Browsing by Author "Heyes J"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Non-destructive firmness assessment of ‘SunGold’ kiwifruit a three-year study
    (Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2024-02-14) Sneddon T; Rivera S; Li M; Heyes J; East A; Golding J
    Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. chinensis) firmness is routinely measured in a destructive manner for decision-making purposes. Thus, a population’s quality is inferred by measuring a sample from that population. Consequently, studies have investigated non-destructive techniques for measuring fruit firmness. However, most of these studies have been restricted to a single season or focused on performance over long-term storage. This work compared non-destructive compression (1 mm deformation) and acoustic stiffness with flesh firmness measured with a penetrometer across three seasons. ‘SunGold’ kiwifruit were harvested from 11, 9 and 3 orchards on multiple occasions in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Kiwifruit was freighted to Palmerston North and assessed on arrival. Thirty fruit per orchard were measured on lab arrival, whilst 24 fruit per orchard were stored for two weeks at 0°C prior to assessment. The non-destructive methods had a strong (r2 > 0.89–0.92) segmented correlation with flesh firmness (0.52–10 kgf). Flesh firmness could be adequately estimated with the non-destructive methods within a season. However, segmented regression performance was reduced when predicting for a season outside of the training population. Nonetheless, these non-destructive methods may be useful for estimating flesh firmness at harvest and after short-term storage (2 weeks at 0 °C).
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    Onco-Preventive and Chemo-Protective Effects of Apple Bioactive Compounds
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-11) Nezbedova L; McGhie T; Christensen M; Heyes J; Nasef NA; Mehta S
    Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally. Epidemiological studies have strongly linked a diet high in fruits to a lower incidence of cancer. Furthermore, extensive research shows that secondary plant metabolites known as phytochemicals, which are commonly found in fruits, have onco-preventive and chemo-protective effects. Apple is a commonly consumed fruit worldwide that is available all year round and is a rich source of phytochemicals. In this review, we summarize the association of apple consumption with cancer incidence based on findings from epidemiological and cohort studies. We further provide a comprehensive review of the main phytochemical patterns observed in apples and their bioavailability after consumption. Finally, we report on the latest findings from in vitro and in vivo studies highlighting some of the key molecular mechanisms targeted by apple phytochemicals in relation to inhibiting multiple ‘hallmarks of cancer’ that are important in the progression of cancer.
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    The responses of ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit to ethylene during regular and controlled atmosphere storage
    (Taylor and Francis Groupon behalf of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2024-05-08) Han Y; Heyes J; Glowacz M; Nicholson S; Jeffery P; East A; Li M
    Maintaining kiwifruit firmness is key to global supply chain. Controlled atmosphere (CA) technology can maintain kiwifruit quality. However, there is a risk of ethylene (C2H4) accumulation in CA that may accelerate kiwifruit softening. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of ethylene on kiwifruit quality in CA. ‘Hayward’ kiwifruit were stored in air and CA (5% CO2 + 2% O2) at 0°C, 95% RH for 13 weeks. Ethylene at concentrations of 10, 100, 1000 nL·L−1 was added after 3 weeks of storage. The responses of kiwifruit to ethylene were dose-dependent in both air and CA storage. Ethylene-induced kiwifruit softening was delayed and slowed by CA. However, white-core inclusions (WCI) disorder was observed after 8 weeks of exposure to 100 and 1000 nL·L−1 ethylene in CA. The lowest concentrations of ethylene (≤ 10 nL·L−1) in CA did not influence kiwifruit quality. This work demonstrates that kiwifruit sensitivity to ethylene is lower in CA than that in air, but excessive softening and WCI may negatively impact kiwifruit quality when exposed to a high ethylene concentration in CA for extended periods. Hence, ethylene monitoring and management may be less critical in kiwifruit stored in CA but are required.