Influence of Post‐Harvest Moisture on Roasted Almond Shelf Life and Consumer Acceptance.

Background: Sweet almonds (Prunus dulcis) harvest weights have significantly increased to meet consumer demand and now exceed processing facility capabilities. Crops are stockpiled for longer periods of time increasing the probability of moisture exposure. Wet almonds can be mechanically dried prior to processing; however, it is unclear how this practice influences lipid oxidation, shelf-life and consumer […]

Effects of deficit irrigation, rootstock, and roasting on the contents of fatty acids, phytoprostanes, and phytofurans in pistachio kernels.

Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.) is a drought-tolerant specie grown under the semiarid conditions of the Mediterranean basin. For this reason, it is essential to make an exhaustive quantification of yield and quality benefits of the kernels because the regulated deficit irrigation will allow significant water savings with a minimum impact on yield, while improving kernel […]

Chemical Markers to Distinguish the Homo-and Heterozygous Bitter Genotype in Sweet Almond Kernels.

Bitterness in almonds is controlled by a single gene (Sk dominant for sweet kernel, sk recessive for bitter kernel) and the proportions of the offspring genotypes (SkSk, Sksk, sksk) depend on the progenitors' genotype. Currently, the latter is deduced after crossing by recording the phenotype of their descendants through kernel tasting. Chemical markers to early identify parental genotypes related to […]

Phytoprostanes and phytofurans–oxidative stress and bioactive compounds–in almonds are affected by deficit irrigation in almond trees.

Almonds have gained consumers' attention due to their health benefits (they are rich in bioactive compounds) and sensory properties. Nevertheless, information about phytoprostanes (PhytoPs) and phytofurans (PhytoFs) (new plant markers of oxidative stress and compounds with biological properties for human health) in almonds under deficit irrigation is scarce or does not exist. These compounds are […]

Advances in cultivar choice, hazelnut orchard management and nuts storage for enhancing product quality and safety: an overview.

European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is the major species of interest for nutritional uses within the Betulaceae family and its nuts are widely used throughout the world in the chocolate, confectionery and bakery industries. Recently his cultivation has been expanded in traditional producer countries as well as established in new places in the Southern Hemisphere, […]

Inoculum quantification of canker-causing pathogens in prune and walnut orchards using real-time PCR.

Aims: A real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was established to quantify the inoculum densities in the air and rainwater for six canker-causing pathogen groups in prune and walnut orchards in California. Methods and results: The previously published DNA primers to target six pathogen groups including Botryosphaeria dothidea, Cytospora spp., Diplodia spp., Lasiodiplodia spp., Neofusicoccum spp., and Phomopsis […]

Metaphycus macadamiae (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae)–a biological control agent of macadamia felted coccid Acanthococcus ironsidei (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) in Hawaii.

A new species of encyrtid wasp, Metaphycus macadamiae Polaszek & Noyes sp. n., (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae: Encyrtinae) is described as a solitary endoparasitoid of the invasive macadamia felted coccid, Acanthococcus ironsidei (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) in Hawaii. This parasitoid is native to Australia, and the species description is based on material collected from a Macadamia integrifolia Maiden & […]

Draft genome of the husk spot pathogen, Pseudocercospora macadamiae, infecting macadamia.

Pseudocercospora macadamiae causes husk spot in macadamia in Australia. Lack of genomic resources for this pathogen has restricted acquiring knowledge on the mechanism of disease development, spread and its role in fruit abscission. To address this gap, we sequenced the genome of P. macadamaie. The sequence was de novo assembled into a draft genome of 40 Mb, […]