The Catalogna chicory (Cichorium intybus L., Catalogna group) is an Italian typical vegetable; Molfettese and Galatina are Apulian landraces consumed for their tender stems (turions or "puntarelle"). Bitterness is an important organoleptic trait, which directs both consumer and breeding choices and is linked to the content of sesquiterpene lactones (STLs). Major STLs (lactucin, 8-deoxylactucin, lactucopicrin) and respective dihydro-derivatives (1,3-dihydrolactucin, 11(s),13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin, 11(s),13-dihydrolactucopicrin) were quantified in turions of the two landraces (HPLC). Regardless of the cultivation sites, the content of 1,3-dihydrolactucin and 11(s),13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin was significantly higher in Molfettese than Galatina. consistently with the more bitter taste of the former. The Galatina reference transcriptome contained 79,716 unigenes and 75 mapped into the sesquiterpenoid and triterpenoid (S&T) biosynthesis pathway (KEGG). In order to survey gene transcriptional variations and polymorphism data, the RNA-seq of Molfettese and Galatina stem transcriptomes was performed. Over two thousand differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were scored between the two genotypes independently of the cultivation zone. KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that four DEGs were up-regulated in Molfettese compared to Galatina within the S&T biosynthesis map. Specifically, the expression of the germacrene A-synthase and -oxidase genes of the Costulonide (a key STL precursor) branch was directly correlated with the contents of 1,3-dihydrolactucin and 11(s),13-dihydro-8-deoxylactucin. The sequences of these genes showed several polymorphic events (SNPs) between the two genotypes and together with the transcriptional divergences represent potential markers for assisted breeding.

Protecting the environment by improving the crop-system nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) while maximising yield and quality is a primary challenge for modern agriculture, and understanding the processes that govern N fluxes in the plant-soil system is essential to improve NUE. An on-farm study was conducted over two fall-winter seasons to evaluate the NUE, agronomical and physiological response of romaine (var. longifolia, cv Manavert) and red oak-leaf (var. crispa, cv Aruba) lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) to different N-rates (0, 60, 120, 180 kg ha(-1) of N). Nitrogen rate influenced all tested parameters, including plant fresh and dry weight, N accumulation, leaf NO3- and dry matter content, NUE indices, N nutrition index (NNI), soil residual N and the estimated N losses at the end of the crop season. Fresh yield, dry weight and N-accumulation response to N rate were influenced by lettuce genotype. Manavert had higher N recovery, NUE, and lower leaf NO3- concentration than Aruba. Analysing the NNI overtime, 120 kg ha(-1) of N assured an optimal N status in both Manavert and Aruba, while N deficiency and excess were observed at lower and higher N-rates, respectively. An empirical relationship was observed between NNI and leaf NO3- concentration, suggesting that leaf NO3- concentration may be used to predict NNI and thus the crop N status. The relationship between NNI and leaf NO3- concentration may be used to define optimal leaf NO3- concentration ranges for the rapid and site-specific assessment of the crop N status, and the dynamic adjustment of N-fertilisation, contributing to improve crop NUE, minimise N-losses, and optimise yield and quality of lettuce crops.

The influence of cultivar (CV), growth site (GS) and storage time (ST) on the quality of minimally processed endives was investigated by targeting curly and smooth-leafed cultivars, which were grown in two planting areas (Fiumicino and Fucino) and bagged in modified atmosphere at fixed conditions. The changes of antioxidant properties were examined at one and seven days post-packaging by measuring both contents of total flavonols (Fol), flavonoids (Fid), carotenes (Car) and chlorophylls (Chl) and the antioxidant capacity (AOC) through chemical (ORAC) and erythrocyte-based methods (CAA-RBC and hemolytic assays). Referring to one day of storage, curly types differed from smooth ones due to the total contents of Fid (341.0-891.7 vs 312.3-572.3?mg?kg-1 CE), Fol (312.0-452.7 vs 194.3-520.3?mg?kg-1 QE), Car (72.4-110.5 vs 7.3-38.8?mg?kg-1) and Chl (342.7-824.6 vs 276.5-490.4?mg?kg-1). CV and GS majorly affected the content variation, whilst ST did not exert any impact on the amounts of pigments (Chl and Car). As for the AOC at one day post packaging, curly and smooth endives respectively showed ORAC mean values of 5045± 2287 and 4822?±?573?mmol?kg-1 TE, CAA-RBC units of 27.5?±?5.4 and 21.1?±?2.6?µmol?kg-1 QE, and hemolysis percentage of 62.5?±?5.9 and 57.9?±?10.9. The three factors acted on the AOC variation at the single level and CV x GS was the most affecting interaction. The ORAC values showed positive correlations with Fid, Fol and Chl contents as well as those of CAA-RBC vs Fid and pigment amounts, while only the Fol raise agreed with increased anti-hemolytic effects. Positive correlations among the AOC assays were significant just for ORAC vs CAA-RBC units. Finally, the principal component analysis clearly pointed at the curly types from Fiumicino as bearing the highest antioxidant quality.

Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are simple tools used for rapid measurement of nitratenitrogen (NO3-N) and potassium (K) concentrations in plant sap. With the developmentof best management practices (BMPs), interest exists in using ISEs for soil leachate andsoil and fertilizer solutions. Nitrate N and K concentrations in the 0 to 10,000 mg L-1ISE working range were measured in diluted solutions of common salts to assess ionicinterference of calcium (Ca2+), ammonium (NH4+), chloride (Cl-), and sulfate (SO42-).The effects of meter (replication) were unexpectedly significant in one out of threeranges for NO3-N and K (P values of 0.50, 0.72, and 0.01 for NO3-N and 0.99, 0.01,and 0.74 for K, for the 0-100, 100-1,000 and 1,000-10,000 mg L-1 ranges, respectively).The responses of calculated NO3-N and K concentrations to measured NO3-Nand K concentrations were linear, but slopes ranged from 0.85 to 1.54, from 0.24 to2.72, and from 0.93 to 5.48 for NO3-N and from 0.80 to 1.01, from 0.71 to 1.39, andfrom 0.93 to 2.21 for K for the 0-100, 100-1,000, and 1,000-10,000 mg L-1 measuringranges, respectively. All slopes were significantly different from zero, and several weresignificantly different from each other and the 1:1 line. Pairwise slope comparisonsconducted with covariance analysis showed that SO42- alone interfered with NO3-Nmeasurements at concentrations ranging from 34 to 171 mg L-1, which was less thanthe manufacturer's information, and by its presence in combination with K+, NH4 +,Ca2+, and Cl- within the medium and high concentration ranges. Potassium measurementswere not subject to interference from the ions tested for all three concentrationranges. These results highlight the importance of using quality assurance / quality control(QA/QC) samples in the set of unknown samples to detect inacceptable departurefrom linearity in routine analysis. The increase in measurement variability from onerange to the next showed the importance of keeping measurements within a single concentrationrange by using dilutions. Hence, ISEs may be used for field measurements ofNO3-N and K concentrations in soil leachate as well as soil and nutrient solutions andare therefore a practical BMP tool. However, ISEs should not be used as substitutes forthe laboratory methods when official measurements are needed.

The aim was to evaluate morpho-biochemical traits in four asparagus cultivars ('Early California', 'Grande', 'Purple Passion', and 'Vegalim'), and qualitative changes in 'Grande' and 'Purple Passion' during storage in air or passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP, 15% O2 - 5% CO2), at 4 °C for 28 days. 'Early California' showed the highest total phenolic (TPh) and quercetin-3-rutinoside (rutin) content, and the highest total antioxidant activity (TAA). 'Purple Passion' was the richest in glucose and total sugars, while 'Early California' the least rich in sucrose. The nitrate content was lower than 100 mg kg-1 FM and potassium on average 280 mg 100 g-1 FM. The MAP reduced weight loss, ensuring product turgidity and mitigating the cold storage stress. In the first 7 days in storage, 'Purple Passion' showed higher values of TPh, rutin and TAA. Afterwards, TPh content increased in both cultivars in MAP. During storage, sugars gradually decreased, except sucrose in 'Purple Passion', increased by almost 40% after 14 days. 'Grande' and 'Purple Passion' spears showed optimal overall quality up to 14 days-storage, but they could not be stored for more than 21 days. Moreover, MAP allowed to preserve or enhance antioxidant properties of asparagus during the whole storage.

Puglia region is particularly rich in agro-biodiversity, representing an example of how local vegetables varieties can still strongly interact with modern horticulture. Unfortunately, the genetic diversity of vegetable crops in this region has been eroded, due to several factors such as abandonment of rural areas, ageing of the farming population, and failure to pass information down the generations. This article summarizes the objectives, methodological approach and results of the project Biodiversity of the Puglia's vegetable crops (BiodiverSO), an integrated project funded by Puglia Region Administration under the 2007-2013 and 2014-2020 Rural Development Program (RDP). Results were reported for each of the eight activities of the project. Moreover, the Polignano carrot (a local variety of Daucus carota L.) was described as a case study, since several tasks have been performed within all eight project activities with the aim of verifying the effectiveness of these actions in terms of safeguarding for this genetic resource strongly linked with local traditions. BiodiverSO is an example of protection and recovery of vegetables at risk of genetic erosion that could help to identify and valorize much of the Puglia's plant germplasm.

