Mango fruit (Mangifera indica L.) are highly perishable and have a limited shelf life, due to postharvest desiccation and senescence, which limits their global distribution. Recent studies of tomato fruit suggest that these traits are influenced by the expression of genes that are associated with cuticle metabolism. However, studies of these phenomena in mango fruit are limited by the lack of genome-scale data. In order to gain insight into the mango cuticle biogenesis and identify putative cuticle-associated genes, we analyzed the transcriptomes of peels from ripe and overripe mango fruit using RNA-Seq. Approximately 400 million reads were generated and de novo assembled into 107,744 unigenes, with a mean length of 1,717 bp and with this information an online Mango RNA-Seq Database (http://bioinfo.bti.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/mango/index.cgi) which is a valuable genomic resource for molecular research into the biology of mango fruit was created. RNA-Seq analysis suggested that the pathway leading to biosynthesis of the cuticle component, cutin, is up-regulated during overripening. This data was supported by analysis of the expression of several putative cuticle-associated genes and by gravimetric and microscopic studies of cuticle deposition, revealing a complex continuous pattern of cuticle deposition during fruit development and involving substantial accumulation during ripening/overripening.

The transition of agriculture towards sustainability faces significant obstacles, such as increased demand for food, food insecurity, climate variability, biodiversity loss, and food waste, among others. Moreover, agricultural activities must address ethical practices within sustainable development. The literature frequently mentions two approaches to meet these challenges: agroecology and sustainable agriculture. This study aims to delineate the conceptual boundaries of agroecology and sustainable agriculture while elucidating their interconnection. It seeks to clarify the scope and limitations inherent in these agricultural practices, which is critical given the centrality of sustainable agriculture in agrarian studies. By establishing these boundaries, the research outlines the methodologies to identify the relevant variables and indicators required for effective stakeholder engagement within agricultural systems. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA method. The databases searched were Science Direct, Scopus, Nature, and Google Scholar. The inclusion criteria were (i) written in English or Spanish, (ii) published in a peer-reviewed academic journal, and (iii) related to the conceptualization of agroecology and sustainable agriculture. Publications were selected following the method’s identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion guidelines. The main distinctions between the concepts are the scale and the scope. Agroecology reveals limitations to achieving impacts on food security and agriculture’s challenges in a large-scale system better suited for rural communities and small farms seeking locally adapted solutions. On the other hand, the literature reveals that it is crucial to adopt a multi-scale systems approach to meet the growing food demands of the global population, for which sustainable agriculture may be more effective.

Fleshy fruits represent a valuable resource of economic and nutritional relevance for humanity. The plant cuticle is the external lipid layer covering the nonwoody aerial organs of land plants, and it is the first contact between fruits and the environment. It has been hypothesized that the cuticle plays a role in the development, ripening, quality, resistance to pathogen attack and postharvest shelf life of fleshy fruits. The cuticle’s structure and composition change in response to the fruit’s developmental stage, fruit physiology and different postharvest treatments. This review summarizes current information on the physiology and molecular mechanism of cuticle biosynthesis and composition changes during the development, ripening and postharvest stages of fleshy fruits. A discussion and analysis of studies regarding the relationship between cuticle composition, water loss reduction and maintaining fleshy fruits’ postharvest quality are presented. An overview of the molecular mechanism of cuticle biosynthesis and efforts to elucidate it in fleshy fruits is included. Enhancing our knowledge about cuticle biosynthesis mechanisms and identifying specific transcripts, proteins and lipids related to quality traits in fleshy fruits could contribute to the design of biotechnological strategies to improve the quality and postharvest shelf life of these important fruit crops.

In this study, an alternative extraction technique, ultrasound-assisted extraction, was used to extract the polyphenolic fraction from two different residues of the candelilla plant (Euphorbia antisyphilitica). These metabolites were further analyzed to evaluate their bioactivity as antioxidants. In addition, their functional groups were identified by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The antioxidant assays showed statistically significant differences between the phenolic extracts, with citric acid residues (CAR) exhibiting a higher oxidant effect than sulfuric acid residues (SAR). The CAR from San Jerónimo (SJ) cultivar showed decreased IC50 values (179.441 ± 7.92 μL mL−1, DPPH•), and its polyphenolic fraction was able to inhibit lipid oxidation (70.31 ± 2.50%). FTIR analysis subsequently revealed the presence of functional groups related to polyphenolic compounds, such as hydroxy, carbonyl, carbon double bond, and amine groups. In addition, FTIR spectra showed slight differences in phenolic compounds, due to the strong acid treatment involved in the extraction of wax. The present study demonstrated that candelilla by-products from citric acid-wax extraction have a polyphenolic fraction with strong antioxidant activity, which may be useful in food and pharmaceutical products.