Effect of curing at different temperatures on biochemical composition of onion (Allium cepa L.) skin from three freshly cured and cold stored UK-grown onion cultivars

Onions are cured in order to form a complete, dry, outer skin which reduces water loss and suppresses incidence of disease, and can promote a darker skin finish. Currently in the UK, standard curing practises for onions involves heating at 28 °C for six weeks (65–75% RH), however, reducing curing temperatures may help to reduce energy usage. There is little empirical data on the effects of curing temperature on flavonol concentration in the skin of brown onions and on flavonol and anthocyanin concentration in the skin of red onions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate the compounds responsible for the change in onion skin colour when cured at different temperatures.Brown cvs. Sherpa and Wellington, and red onions cv. Red Baron, were cured at 20, 24 or 28 °C for six weeks. Replicated skin samples were analysed immediately after curing and after seven months cold storage at 1 ± 0.5 °C. Measurement of objective colour showed that skin of cvs. Sherpa and Wellington was darker and had a lower hue angle (H°) immediately after being cured at 28 °C compared to 20 °C. In contrast, skin of cv. Red Baron had a higher H° but no change in lightness (L*) when cured at 28 °C compared to 20 °C. Fructose, sucrose and glucose concentrations were analysed as they are thought to play a role in regulating the synthesis of flavonols and anthocyanins, both coloured compounds found in onion skin; however no significant correlations were found between colour data and sugar concentrations. Flavonols were measured in the skin of all cvs. and anthocyanins in the skin of cv. Red Baron. Quercetin glucoside and anthocyanin concentrations in the skin of onions cv. Red Baron immediately after curing were higher in those cured at 20 °C. Total flavonols and total anthocyanins were negatively correlated with H° in the skin of onions cv. Red Baron, but there was no similar correlation between total flavonols and H° for onion cvs. Sherpa and Wellington. This suggests that anthocyanins and flavonols may play a major role in varying skin colour of red onions cv. Red Baron cured at different temperatures; however, the difference between curing temperatures may not have been sufficient to represent a correlation between darkening of cvs. Sherpa and Wellington and flavonol concentration. Further investigation is therefore required to fully elucidate the compounds responsible for colour changes observed in brown onions.     

Chemical characterization of various parts of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans)

The current study was initiated to characterize various parts of nipa palm (Nypa fruticans) to establish whole utilization of this biomass as potential raw material for fuels and chemicals. Nipa consisting of frond, shell, husk and leaf was chemically characterized for cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, starch, protein, extractives and inorganic constituents for its each part. The total chemical composition showed that the cellulose and hemicellulose contents were in the range of 28.9-45.6 wt% and 21.8-26.4 wt%, respectively. The hemicellulose was rich with glucuronoxylan. The lignin content was 19.4-33.8 wt% with the highest lignin content found in leaf. The alkaline nitrobenzene oxidation products showed that nipa palm lignin mainly consists of guaiacyl and syringyl propane units with a small amount of p-hydroxyphenylpropane unit. Besides the main chemical components, starch, protein and extractives were also present in significant amounts from 2 to 8 wt%. Additionally, the ash content was high from 5.1 to 11.7 wt%, consisting of the major inorganic elements being Na, K and Cl with minor inorganic elements of Mg, Ca, Si, P, S and Al. Overall, each part of the nipa palm has its individual superior characteristics and could be exploited as lignocellulosic resources for fuels and chemicals.     

基于图像处理的玉米叶片含水率诊断方法研究

研究了利用数字图像处理技术进行作物叶片含水率诊断的方法.以温室中培育的90株不同灌水量的盆栽玉米为研究对象,使用佳能IXUS110的1 210万像素数码相机采集离体抽穗期玉米叶片的图像信息,然后利用烘干法测量叶片样本的含水率;利用叶片图像的灰度直方图提取叶片图像的均值、峰态、方差、歪斜度、能量、熵六组特征值.利用提取的20组玉米叶片样本的数据,采用线性回归的方法建立均值与玉米叶片含水率之间的关系模型;使用其余20组样本对模型进行验证,其标准差为0.021.结果表明,利用作物叶片灰度直方图均值参数可以对玉米的叶片含水率进行预测.     