A 2-yr field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of calcium cyanamide as an alternative nitrogen (N) fertilizer source on N use efficiency (NUE), yield, and quality of two types of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), romaine (var. longifolia, cv. Manavert) and red oak-leaf (var. crispa, cv. Aruba), grown on clay soil under a Mediterranean environment. Pretransplanting application of 120 kg ha-1 of N as calcium cyanamide (120CC) was compared with a traditional split application of 120 kg ha-1 of soluble N (120SN) consisting of 50% ammonium sulfate applied before transplanting and 50% as ammonium nitrate applied after transplanting. An unfertilized control (0-N) was included to calculate NUE indices. At harvest leaf area index, dry weight, fresh yield, dry matter concentration, and NUE indices were not affected by the N source. Leaf nitrate (NO3-) content was on average 55 and 41% higher in Aruba than in Manavert in the first (Exp-1) and second (Exp-2) season, respectively. Plants fertilized with 120CC had lower leaf NO3- content (41 and 18% in Aruba and 70 and 21% in Manavert in Exp-1 and Exp-2, respectively) compared with those fertilized with 120SN. These results suggest calcium cyanamide may be used as an effective tool to reduce leaf NO3- accumulation and to produce high-quality lettuce in compliance with European Regulation No. 1258/2011 while assuring competitive yields.

La cicoria catalogna (Cichorium intybus L., gruppo catalogna), indicata anche come cicoria"asparago" o "puntarelle", è un prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale pugliese. Popolazionisimili si trovano anche nel Lazio ("Cicoria di catalogna frastagliata di Gaeta") e in Veneto("Cicoria Catalogna Gigante di Chioggia"). Si tratta di popolazioni locali, di diffusione moltolimitata, il cui consumo riguarda ambiti regionali circoscritti, come ortaggio crudo o ininsalata con olio, aglio e acciughe (nella più famosa versione laziale) o cotto. Le popolazionicoltivate in Puglia rientrano nei due principali raggruppamenti della Catalogna puntarelle diMolfetta e Catalogna puntarelle di Galatina. La coltura, invernale, prevede un ciclo piuttostolungo che dalla semina (o trapianto) alla raccolta interessa un periodo fino a nove mesi, conraccolte che iniziano a novembre e terminano a fine aprile. Il lungo periodo colturale èassicurato da trapianti scalari, maturazione scalare (all'interno della stesso appezzamento) edall'impiego in successione della popolazione Molfettese (più rustica e resistente al freddo)seguita dalla Galatina (più sensibile al freddo, per la consistenza più croccante e tenera deigermogli). Le due popolazioni sono state valutate e descritte dal punto di vista morfologico edagronomico, in rapporto alle caratteristiche produttive e alla qualità del prodotto edule.L'impiego di descrittori e la caratterizzazione alla raccolta del prodotto edule hannoconsentito di evidenziare le differenze tra le due popolazioni. La caratterizzazioneorganolettica e nutrizionale dei prodotti eduli sarà effettuata nell'ambito del progetto diricerca del CNR "Identità, tracciabilità e valorizzazione di indivia, scarola e puntarelle(Cichorium spp.) del Lazio e della Puglia mediante tecnologie 'olistiche' e funzionali pertratti di interesse nutrizionale ed economico". In questo progetto si stanno studiando icontenuti di diverse sostanze di rilevanza nutrizionale (inulina, brassinosteroidi, sesquiterpeni,fitine e fitochelatine, citochinine, nonché metalli pesanti e nitrati). L'obiettivo generaledell'attività è quello di valorizzare e promuovere il consumo di questa specie orticola.

In this study, carrot jams were developed using either precooked vegetable (common method) or short cooking times (mild method). Jams were prepared using four carrot types: a commercial one and three local landraces (orange, purple and yellow). The parameters assessed were total phenols, antioxidant activity, beta-carotene, potassium content, color and sensory evaluation. Mild method caused lower color differences than common method, when comparing the jams to raw carrots. Antioxidant activity, total phenols and potassium content loss were also lower in mild method. Both methods improved beta-carotene retention in jams. Following sensory analysis, products obtained by mild method showed the best scores for taste and overall acceptability, with the highest scores being registered for purple jam. In particular, high correlations between antioxidant activity, total phenols and purple products (both raw products and jams) were emphasized by principal component analysis. In conclusion, the mild method described in this paper helps to preserve the overall quality of perishable vegetables, such as local carrots. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

