Broccoli is a vegetable of high nutritional value, rich in bioactive compounds, but has a fast degradation after harvest. This work assesses the effect of hyperbaric pressure, at room temperature, on postharvest conservation of broccoli. The broccoli samples were subjected to the five hyperbaric pressures (100 control, 200, 400, 600, and 800 kPa) during three different times (1, 2, and 3 days), at 22 °C and 95% RH. The pressures of 400, 600, and 800 kPa provided the best conservation of broccoli quality. Respiratory rate, ethylene production, soluble solids content, and lipid peroxidation decreased at the highest-pressure treatments. Moreover, the highest pressures maintained fresh mass, green color, ascorbic acid content, and receptacle firmness. The hyperbaric treatments of 600 and 800 kPa increased catalase enzymatic activity and reduced peroxidase activity as a result of the reduction of oxidative stress, delaying the senescence of broccoli.

Organic fertilization can promote greater production of cladodes as well as increase phytomass production and the quality and content of bioactive compounds. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the sources and doses of organic fertilizer on the production and quality of forage palm cladodes. A completely randomized experimental design in a 3 × 3 factorial scheme with five replications was used. Three sources of organic fertilizer (chicken manure, cattle manure, and goat manure) and three concentrations of each source (0, 10, and 20%) were studied. Cladodes fresh mass, pH, soluble solids, titratable acidity, soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, ascorbic acid, chlorophyll, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and anthocyanins were evaluated. Palm cladodes fertilized with 20% chicken manure produce the highest biomass, while cladodes fertilized with 10% chicken manure have the highest palatability and content of bioactive compounds. Thus, fertilization with 10% chicken manure is the most promising and economically viable way to increase the production and quality of palm cladodes. The research demonstrated that fertilization with chicken, cattle, and goat manure increases the productivity, nutritional quality, and palatability of the cladodes intended for human consumption, providing a sustainable and healthy alternative for the region.

The objective of this study was to describe the technological process involved in the drying kinetics of fresh-cut prickly pear shoots through numerical and analytical solutions. Shoots of two different prickly pear species were used, ‘Gigante’ and ‘Miúda’. Drying was performed at different temperatures (50, 60, 70 and 80 °C) and weighing procedures were made continuously. The experimental data were expressed as moisture ratio. The Page model showed the best fit to the drying kinetics of minimally processed ‘Gigante’ and ‘Miúda’ prickly pear shoots, with the best coefficients of determination and Chi-square. Peleg and Wang & Singh models can not be used to simulate the drying of ‘Gigante’ and ‘Miúda’ prickly pear shoots within the evaluated range of temperatures, showing an incoherent graphic pattern.

The pinecone (Annona squamosa L.) is an Annonaceae that provides much appreciated fruit. However, these fruits have a limited shelf life due to their intense metabolic activity after harvest. The application of post-harvest conservation techniques, such as edible coatings, has been used to minimize the deleterious effects after the harvest of fruits, such as pinecone. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of coatings based on hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and beeswax (BW) on the quality of pinecones stored at room temperature of 20 °C, from the local market in the city of Juazeiro, BA, Brazil. The fruits were selected for the absence of damage and sanitized by immersion in chlorinated water. The coatings were prepared by diluting the HPMC solution in deionized water at 90 °C under stirring, followed by cooling and addition of BW in different proportions, stearic acid, and glycerol. The coatings were applied to the surface of the fruits by immersion in the film-forming solution and dried at room temperature of 20 °C. The HPMC-based coatings associated with BW maintained the firmness and the whitening index of the pulp of the cones for a longer time, as well as led to lower activity of the enzymes polyphenoloxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) during storage. A pinha (Annona squamosa L.) é uma anonácea que fornece frutos bastante apreciados. No entanto, esses frutos apresentam uma vida útil limitada devido a sua atividade metabólica intensa após a colheita. A aplicação de técnicas de conservação pós-colheita, como revestimentos comestíveis, tem sido empregada para minimizar os efeitos deletérios após a colheita de frutos, como a pinha. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos de recobrimentos a base de hidroxipropil metil celulose (HPMC) e cera de abelha (CA) na qualidade de pinhas armazenadas a temperatura ambiente de 20 °C, provenientes do mercado local da cidade de Juazeiro, BA, Brasil. Os frutos foram selecionados quanto a ausência de danos e higienizados por meio da imersão em água clorada. Os recobrimentos foram preparados através da diluição da solução de HPMC em água deionizada a 90 °C sob agitação, seguida de resfriamento e adição da CA em diferentes proporções, ácido esteárico e glicerol. Os recobrimentos foram aplicados na superfície dos frutos através da imersão destes na solução filmogênica e secos a temperatura ambiente de 20 °C. Os recobrimentos a base de HPMC associados a CA mantiveram a firmeza e o índice de embranquecimento da polpa das pinhas por mais tempo, assim como acarretou menor atividade das enzimas polifenoloxidase (PPO) e peroxidase (POD) ao longo do armazenamento.