Sugar beet is a potential source of pectin, competitive with traditional sources, that has recently acquired great relevance for its interesting covalent gelling and applications in food and biomedical industries. Pectins from three Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) commercial cultivars (Cadet, Coronado large, and SV MEI) were grown under irrigated desertic conditions and the influence of cultivar, on pectin yield, composition, physicochemical and gelling characteristics was investigated. The composition and chemical properties of pectin from the three cultivars were in general, statistically different, especially in the Syngenta Cadet cultivar, presenting higher protein (10.3%), neutral sugars (21.6%), galacturonic acid (55%) and ferulic acid (5.5 mg/g) content, which are important parameters for gel formation. All pectins gelled via oxidative coupling and the main ferulic acid dimers found were 8-5′ and 8-O-4′. Pectin from Cadet cultivar formed gels with higher hardness (6.65 N) and adhesiveness (12.2 N) values than the other two varieties. The results indicate that pectin composition is affected by the sugar beet cultivars reported herein, especially in ferulic acid content, which confer the covalent gelling capability. Sugar beet cultivars grown under desert conditions could be a source of gelling ferulated pectins for the food industry, as valuable as those obtained in temperate conditions.

Agave angustifolia Haw. se ha utilizado de manera tradicional en Sonora, para la elaboración de la bebida espirituosa bacanora. Como consecuencia de la legalización de este destilado, las poblaciones silvestres están amenazadas por el sobreaprovechamiento. Para coadyuvar en esta problemática el objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar el comportamiento de vitroplantas de A. angustifolia durante su aclimatación en diferentes sustratos y el trasplante bajo condiciones silvestres. Se evaluaron cuatro líneas clonales (LC15s, LC26s, LC23b y LC24b) en cuatro sustratos (testigo: arena, ‘tierra lama’ y gravilla (3:1:1); tratamiento I: turba: mezcla testigo (1:1); tratamiento II: tierra de maceta: mezcla testigo (1:1) y tratamiento III: turba: tierra de maceta: mezcla testigo (1:1:1). El sitio de trasplante se caracterizó mediante análisis de vegetación y físico y químico de suelo in situ, mientras que el climático con cartografía. Estas características bióticas y abióticas definieron el trasplante de 1 000 vitroplantas, 250 por clona, en tres secciones de una ladera con matorral subtropical. Se monitoreó altura, número de hojas y cobertura de los agaves en un periodo de 66 semanas. Después de 60 d se logró la aclimatación de las vitroplantas con un 100% de supervivencia en todos los tratamientos. El sustrato con mayor contenido de materia orgánica favoreció el enraizamiento y crecimiento radicular. El trasplante alcanzó una supervivencia del 84 a 98%, bajo condiciones silvestres con un manejo orgánico. La respuesta de las líneas clonales fue disímil durante la aclimatación y el trasplante. Las etapas del proyecto se desarrollaron entre 2009 y 2016.

Pectin from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.) (SBP) was extracted from a sugar beet waste (SBW) registering a 4.4% (w/w) yield. SBP presented a weight-average molar mass of 459 kDa, galacturonic acid content of 52.2%, and a low esterification degree (30%). The macromolecular characteristics of SBP revealed a flexible and extended coil chain conformation. The main neutral sugars in SBP were galactose (20.7%), mannose (5.0%), and arabinose (3.60%) while ferulic acid (FA) content was 2.1 µg·mg⁻¹ sample. FA remained in the SBP chain mainly in RG I region even after suffering both, industrial processing and harsh weathering conditions. Consequently, SBP formed covalent gels induced by laccase. Covalent cross-linking content (dimers and trimer of FA) was 0.97 mg·g⁻¹ SBP. The 8-5′, 5-5′, and 8-O-4′ dimers of FA isomers proportions were 75, 17, and 8%, respectively. SBP gels at 4% (w/v ) registered storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli final values of 44 and 0.66 Pa, respectively. SBP gels were soft and adhesive according to texture profile analysis. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of SBP lyophilized gels revealed an imperfect honeycomb-like structure with 4.5 ± 1.4 µm average cavities diameter.

Indoor microgreen production systems are becoming increasingly popular because they can achieve high yields and quality, especially in unfavorable climates and urban settings. Light is a critical environmental factor that influences plant development; however, limited information exists on the effects of photoperiod (PP) on the growth of chia and arugula microgreens and on the associated electricity costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of different blue LED light (Light-Emitting-Diode) PPs, 24:0, 18:6, 12:12, and 6:18 h of light:dark compared with natural light, on the growth and biomass production of Salvia hispanica (chia) and Eruca sativa (arugula) grown indoors under controlled conditions (25 °C and 189.4 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹). In chia, shoot length increased (p ≤ 0.05) with shorter PP, particularly under the 6:18 and 12:12 h·d⁻¹ photoperiods, while arugula showed no significant response. Root length and total plant length were unaffected by photoperiod in either species. Leaf area was the most responsive growth parameter, with larger leaves produced under PP of 18 h or more per day. Total chlorophyll content was highest at 12:12 and 18:6 h light:dark. Fresh biomass reached its maximum at 18:6, with 637.6 g m⁻² in chia and 883.7 g m⁻² in arugula. TOPSIS was used as a multi-criteria decision-making tool for comprehensive treatment evaluation, showing that the 6:18 treatment achieved the highest overall ranking, whereas the 18:6 treatment resulted in the greatest biomass production.