There is a variety of different food processing methods, which can be used to prepare ready-to-eat foods. However, the need to preserve the freshness and nutritional qualities leads to the application of mild technologies which may be insufficient to inactivate microbial pathogens. In this work, fresh chicory stems were packed under a vacuum in films, which were transparent to microwaves. These were then exposed to microwaves for different periods of time. The application of sous vide microwave cooking (SV-MW, 900W, 2450 MHz), controlled naturally occurring mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeasts and molds for up to 30 d when vacuum-packed vegetables were stored at 4 degrees C. In addition, the process lethality of the SV-MW 90 s cooking was experimentally validated. This treatment led to 6.07 +/- 0.7 and 4.92 +/- 0.65 log cfu/g reduction of Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes inoculated over the chicory stems (100 g), respectively. With an initial load of 9 log cfu/g for both pathogens, less than 10 cfu/g of surviving cells were found after 90 s cooking. This shows that short-time microwave cooking can be used to effectively pasteurize vacuum-packed chicory stems, achieving > 5 log cfu/g reduction of E. coli and L. monocytogenes.

Thirteen elements (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cr, Co, Cd, Ni and Pb) in 11 different wild edible plants (WEP) (Amaranthus retroflexus, Foeniculum vulgare, Cichorium intybus, Glebionis coronaria, Sonchus spp., Borago officinalis, Diplotaxis tenuifolia, Sinapis arvensis, Papaver rhoeas, Plantago lagopus and Portulaca oleracea) collected from countryside and urban areas of Bari (Italy) were determined. B. officinalis and P. rhoeas could represent good nutritional sources of Mn and Fe, respectively, as well as A. retroflexus and S.arvensis for Ca. High intake of Pb and Cd could come from P. lagopus and A. retroflexus (1.40 and 0.13 mg kg1 FW, respectively). WEP may give a substantial contribution to the elements intake for consumers, but in some cases they may supply high level of elements potentially toxic for human health. Anyway, both ANOVA and PCA analyses have highlighted the low influence of the harvesting site on the elements content.

Chicories produce a wide range of vegetables with important nutritional value. We determined the variation of sterol, total polyphenol, nitrate contents and antioxidant capacity (SC, TPC, NC, AC) in endive leaves and stem-chicory novel vegetables, cultivated in two Italian regions. Within a given area, the SC was similar in smooth- and curly leafed endives (106.3-176.0 mg/kg FW); sitosterol and stigmasterol were major fractions (45-56 versus 38-43%). The stem SC was independent of landrace (101.5-118.6 mg/kg FW); sitosterol prevailed on stigmasterol and fucosterol (73-76 versus 12-14% versus 8-9%); the latter reached 15.7 mg/kg FW, conferring value as potential antidiabetes food. The planting site affected the AC and TPC of endives (893.1-1571.4 ?mTE/100 g FW, 30.8-76.1 GAE100/g FW) and chicory stems (729.8-1152.5 ?mTE/100 g FW; 56.2-124.4 GAE100/g FW), while the NC was recurrently below dangerous thresholds. PCA showed that environment was the major cause of variation, though it modestly affected these parameters.

The quality and shelf-life of ready-to-use lettuces depend on genotypic traits of raw material and on several aspects from preharvest to postharvest processing. In general, preharvest factors should be aimed to optimize their impact on postharvest quality, in order to limit the use of chemical preservative during processing. In this study the influence of soil and soilless growing systems on quality and microbial traits of three multi-leaf lettuce cultivars (two green Eztoril and Ezabel, and one red Ezra) was evaluated at harvest and after 7 and 13 days of storage at 8 °C. At harvest, Ezra showed a respiration activity and a total phenol content respectively 2-fold and 25% significantly higher than the green cultivars. Soil lettuces resulted more stressed than those grown in soilless, as indicated by their initial content in antioxidants. As for nitrate content, soilless grown lettuces at harvest showed an average concentration higher than soil-grown ones (838 vs 432 mg/kg fw), although values are generally lower than limits imposed by the EU Regulation (No.1258/2011). The initial microbial load was significantly higher in soil lettuce compared with lettuce cultivated in soilless condition. Moreover the latter resulted cleaner than soil grown samples, with evident beneficial effect regarding the potential application of mild washing during processing in view of extended cold storage. During storage, soilless lettuces showed no ammonium accumulation, differently from those cultivated in soil. In addition, lettuce cultivars grown in soilless condition showed unchanged content in the antioxidant activity and total phenols, and lower microbial counts than soil lettuces. Results of the present study showed that soilless growing system can positively affect qualitative and microbiological parameter of lettuces studied, and it can be a valid agricultural system in order to obtain high quality multi-leaf lettuces for ready-to-use industry.

