequence alignments revealed 99.9% identity with a new species of 'Ca. Liberibacter' from potato (EU884128 and EU884129) in Texas (1); 99.7% identity with the new species "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" described from potato and tomato (3) in New Zealand (EU849020 and EU834130, respectively) and from the potato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli in California (2) (EU812559, EU812556); 97% identity with 'Ca L. asiaticus' from citrus in Malaysia (EU224393) and 94% identity with both 'Ca. L. africanus' and 'Ca. L. americanus' from citrus (EU921620 and AY742824, respectively). A neighbor-joining cladogram constructed using the 16S rRNA gene fragments delineated four clusters corresponding to each species, and these sequences clustered with "Ca. L. solanacearum". A second PCR analysis was conducted with the CL514F/CL514R primer pair, which amplifies a sequence from the rplJ and rplL ribosomal protein genes of "Ca. L. solanacearum". The resulting 669-bp products were 100% identical to a sequence reported from tomato in Mexico (FJ498807). This sequence was submitted to NCBI (GU169328). ZC, a disease causing losses to the potato industry, is associated with a 'Candidatus Liberibacter' species (1-3) and was reported in Central America and Mexico in the 1990s, in Texas in 2000, and more recently in other states in the United States (4). In 2008, a "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" was detected on Capsicum annuum, S. betaceum, and Physalis peruviana in New Zealand (3). Several studies have shown that the potato psyllid, B. cockerelli, is a potential vector for this pathogen (2,4). To our knowledge, this is the first report of "Ca. Liberibacter solanacearum" in field tomatoes showing ZC-like foliar disease symptoms in the United States. References: (1). J. A. Abad et al. Plant Dis. 93:108, 2009 (2) A. K. Hansen et al. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74:5862, 2008. (3) L. W. Liefting et al. Plant Dis. 93:208, 2009. (4) G. A. Secor et al. Plant Dis. 93:574, 2009.
Hydrocolloid from tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) puree was extracted using water and characterised for the first time. Proximate compositions of the extracted hydrocolloid were also determined. Functional characteristics such as water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, emulsifying activity, emulsion stability, foaming capacity and stability of the hydrocolloid were evaluated in comparison to that of commercial hydrocolloids. Its functional groups and degree of esterification were determined using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Monosaccharide profiling was done using reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Screening of various fruits for high hydrocolloid yield after water extraction resulted in tamarillo giving the highest yield. The yield on dry weight basis was 8.30%. The hydrocolloid constituted of 0.83% starch, 21.18% protein and 66.48% dietary fibre with 49.47% degree of esterification and the monosaccharides identified were mannose, ribose, rhamnose, galacturonic acid, glucose, galactose, xylose and arabinose. Higher oil-holding capacity, emulsifying activity and emulsion stability compared to commercial hydrocolloids propose its possible application as a food emulsifier and bile acid binder. Foaming capacity of 32.19% and good foam stabilisation (79.36% of initial foam volume after 2 h of foam formation) suggest its promising application in frothy beverages and other foam based food products. These findings suggest that water-extracted tamarillo hydrocolloid can be utilised as an alternative to low methoxyl pectin.
Tamarillo (Solanum betaceum Cav.) is an underutilised fruit in Malaysia. The fruit, however, contains good proportions of soluble fibre, protein, starch, anthocyanins and carotenoids. Amongst the fruits, only tamarillo mesocarp contains both polar (anthocyanins) and non-polar (carotenoids) pigments. The ability to retain both polar and non-polar pigments in the mesocarp could be related to the unique properties of its hydrocolloids. To understand the pigment-hydrocolloid interaction in the fruit, information on the physicochemical characteristics of the hydrocolloids is required. Therefore, hydrocolloids from the anthocyanin-rich seed mucilage fraction of the tamarillo and its carotenoid-rich pulp fraction were extracted and characterised. Water and 1% citric acid were used to extract the seed mucilage hydrocolloid while 72% ethanol and 20mM HEPES buffer were used for pulp hydrocolloid extraction. Seed mucilage hydrocolloid was primarily composed of arabinogalactan protein-associated pectin whereas pulp hydrocolloid was composed of hemicellulosic polysaccharides with some naturally interacting proteins and neutral polysaccharides.