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-Introduction. 'Hass' is the main avocado cultivar commercialized worldwide. The extended flowering period, very low percentage of fruit set and inability to ripen on the tree renders the fruit heterogeneous and unpredictable during postharvest management. The "triggered" and "ready-to-eat" growing markets for 'Hass' avocados are affected by the variable postharvest ripening or ripening heterogeneity which creates severe logistical problems for marketers and inconsistent quality delivery to consumers. Synthesis. The dry matter content, the current avocado harvest index that correlates very well with oil content, has been extensively used to harvest 'Hass' avocados to comply with the minimum standards to guarantee consumer satisfaction. However, previous work and empirical experience demonstrate that dry matter does not correlate on a fruit-to-fruit basis with time to reach edible ripeness. Thus, avocados of very different ages are harvested from individual trees, resulting in heterogeneous postharvest ripening of fruit within a specific batch. Several preharvest factors related to environmental and growing conditions and crop management as well as postharvest technology strategies influence the observed variability of postharvest ripening. Conclusion. Modern approaches based on studying the composition of individual fruits displaying contrasting postharvest ripening behavior, combined with non-destructive phenotyping techniques, seem to offer practical solutions for the fresh supply chain of avocados to sort fruit based on their ripening capacity.Keywords: avocado / Persea americana / fruit quality / ripening stage / preharvest management / secondary metabolites / non-destructive analysis Résumé -Facteurs associés à l'hétérogénéité du mûrissement post-récolte des avocats (Persea americana Mill cv. Hass). Introduction. Le 'Hass' est la principale variété d'avocat commercialisée dans le monde. Sa période de floraison prolongée, son très faible pourcentage de nouaison et son incapacité à mûrir sur l'arbre en font un fruit hétéro-gène et imprévisible à gérer après récolte. Le marché croissant des avocats 'Hass' « déclenchés » et « prêts-à-manger » est affecté par la variabilité ou l'hétérogénéité du mûrissement post-récolte, ce qui crée de sérieux problèmes logistiques aux spécialistes du marketing et offre une prestation de qualité inégale aux consommateurs. Synthèse. La teneur en matière sèche, l'actuel indice de récolte des avocats qui correspond parfaitement à la teneur en huile du fruit, a été largement utilisé pour récolter les avocats 'Hass' en conformité avec les normes minimales de garantie de satisfaction des consommateurs. Toutefois, des travaux antérieurs et l'expérience empirique démontrent que la matière sèche ne correspond pas à un paramètre sur lequel se baser d'un fruit à l'autre pour estimer la durée jusqu'au fruit mûr prêt à manger. Ainsi, pour des fruits d'âge très différents récoltés arbre par arbre, il en résulte une hétérogénéité du mûrisse-ment des fruits après récolte dans chaque lo...

Sarcocornia neei is a halophyte that grows on the coast of the Valparaiso Region of Chile. Studies related to its nutritional and functional value under wild and cultivated conditions are not available. Thus, in this study, a nutritional (complete proximal, mineral and dietary fiber analysis) and functional characterization (total phenolics, β-carotene, hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activity (HAA and LAA) and ascorbic acid) were performed for wild and cultivated plants. Wild plants displayed higher amounts of compounds involved in stress defense mechanisms such as total phenolics, proteins, dietary fiber and ash. The mineral analysis revealed that Na + and Cl -are the main ions accumulated in wild and cultivated Sarcocornia neei that are present in significantly higher amounts in the cultivated plants. The functional characterization revealed higher amounts of dietary fiber, total phenolics and HAA in wild plants than in cultivated plants. Similar contents of β-carotene, LAA and ascorbic acid were found for wild and cultivated plants. The results from this study provide information on the potential of Sarcocornia neei to be consumed as a leafy green vegetable with important amounts of main nutrients and functional metabolites.

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The loquat cultivar Golden Nugget (leaves, flowers and fruits), which has potential commercial importance in Chile, was analyzed for targeted bioactive composition (total phenolic contents: TPC, phenolic profiles and triterpenic acids) and in vitro bioactivity such as antioxidant capacity (AC) and inhibitory activity against enzymes relevant for hyperglycemia (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) and hypertension (angiotensin I-converting enzyme, ACE-I) management. Leaves and flowers had higher TPC and AC than fruits and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives were found in all structures by HPLC. Chlorogenic acid and quercetin derivatives were detected only in leaves and flowers, which also inhibited the α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes, but flowers showed the highest anti-hyperglycemia activity. No inhibition of ACE-I and hyperglycemiarelevant enzymes were found in loquat fruits; additionally, TPC and AC were high at the green stage. Loquat leaves and flowers are sources of phenolic bioactives with potential for diet-based hyperglycemia management. No triterpenic acids were found in any of the loquat parts.