The 'Catalogna' chicory ( Cichorium intybus L.) is a typical Italian vegetable cultivated for leaves and stems ('puntarelle'); these latter are novel foods, consumed as fresh or processed, and rapidly moving to global markets. The holistic characterization of stems was carried - out by combining NMR metabolic and RNAseq profiling of 'Galatina' (Gal) and 'Molfettese' (Mol) landraces, grown in Apulia and Lazio, in order to investigat e on the nutritional quality and performance in ex situ cultivation. The content variation of thirty - two compounds was affected by the genotype (G), environment (E) and GxE interaction; PCA explained over 90% of variation, and PC1 and PC2 components neatly discriminated Gal vs Mol based on growth sites and genotypes, respectively. Focusing on carbohydrates and amino acids, the total amount of the former was higher in Gal than Mol in both areas (consistently with predicted sweetness and sensory test), whilst the opposite trend occurred for total amino acid content. The Mol vs Gal gene differential transcription was performed based on a Gal reference transcriptome ; G, E, and GxE effects were found and KEGG analysis showed the enrichment of differentially expre ssed genes within the sucrose and phenylalanine metabolisms, consistently with the metabolic profile variations. Pearson's correlation analyses of gene expression vs metabolite amount variations allowed the selection of gene sets that could explain sugar a nd amino acid content differences between Gal and Mol stems. Overall, these analyses widened knowledge on the pathways that influence nutritive quality traits and pointed at target genes useful for plant breeding.

Stem-chicory of the "Catalogna" group is a vegetable consumed for bitter-flavored stems. Type and levels of bitter sesquiterpene lactones (STLs) participate in conferring bitterness in vegetables. The content of lactucin--and lactucopocrin-like STLs was higher in "Molfettese" than "Galatina" landrace stalks, regardless of the cultivation sites, consistently with bitterness scores and gustative differences. The "Galatina" transcriptome assembly resulted in 58,872 unigenes, 77% of which were annotated, paving the way to molecular investigation of the STL pathway. Comparative transcriptome analysis allowed the identification of 69,352 SNPs and of 1640 differentially expressed genes that maintained the pattern independently of the site. Enrichment analyses revealed that 4 out of 29 unigenes were up-regulated in "Molfettese" vs "Galatina" within the sesquiterpenoid pathway. The expression of two germacrene A -synthase (GAS) and one -oxidase (GAO) genes of the costunolide branch correlated positively with the contents of lactucin-like molecules, supporting that STL biosynthesis regulation occurs at the transcriptional level. Finally, 46 genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) maintained a differential expression pattern between the two varieties regardless of the growth site; correlation analyses among TFs, GAS, GAO gene expressions and STLs contents suggest that one MYB and one bHLH may act in the pathway.

The use of iodine-biofortified vegetables may be a health alternative instead of iodine-biofortified salt for preventing iodine (I) deficiency and related human disorders. In this study, four Brassica genotypes (broccoli raab, curly kale, mizuna, red mustard) were hydroponically grown with three I-IO3- rates (0, 0.75 and 1.5 mg/L) to produce iodine-biofortified vegetables. Crop performances and quality traits were analyzed; iodine content was measured on raw, boiled, and steamed vegetables. The highest I rate generally increased I content in all Brassica genotypes, without plants toxicity effects in terms of reduced growth or morphological symptoms. After 21 day-iodine biofortification, the highest I content (49.5 µg/100 g Fresh Weight (FW)) was reached in broccoli raab shoots, while after 43 day-iodine biofortification, genotype differences were flattened and the highest I content (66 µg/100 g FW, on average) was obtained using 1.5 mg I-IO3/L. Nitrate content (ranging from 1800 to 4575 mg/kg FW) was generally higher with 0.75 mg I-IO3/L, although it depended on genotypes. Generally, boiling reduced iodine content, while steaming increased or left it unchanged, depending on genotypes. Applying low levels of I proved to be suitable, since it could contribute to the partial intake of the recommended dose of 150 µg/day: A serving size of 100 g may supply on average 24% of the recommended dose. Cooking method should be chosen in order to preserve and/or enhance the final I amount.

