Nanotechnology and synthetic biology are rapidly converging, with DNA origami being one of the leading bridging technologies. DNA origami was shown to work well in a wide array of biotic environments. However, the large majority of extant DNA origami scaffolds utilize bacteriophages or plasmid sequences thus severely limiting its future applicability as a bio-orthogonal nanotechnology platform. In this paper we present the design of biologically inert (i.e., "bio-orthogonal") origami scaffolds. The synthetic scaffolds have the additional advantage of being uniquely addressable (unlike biologically derived ones) and hence are better optimized for high-yield folding. We demonstrate our fully synthetic scaffold design with both DNA and RNA origamis and describe a protocol to produce these bio-orthogonal and uniquely addressable origami scaffolds.

Peach market is facing a constant decrease due to the poor fruit quality perceived at consumption that might be greatly affected by fruit ripening stage at harvest and by the post-harvest management. The present work aimed at clarifying the influence of maturity at harvest on the evolution of peach aroma and quality during shelf-life after prolonged cold storage. “August Flame” peaches were harvested at three maturity stages, determined based on IAD (index of absorption difference) and ethylene emission. Fruit quality traits (firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity), ethylene and volatile organic compound (VOC) emission were monitored during for four weeks of cold storage (0 °C). Every week of cold storage was followed by 6 days of shelf-life (18 °C). Ripening segregation at harvest based on IAD was successful since each maturity classes significantly differed based on all quality traits. Cold storage enhanced the aroma development of ‘August Flame’ peach, primarily by increasing the emission of esters and lactones associated with pleasant aroma. Moreover, cold storage also reduced the differences in aroma between the maturity classes. The role of ethylene, which was also influenced by cold storage, in regulating the VOCs emission is discussed.

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BACKGROUND: The assessment of the fruit maturity stage is essential to establish the optimal harvest time and it is considered to be crucial to determine the overall quality and the length of fruit storage-life. In fact the maturity stage reached at harvest is strictly related to the fruit characteristics such as flesh color, taste and aroma resulting in high consumer acceptability. Fruits from the Actinidia chinensis cultivar are traditionally harvested when the flesh color reaches a value of 103 • Hue equivalent to a bright yellow color ("gold"), recognized as optimal to fulfill the supply chain requirements. This parameter is measured on a fruit sample in the last phase of maturity with a colorimeter, after removing of a thin layer of epicarp. However, since this method implicates the fruit sample destruction, the batch of the considered fruits could be poorly representative. OBJECTIVES: A non-destructive alternative for the assessment of fruit ripening/harvesting was investigated. METHODS: The recently developed Kiwi-meter, a device based on the vis/Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRs) allows to monitor fruit flesh color evolution non-destructively by means of the DAindex TM. RESULTS: This work reports the results obtained in different trials in the past years on two A. chinensis cultivars and confirms the importance of the Kiwi-meter device to establish the proper fruit harvest time, fundamental to optimize quality and post-harvest management of kiwifruit, by grouping fruits in homogeneous ripening classes. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the Kiwi-Meter could be used "in planta" to monitor the ripening evolution and to assess the harvest time.