Orange is highly nutritious and a source of phytochemical compounds. However, its by-products are usually discarded. In this study, we evaluated the effect of orange peel (OP) addition in orange jam on sensory, physicochemical, and nutritional characteristics. Four jam formulations were elaborated with different OP levels: OP0 (standard), OP4, OP8, and OP12 (Orange Peel 0, 4, 8 and 12%, respectively). All samples were evaluated for sensory acceptability, and physicochemical and nutritional composition. The addition of 12% orange peel in jam reduced (p < 0.05) the acceptability for all evaluated attributes, as well as overall acceptance and purchase intention. However, OP utilization increased (p < 0.05) the levels of water activity, soluble solids, titratable acidity, and sugars. Soluble solids/titratable acidity ratio, luminosity (L*), and yellow content (b*) decreased in all added OP jams, while red content (a*) increased. No change in the pH and moisture values of the product were observed after OP addition. Ash, protein, lipid, dietary fiber, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant capacity values increased after OP addition, while carbohydrate and energy content decreased. A texture test showed that adhesiveness decreased, while gumminess, chewiness, and elasticity increased after OP addition. We concluded that the addition of up to 8% orange peel in jam maintains sensory acceptability similar to that of the standard product. OP addition is a viable alternative to improve some of the product’s physicochemical and nutritional characteristics.

A avaliação de cultivares nas mesmas condições edafoclimáticas permite comparar genótipos quanto ao seu potencial de produtividade e qualidade de frutos, buscando os melhores para cada região. O trabalho objetivou avaliar o desempenho produtivo e a qualidade de frutos de híbridos de tomateiro cultivados de forma rasteira, visando a produção para processamento e mesa. O experimento foi conduzido em campo no município de Pinhão-PR, em dois anos agrícolas (2009/2010 e 2010/2011). O delineamento experimental consistiu em blocos casualizados com quatro repetições. Utilizou-se 10 híbridos de tomateiro (Supera, Granadero, AP-529, AP-533, Kátia, Laura, Fascínio, Tinto, Red Spring e Vênus). Avaliaram-se a produtividade total e comercial, massa média de frutos, frutos danificados, presença de pedúnculo e, características de qualidade (massa seca, firmeza, espessura de mesocarpo, sólidos solúveis, acidez titulável, relação sólidos solúveis/acidez titulável, pH, licopeno, ácido ascórbico e açúcares redutores). Houve destaque para o híbrido Granadero que apresentou maior produtividade total (112,5 t ha-1 em 2009/2010 e 78,5 t ha-1 em 2010/2011) e comercial (88,7 t ha-1 em 2009/2010 e 69,0 t ha-1 em 2010/2011) nos dois anos de experimento, bem como maior massa seca, maior teor de sólidos solúveis e maior espessura do mesocarpo. Tinto e Vênus também se destacaram na produtividade total e comercial e o híbrido com maior massa média foi Vênus (99,9 g). Na relação sólidos solúveis/acidez titulável, destacaram-se os híbridos Granadero, Vênus, Supera, Tinto e Fascínio, com valores acima de 10 em ambos os anos. Laura, Red Spring e Vênus apresentaram bons valores para ácido ascórbico e licopeno. Em geral, o híbrido com melhor desempenho para as características avaliadas e para ambos os segmentos foi Granadero, porém este híbrido demonstrou baixa estabilidade genotípica. Sendo assim, Vênus e Tinto, apesar das produtividades menores, poderiam ser recomendados, pois apresentaram boa qualidade e estabilidade para a região.

Some nutrients can contribute to the plant nutritional and structural complex, since they can influence on biochemical and/or physiological processes, being beneficial in fruit constitution, productivity and post-harvest qualities (^{Silva et al., 2013}; ^{Jana & Jeong, 2014}). One of the mineral elements which has aroused interest is silicon (Si) due to the benefits it can bring to some agricultural crops.

Acyl sugars present in the tomato Solanum lycopersicum 'LA-716' accession confer good levels of resistance to arthropod pests. The objective of the present study was to select F₂ plants from the interspecific cross Solanum pennellii 'LA-716' x Solanum lycopersicum 'Redenção' to assess resistance to spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) based on the leaf acyl sugar content and repellence tests. Four genotypes were selected with high leaflet acyl sugar content (RVTA-2010 pl#31, RVTA-2010 pl#75, RVTA-2010 pl#83, and RVTA-2010 pl#94), and an additional three genotypes with low acyl sugar content were also selected (RVTA-2010 pl#33, RVTA-2010 pl#39, and RVTA-2010 pl#73). The results from the in vivo tests used to confirm the selection of plants resistant to mites indicated that the genotypes with high acyl sugars content did not differ from the resistant parent LA-716. The negative correlation between acyl sugar content and the distance run by the mite along the leaflet surface confirmed the association between high and low allelochemical content and resistance. The medium degree of dominance (MDD) was estimated (MDD = -0.83), indicating that the high acyl sugar content was due to incomplete dominance of a recessive allele. A value of 81.85% was found for the broad sense heritability estimate, which suggests that most among-plant variation in the F2 generation is genetically based. Furthermore, 0.69 genes were estimated, which presumably confirms monogenic inheritance. Thus, indirect selection was an efficient method used to obtain industrial tomato plants that are resistant to spider mites.