Chicory (C. intybus L.) of the Catalogna group produces tender stems (located in the middle of the leaf rosette) which are exquisite and nutritious food1 and traditionally eaten as raw ("puntarelle") or cooked products in Lazio and Puglia, respectively. The CISIA project, sustained by governmental and SMEs, falls in a context of valorisation of "made in Italy" produce and aims at assessing the identity and traceability of typical varieties and at enhancing their nutritive and economic value by holistic approaches2. Thirty seven hydro-soluble metabolites (amino acids, organic acids, sugars, polyols, phenols) from stems of two Apulian genotypes ('Galatina' and 'Molfettese') were monitored by NMR3 at harvesting (ca 85 days after sowing in a winter cycle). Overall, the 'Molfettese' stems showed a higher content of alanine, asparagine, glutamine, ?-aminobutirric acid, fumaric acid, fructose and glucose than those of 'Galatina'. On the contrary, the latter contained higher amounts of aspartic acid and inulin, which is an important prebiotic sugar stored by several Asteraceae plants. Interestingly, both varieties produced abundant amounts of scyllo-inositol, which has beneficial effects for memory deficits. Finally, statistical analyses applied to the NMR profiles significantly discriminated the two genotypes.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is a common weed that grows all over the world and is one of the most widespread weed species in summer crops. However, it has great potential to become a new crop since its identification as one of the best plant sources of?-3 fatty acid, ?-linolenic acid, as well as some antioxidants (?-tocopherol, ?-carotene, ascorbic acid, and glutathione). Several other features distinguish this species: high content of crude protein, water-soluble polysaccharides useful as gums, and good tolerance to salinity. This review summarizes purslane's origin, botanical, and physiological features while its nutritional and medical properties are reported inreference to several studies carried out on its chemical properties. Finally, its cultivation potential is discussed and future uses are proposed for this species, mainly as a component in ready-to-use vegetables (especially in mixed packaging) but also for other cultivation purposes.

Regina tomato, a locally cultivated Italian landrace, is listed as an item in the 'List ofTraditional Agri-Food Products' of the Italian Department for Agriculture and itemised as 'SlowFood presidium' by the Slow Food Foundation. It is classified as a long-storage tomato since it can bepreserved for several months after harvest thanks to its thick and coriaceous skin. Three ecotypeswere investigated for main physical and chemical traits both at harvest and after three months ofstorage. Experimental results indicate that this tomato landrace has a qualitative profile characterizedby high concentrations of tocopherols, lycopene and ascorbic acid (maximum 28.6 and 53.7 mg/kgfresh weight, FW, and 0.28 mg/g FW, respectively) even after a long storage time, together withlower average Total Soluble Solids. The initial and post-storage contents of the bioactive compoundschanged at a different rate in each ecotype (i.e., in Monopoli Regina tomato the highest content of-Tocopherol, thereafter reduced to the same level of the other two ecotypes). These results indicateunique and unmistakable features of this long-storage tomato, closely linked to the geographicorigin area that include both natural (available technical inputs) and human (specific culturalpractices) factors.

Asparagus represents a nutritious and refined food being very popular to consumers. The effects on the quality of spears cooked by conventional (boiling, steaming and microwaving) and different sous vide (using hot water or microwave) methods were analyzed. Physical, chemical and sensory traits were compared. Microwaving caused the largest weight change, the highest dry weight increase and the highest Total Color Difference in cooked samples compared to raw asparagus spears. Sous vide-microwaving showed an increase in greenness (the highest value of h°), better than the raw spears, and the lowest reduction in chlorophyll contents. After sous vide microwawing violaxanthin increased by about 42%, while after steaming neoaxanthin decreased by about 57%. Following sensory analysis, all cooked samples generally resulted acceptable (scores > 5 in a 1-9 hedonic scale), nevertheless sous vide-microwaved asparagus satisfied consumer acceptability more than the other cooked samples, especially when compared to steamed samples. Results indicate the sous vide-microwaving technique as optimal to preserve several traits, including the organoleptic ones, essential for the quality of cook-chilled asparagus spears. They also provide product-specific information usually required for cooking process strategies in the industrial area of ready-to-eat vegetables.

Chicory stems, appreciated both raw and cooked, represent a nutritious and refined food. In this study theeffects on the quality of stems cooked by conventional (boiling, steaming and microwaving) and innovative (sous vide)methodswere analysed. Several physical, chemical and sensory traits were compared using two local varieties (Galatina and Molfettese)of southern Italy (Puglia region).RESULTS: Independently of the variety, the sous vide method did not significantly affect (redness, yellowness and hue angle)or had the least impact on (lightness and total colour difference) quality parameters among the four methods as comparedwith the raw product. Following sensory analysis, the sous vide product always showed the highest score among the cookingmethods. Moreover, this innovative method did not affect total phenol (TP) content and antioxidant activity (AA) comparedwith uncooked stems of both varieties.Microwaving increased TP content and AA (though associated with higher weight loss),while different responses depending on the chicory variety were observed after boiling and steaming.CONCLUSION: The results indicate the sous vide technique as optimal to preserve several traits, including organoleptic ones, forthe quality of cook-chilled chicory stems. They also provide product-specific information usually required for cooking processstrategies in the industrial sector of ready-to-eat vegetables.

