The Potential Contribution of Traditional Dried Fruits to Public Health

This paper is based on a scientific workshop held in London, UK, at the Kings Fund, on June 7, 2018, to explore key scientific issues relating to dried fruits. The event was hosted by the UK National Dried Fruit Trade Association (NDFTA) and supported by the California Prune Board, California Raisin Administrative Committee, Whitworths and Sun-Maid.

Chile: Import Requirements

The Agriculture and Livestock Service of Chile notified the World Trade Organization of the entry into force of the phytosanitary requirements governing the importation into Chile of walnuts from Argentina and almonds from Australia.

The INC Launches the Statistical Yearbook 2018/2019

The INC is pleased to announce the publication of the ninth issue of the Statistical Yearbook, which features a thorough analysis of nut and dried fruit statistical data on production, trade and consumption throughout the last decade up to the current season.

US: Pesticide Petitions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has received several initial filings of pesticide petitions requesting the establishment or modification of regulations for residues of pesticide chemicals in or on various commodities.

Brazil: MRLs Update

The Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency has notified the World Trade Organization of some draft resolutions regarding the active ingredients E32 – Espinetoram, M49 – Metominostrobina, C40 – chlorfenapyr, C47 – cyprodinil, F49 – Fludioxonil, and G01 – Glyphosate of the Monograph List of Active Ingredients for Pesticides, Household Cleaning Products and Wood Preservers, published by Resolution – RE n° 165 of 29 August 2003, on the Brazilian Official Gazette (DOU – Diário Oficial da União) of 2 September 2003.

Post-storage changes of volatile compounds in air-and sun-dried raisins with different packaging materials using HS-SPME with GC/MS.

Free- and bound-form volatiles in sun-dried raisins (SDRs) and air-dried raisins (ADRs) of 'Thompson Seedless' were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of storage. The compounds originating from glycosidically bound (GB) volatiles were significantly more abundant in bound-form than their free-form. A total of 89 and 88 free-form compounds were identified in […]

EXPRESS: Use of Visible–Near-Infrared (Vis–NIR) Spectroscopy to Detect Aflatoxin B1 on Peanut Kernels.

Current methods for detecting aflatoxin contamination of agricultural and food commodities are generally based on wet chemical analyses, which are time-consuming, destructive to test samples, and require skilled personnel to perform, making them impossible for large-scale nondestructive screening and on-site detection. In this study, we utilized visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy over the spectral range of 400-2500 nm […]

Binding of peanut allergen Ara h 2 with Vaccinium fruit polyphenols.

The potential for 42 different polyphenols found in Vaccinium fruits to bind to peanut allergen Ara h 2 and inhibit IgE binding epitopes was investigated using cheminformatics techniques. Out of 12 predicted binders, delphinidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-glucoside, procyanidin C1, and chlorogenic acid were further evaluated in vitro. Circular dichroism, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and immunoblotting determined their capacity to (i) bind […]

Genetic diversity, antimicrobial resistance and virulence profile of Salmonella isolated from the peanut supply chain.

Thirty-Eight Salmonella isolates recovered from different stages of the peanut supply chain in three Brazilian States (São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Bahia) were subtyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and characterized by phenotypic and genotypic tests for antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes. The isolates were distributed into seven PFGE pulsotypes. All the isolates were resistant to sulfonamide. […]