The Veronica genus, with more than 200 species, belongs to the Plantaginaceae family and is distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere and in many parts of Southern Hemisphere. These plants are traditionally used in medicine for wound healing, in the treatment of rheumatism, and in different human diseases. This paper reviews the chemical composition of some valuable Veronica species, the possibilities Veronica extracts have in food preservation and as food ingredients, and their functional properties. Veronica species represent a valuable source of biological active secondary metabolites, including iridoid glycosides and phenolic compounds. In particular, due to presence of these phytochemicals, Veronica species exhibit a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antimicrobial and antioxidant. In fact, some studies suggest that some Veronica extracts can inhibit foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, but only a few of them were performed in food systems. Moreover, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and other bioactivities were reported in vitro and in vivo. The bioactivity of Veronica plants was demonstrated, but further studies in food systems and in humans are required.

The development of alternative techniques to classic hydrodistillation (HD) has been prompted because of the drawbacks of the more traditional technique. These drawbacks include: partial thermal degradation, high energy consumption and the fact that it is a time-consuming process. In situ microwave-generated hydrodistillation (MGH) and microwave hydrodiffusion and gravity (MHG) are suitable methods which may improve the preparation of essential oils. In this work, we report a comparison study of HD, MGH and MHG used in the extraction of four plant species cultivated in Piedmont (Italy): lavender, oregano, basil and sage. Both microwave-assisted procedures gave excellent results; in particular the essential oils obtained under MHG were very similar to those obtained with HD. In MGH, the polarity and the physico-chemical properties of the extracted compounds caused bigger differences in essential oil composition.

ISHS II International Symposium on Horticulture in Europe NITROGEN AND AERATION LEVELS OF THE NUTRIENT SOLUTION IN SOILLESS CULTIVATION SYSTEMS AS IMPORTANT GROWING CONDITIONS AFFECTING INHERENT QUALITY OF BABY LEAF VEGETABLES: A REVIEW

Different types of baby leaf vegetables (BLV) are often mixed and packaged as salad mixes. This work has evaluated the effects of BLV mixing ratios (100% lettuce ‘Lollo Bionda’, 100 LB; 75% lettuce + 25% rocket, 75 LB; 50% lettuce + 50% rocket, 50 LB) and the weight filling amount (125 g filling amount, 125F; 250 g, 250F) on the antioxidant properties and browning potential (BP) of lettuce and rocket baby leaves during storage for 9 days at 4 °C in the dark. The samples were packaged in thermos-sealed bags previously prepared using polypropylene film. The results showed that the 50 LB mix had preserved high amounts of chlorophylls and internal nutrients on d9, regardless of the filling amount. No visible browning symptoms were detected in the 50 LB samples. The 50 LB × 125F mix was found to be the most efficient strategy to maintain the antioxidant property of BLV. Thus, the optimisation of the mixing ratio and its combination with an appropriate filling amount could represent an effective postharvest practice.

Ziziphora clinopodioides L. is a valuable medicinal and aromatic plant; however, its special requirements for proper growth and enhanced secondary metabolite composition have limited its production and availability. The lack of appropriate fertilizer dosage recommendations is one of these limiting factors for ex situ conservation and large-scale cultivation. This study investigated the effects of nitrogen (N) fertilization on Z. clinopodioides in both open field and unheated greenhouse conditions. The determined research factor was N dosage (0, 40, 80, and 120 kg N ha⁻¹ in the field) and (0, 200, 400, and 600 mg N pot⁻¹ in the greenhouse). It was found that Z. clinopodioides plants could grow successfully outside their natural habitat with sufficient N fertilization yielding a satisfactory amount of metabolites per plantation area. Specifically, among the tested dosages, the 120 kg N ha⁻¹ (which showed no significant difference from 80 kg N ha⁻¹) and 400 mg N pot⁻¹ fertilizers increased the aboveground dry and fresh biomass, essential oil (EO) content, and yield. Nitrogen fertilization showed a direct correlation with menthone, neo-menthol, menthol, pulegone, E-ocimenone, and spathulenol, but a negative correlation with α-pinene, β-pinene, limonene, 1,8-cineol, trans-pulegol, and iso-menthone. This study is the first to evaluate the effects of N fertilization on the genus Ziziphora. The results indicate that utilizing N fertilizer at a moderate rate (80 kg N ha⁻¹ in the field and 400 mg N pot⁻¹ in the greenhouse) can improve the agronomic traits and EO of Z. clinopodioides.