Effect of controlled atmosphere,temperature and cultivar on sprouting and processing quality of stored potatoes

Summary Three crisping potato cultivars, Record, Saturna and Hermes, were stored at 5 or 10°C in gas mixtures of either 0.5% CO₂ and 21.0% O₂ (control) or 9.4, 6.4, 3.6 or 0.4% CO₂ all combined with 3.6% O₂. There was almost complete sprout inhibition, low weight loss and maintenance of a healthy skin for all cultivars stored in 9.4% CO₂ with 3.6% O₂ at 5°C for 25 weeks. When tubers from this treatment were stored for a further 20 weeks in air at 5°C the skin remained healthy and they did not sprout. The fry colour of crisps made from these potatoes was darker than the industry standard but when they were reconditioned, tubers of cv. Saturna produced crisps of an acceptable fry colour while crisps from the other two cultivars remained too dark. Reducing sugar levels were related to fry colour both after storage and after reconditioning. The other gas combinations and the controls did not have the same effect on sprouting and none of the controlled atmosphere treatments controlled sprouting at 10°C.     

不同颜色地板的视觉特性研究

视觉物理量上,不同地板的色度学参数之间存在着较大差别.在L*a*b*色空间中,各种地板的L*值为35～70;红绿轴色品指数a*值为5～25;黄蓝轴色品指数b*值为20～35;色饱和度c*值的分布范围同黄蓝轴色品指数b*较为相似,为20～40;各种地板色调角Ag*的大小为0.9～1.4.在孟塞尔色空间,各种地板的明度V值为2.0～6.0,V值的大小顺序同L*值一致.各种地板色调H值为16～25,分布在Y和GY区间.色饱和度C值为6～18.采用实验心理学中的等级排列法制作顺序量表,再通过PZ转换,将原始测验分数转换成标准分数的方法,得到了各种地板视觉心理量等距量表.不同地板的视觉喜欢程度和视觉高档程度上均具有较大差别.视觉喜欢程度和视觉高档程度上的排序不完全一致,但基本相似.视觉心理量高档、喜欢与视觉物理量中红绿轴色品指数a*之间呈正相关,与明度以及色调之间成负相关,其中与明度值的相关程度相对较高.说明在人们心理上一般认为,明度越低,色调越红的地板越好.     

蘑菇护色与气调贮藏的初步研究

应用色差计对蘑菇采后色泽变化作了研究，随着褐变程度的增加，频色透明度Ｌ值明显减小，红色程度ａ值，黄色程度６值增大．在低温下菇体褐变轻，应用氯化钠和焦亚硫酸钠的护色效果不明显．而在较高贮温作较长时间贮藏时，氯化钠处理具明显护色效果，可代替焦亚硫酸钠处理．低氧和高二氧化碳气调贮藏能明显抑制蘑菇的开伞和内部组织褐变，但菇体表面出现微黄色，影响外观．试验结果表明以（８±２）％Ｏ＿２，（１０±１）％ＣＯ＿２气调贮藏的效果较好．     

白菜型油菜种皮和种胚硫甙总量及其分量分析

试验结果表明,不论硫甙含量高低,白菜型黑籽油菜皮壳率约为19％,黄籽为14％。普通油菜的种胚和种皮的硫甙含量分别占种子硫甙含量的96％和4％,优质油菜的种胚和种皮的硫甙含量分别占种子硫甙含量的89％和11％。种子和种胚中以3—丁烯基硫甙为主,种皮中则以3—了烯基硫甙和2—羟基—3—丁烯基硫甙为主。     

Hand-held chlorophyll meter: a promising tool to assess the nitrogen status of potato foliage

Summary A field experiment with potato (Solanum tuberosum L., cv. Vebeca) was conducted on a sandy soil near Wageningen (52° North) in 1992. The treatments included a zero-nitrogen control and combinations of three amounts of nitrogen, viz. 110, 180 and 250 kg N ha⁻¹, and splitting of the N dose in one (early May), two (early May and June) or three (early May, June, July) applications. The chlorophyll content of the uppermost fully grown leaves was assessed with a SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter (Minolta, Osaka, Japan) throughout the season. The pattern of change with time in SPAd-values differed between treatments. SPAD-502 readings correlated well with laboratory measurements of the chlorophyll content and with the nitrogen concentration in leaves (r ²>0.95). Data on the nitrate concentration in petiole sap (included as a reference) showed that this variable responded much more to split nitrogen applications than the SPAD-value. Future research will need to consider other factors which may affect the chlorophyll content of the foliage.