Effect of juice concentration on storage stability, betacyanin degradation kinetics, and sensory acceptance of red-fleshed dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) juice

Effect of temperature on betacyanins synthesis and the transcriptome of Suaeda salsa

Introduction

Suaeda salsa (Linn.) Pall. is an important tourist resource and ecological restoration species in coastal wetlands. Environmental factors such as low temperature, darkness, phytohormone, salt stress and seawater flflooding, and light can induce betalain synthesis in S. salsa, which plays an important role in plant adaptation to abiotic stress processes and in shaping the beautiful "red beach" landscape.

Methods

In this study, Illumina sequencing was used to profifile the transcriptome sequence (RNA-Seq) of S. salsa leaves at different temperatures (5° C, 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, and 30°C) and to validate differentially expressed genes (DEGs) indicated by real-time PCR (RT-qPCR).

Results

The betacyanin content was highest in S. salsa leaves at 15°C. Transcription group data showed that compared to the control group (15°C), the "betacyanin biosynthesis pathway" was signifificantly enriched in the fifive different temperature groups. KEGG analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly involved in pathways of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, carbon fifixation in photosynthetic organisms, flflavonoid biosynthesis, and betacyanin biosynthesis. Among the key enzymes involved in biosynthesis of betacyanin, genes for tyrosinase, CYP76AD1 and 4,5-DOPA dioxygenase were signifificantly upregulated and most abundantly expressed at 15°C. It is possible that the gene for betacyanin synthesis from S. salsa is primarily regulated by the MYB1R1 and MYB1 transcription factor. Four DEGs were randomly selected for quantitative PCR analysis, and DEG expression was generally consistent with the RNA-Seq data, verifying the validity of the transcriptome sequencing data.

Discussion

Relative to other temperatures, 15°C was optimum for S. salsa betacyanin synthesis, and this provides a theoretical reference for coastal wetland ecological remediation, reveals mechanisms of S. salsa discoloration, and further mines its potential application for landscape vegetation.

Application of Thermosonication in Red Pitaya Juice Processing: Impacts on Native Microbiota and Quality Properties during Storage

The effects of thermosonication (TS) on microbial safety and quality of red pitaya juice during storage were assessed in this study. Freshly prepared red pitaya juices were thermosonicated at 475 W and 56 °C for 20 min. Upon TS processing, native microbiota including aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and molds reduced to less than 10 CFU/mL. Their growth during storage were slow and equal to thermal-processed (83 °C, 1.5 min) samples. During storage at 4 °C for 28 days, soluble solid content, pH, activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase, and browning degree remained unchanged. A visible color decay was observed in TS-processed samples at day 10, mainly resulting from decomposition of betacyanins and the growth of residual native microbiota. Compared to thermal-treated juices, better color retention was obtained by TS treatment. Therefore, TS is a promising alternative technology of thermal methods of juice processing, with equal shelf life and better quality retention effects.

Studies on the storage stability of fermented red dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus) drink

The objective of this work was to study the effect of storage temperatures and duration on the stability of fermented red dragon fruit drink (FRDFD) on its betacyanins content, physicochemical and microbiological qualities (BPM) and determining sensory acceptability. Results showed that both storage temperatures and duration have a significant effect on betacyanins content and physicochemical properties of FRDFD. Aerobic mesophilic and yeast and mold counts were lower than 1 × 103 CFU/mL for FRDFD stored at both temperatures. The loss of betanin (16.53-13.93 g/L) at 4 °C was 15.73% with no significant changes in physicochemical properties from week two onwards compared to 56.32% (16.53-7.22 g/L) of betanin loss at 25 °C. At week eight, FRDFD stored at 4 °C still contained 13.93 g/L betanin with a pH value of 3.46, suggested its potential as a functional drink which is sensory acceptable (mean score > 80% using hedonic test) among consumers.