La Catalogna (Cichorium intybus L. gruppo Catalogna) è un tipo di cicoria che si coltiva prevalentemente in Puglia. Recentemente è stata inserita nell'elenco dei Prodotti Agroalimentari Tradizionali dalla Regione Puglia. Le popolazioni coltivate nel territorio regionale rientrano nei due principali raggruppamenti della Cicoria di Molfetta e Cicoria di Galatina. Tuttavia, sono presenti numerose popolazioni locali con caratteristiche morfo-biometriche molto simili, tali da non permettere una discriminazione ricorrendo esclusivamente ai descrittori previsti dal "Quaderno ENSE n. 45". Scopo del presente lavoro è stato quello diottenere profili metabolici discriminanti, basati sull'analisi della risonanza magnetica nucleare (NMR), utili per la caratterizzazione delle varietà di cicoria catalogna. Le analisi NMR sono state eseguite inizialmente su moltepliciaccessioni di Cicoria di Galatina e Cicoria di Molfetta e successivamente su altre sette popolazioni di cicoria catalogna coltivate in aziende pugliesi. Tutti gli spettri NMR sono stati acquisiti mediante uno spettrometro NMR (Bruker AVANCE 700) operante alla frequenza protonica di 700.13 MHz ed equipaggiato con un cryoprobe. Gli spettri ottenuti sono stati trattati con la procedura del bucketing e sottoposti all'analisi statistica. La Principal Component Analysis ha messo in evidenza che le tipologie Galatina e Molfettese sono ben separabili in due raggruppamenti ben distinti. L'utilizzo del Soft Independent Modeling ClassAnalogy ha messo in evidenza che le restanti popolazioni non sono riconducibili ai gruppi Galatina e Molfettese. I profili metabolici ottenuti dall'NMR potrebbero essere un valido strumento integrativo per la discriminazione di diversi genotipi di cicoria catalogna.

Sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) is aperennial halophyte species typical of coastal ecosystems,used fresh in traditional cuisine and folkmedicine due to its sensory properties and a goodcontent of healthy compounds. Although consideredas a promising biosaline crop, this halophyte isunderutilized for commercial cultivation possiblydue to a shortage of its consumer demand. Forpromoting a full exploitation of this species, a newfood product was obtained by drying sea fennel usingdifferent treatments (air-drying, microwave-drying,microwave-assisted air-drying and freeze-drying).Water activity, essential oil content, chlorophylls,surface colour, colouring power and sensory evaluationwere analyzed. All drying treatments allow toobtain a good water activity but significantly reducedthe content of essential oils and chlorophylls. Freezedryingand microwaving preserved the surface colourparameters more than other drying treatments, whilefreeze-drying gave the product the best colouringpower. Based on sensory analysis, microwave-drying,microwave-assisted air-drying and freeze-dryingshowed the highest scores among the drying methods.Taken together the results indicate that microwavingand freeze-drying are optimal for preserving qualitativetraits, including organoleptic properties, in driedsea fennel for food use. Furthermore, dried sea fennelcan be usefully exploited in human food not only forits aromatic traits but also for its food colouring powerlike other plant derived natural colorants. It could beconcluded that this underutilized crop could play abetter role for making up a sustainable food productionsystem.

The aim of the present experiment was to evaluate the currently used allometric models for Vitis vinifera L., as well as to develop a simple and accurate model using linear measurements [leaf length (L) and leaf width (W)], for estimating the individual leaf area (LA) of nine grapevine genotypes. For model construction, a total of 1,630 leaves coming from eight genotypes in 2010 was sampled during different leaf developmental stages and encompassed the full spectrum of leaf sizes. The model with single measurement of L could be considered an interesting option because it requires measurement of only one variable, but at the expense of accuracy. To find a model to estimate individual LA accurately for grapevine plants of all genotypes, both measurements of L and W should be involved. The proposed linear model [LA = -0.465 + 0.914 (L × W)] was adopted for its accuracy: the highest coefficient of determination (> 0.98), the smallest mean square error, the smallest prediction sum of squares, and the reasonably close prediction sum of squares value to error sum of squares. To validate the LW model, an independent data set of 200 leaves coming from another genotype in 2011 was used. Correlation coefficients showed that there was a highly reliable relationships between predicted leaf area and the observed leaf area, giving an overestimation of 0.8% in the prediction.

Italy is leader in the production of chicory (Cichorium spp.) foods. Typical vegetables such as endive and escarole (C. endivia var. latifolium and var. chrispum) and "puntarelle" (C. intybus subsp. foliosum) are mainly consumed as fresh or minimally processed food. The project CISIA (Integrated Knowledge for the Agro-food Sustainability and Innovation for the made in Italy produce) is sustained by governmental and SMEs and aims at assessing the identity and traceability of local varieties (Lazio and Puglia shires) and at enhancing their nutritive and economic value by "olistic" approaches targeted to specific metabolites and gene pathways. The profiles of quality metabolite, related gene transcription and allelic variability will be used to fingerprint and valorise escarole, endive and "puntarelle" cultivars. In this context, the brassinosteroid (BR) pathway was widely investigated, considering that anti-cancer/anti-cholesterol properties of BR can impact on food quality and cultivar selection/marketing. The BR content of edible products (leaves) was quantified by Mass spectrometry in a set of patented and local cultivars and used to rank for BR accumulation. The BR biosynthetic and catabolic genes of C. intybus and C. endivia were identified by de novo transcriptome assembly of sequences obtained by Next Generation Sequencing. The comparison of BR gene expression pattern among the different cultivars will be combined with BR metabolic profile changes. Finally, variations of structural gene (SNP) and metabolite contents will be tested as markers for discrimination and traceability.

The Mediterranean Diet, through a healthy profile of fat intake, carbohydrate at low glycaemic index, high content of dietary fibre, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, reduces the risk of certain pathologies such as cardiovascular disease. However, it represents anything much more than a dietary regimen and it is also characterised by its links to the various food cultures of the different countries of the Mediterranean area. On the other hand, the traditional cuisine of the Puglia region (Southern Italy) is based on a nutritional model mainly vegetarian because only a small share of calories is of animal origin; cereals are the basic ingredient, pulses and olive oil the main protein and fat source, respectively. In this paper we reported the culture, history, identity and heritage of this culinary model of the Southern Italy tradition to understand possible linkages with the Mediterranean Diet. Moreover, some traditional recipes of the Puglia cuisine are examined as regards gastronomic and nutritional aspects, also for better explaining its relationship with the food style best famous in the world.

Endives (Cichorium endivia L.) are popular vegetables, diversified into curly/frisée- and smooth/broad-leafed (escaroles) cultivar types (cultigroups), and consumed as fresh and bagged salads. They are rich in sesquiterpene lactones (STL) that exert proven function on bitter taste and human health. The assembly of a reference transcriptome of 77,034 unigenes and RNA-sequencing experiments were carried out to characterize the differences between endives and escaroles at the gene structural and expression levels. A set of 3,177 SNPs distinguished smooth from curly cultivars, and a SNP-supported phylogenetic tree separated the cultigroups into two distinct clades, consistently with the botanical varieties of origin (crispum and latifolium, respectively). A pool of 699 genes maintained differential expression pattern (core-DEGs) in pairwise comparisons between curly vs smooth cultivars grown in the same environment. Accurate annotation allowed the identification of 26 genes in sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis pathway, which included several germacrene A synthase, germacrene A oxidase and costunolide synthase members (GAS/GAO/COS module), required for the synthesis of costunolide, a key precursor of lactucopicrin- and lactucin-like sesquiterpene lactones. The core-DEGs contained a GAS gene (contig83192) that was positively correlated with STL levels and recurrently more expressed in curly than smooth endives, suggesting a cultigroup-specific behavior. The significant positive correlation of GAS/GAO/COS transcription and STL abundance (2.4 fold higher in frisée endives) suggested that sesquiterpenoid pathway control occurs at the transcriptional level. Based on correlation analyses, five transcription factors (MYB and WRKY) were inferred to act on contig83192/GAS and specific STL, suggesting the occurrence of two distinct routes in STL biosynthesis.

The tender stems (turions) of chicory (Cichorium intybus L. Catalogna group) are widelyconsumed as fresh or processed food in central and southern Italy. They are also known as'puntarelle' and considered as elite groceries, cultivated as local varieties in Apulia and Lazio. Theproject CISIA has developed markers based on metabolic, transcriptional and allelic variationsaimed to identity, traceability and valorisation of the Galatina and Molfettese Apulian landracespropagated by local enterprises. A de novo reference transcriptome was assembled using RNA ofseveral organs (borne on young and adult plants of Galatina) and Illumina HiSeq2000 technology.Ca. 170M reads were generated (100bp paired-end) and assembled into 96,514 contigs of 1,168bpaverage length (N50 = 1,435bp). Among them, 68,260 (70.7%) showed significant similarity (Evalue<1e-5) to proteins in public databases (NCBI, TAIR, SwissProt, TrEMBL); 61,343 (63.6%)were classified based on gene ontology criteria and 13,536 (14.0%) were mapped onto 130 KEGGpathways. RNA-seq experiments (50bp single-end reads) were performed to collect genetranscriptional variation and polymorphism data using stems of Galatina and Molfettese grown inthe two regions. Ca. 1,700 genes were found to maintain the differential expression patterns,suggesting that they may be putative markers as being feebly dependent on the environment.Polymorphic SSR (ca. 100) and high-quality SNPs (ca. 71,000) were effective to discriminate thetwo varieties, representing potential tools for fingerprinting and map enrichment in assistedbreeding.