Potential opportunities of thinned clusters in viticulture: a mini review

Abstract

Crop thinning is a common practice performed in the vineyard consisting of whole clusters or individual fruits being removed after flowering is attained. Current studies have reported that unripe grape products as verjuice and sour grape sauce contain high content of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols, sugars, organic acids, nitrogenous compounds and sterols. This mini‐review overviewed the bioactive components obtained from thinned unripe grapes such as phenolic compounds, sugars, organic acids, minerals, nitrogen compounds and sterols, and their use as antibrowning and whitening agents, natural catalysts, food preservative and food additive. In addition, their beneficial effects for human health also were reviewed, as well as the practices to maximize the extraction of antioxidant compounds. Therefore, revalorizing the waste from this management practice in viticulture can increase the vineyard sustainability and farmers' economic profits. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry

Comprehensive Utilization of Thinned Unripe Fruits from Horticultural Crops

“…Many fruit species support a variable amount of fruit and have self-regulatory mechanisms for natural fruit dropping. However, trees are frequently unable to support fruit productivity using only self-regulating mechanisms [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. For most horticultural crops, relying on falling off by themselves prevents an optimal crop load for the production of ripe fruits, with a balance of quality and quantity, and exogenous intervention is needed to achieve these goals.…”

Biomass estimation and characterization of the nutrient components of thinned unripe grapes in China and the global grape industries

“…To improve the quality of table grapes, fruit thinning is an indispensable cultivation and management step in the process of growing and developing fresh grapes. In the process of fruit thinning, if part of the developing young fruit is removed, the remaining young fruit can use more photosynthates, resulting in larger fruit grains and a more uniform fruit quality ( Gutiérrez-Gamboa, Wei, Moreno-Simunovic, Sun, & Fang, 2020 ).…”

“…Therefore, TUR gradually attracts people's attention ( Bovo et al, 2016 , Fia et al, 2021 , Gutiérrez-Gamboa et al, 2020 , Piccardo et al, 2019 , Tinello and Lante, 2017 ) and becomes an urgent problem for the grape industry. Previous studies have revealed that grape juice made from TUR could be used as food-flavoring agent ( Dupas de Matos et al, 2018 ), such as replacing vinegar to make salad dressings and pickles.…”

“…Moreover, TUR extract had an inhibitory effect on tyrosinase, polyphenol oxidase, etc., and could effectively inhibit enzymatic browning and oxidation ( Honisch et al, 2019 ). Therefore, TUR has the potential to become a natural raw material for skin whitening in the cosmetics industry ( Gutiérrez-Gamboa, Wei, Moreno-Simunovic, Sun, & Fang, 2020 ). Additionally, TUR extracts have significant effects in improving serum cholesterol levels ( Zibaeenezhad et al, 2012 ), reducing blood sugar ( Gutiérrez-Gamboa, Wei, Moreno-Simunovic, Sun, & Fang, 2020 ) and inhibiting cancer cell viability ( Nasser et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Therefore, TUR has the potential to become a natural raw material for skin whitening in the cosmetics industry ( Gutiérrez-Gamboa, Wei, Moreno-Simunovic, Sun, & Fang, 2020 ). Additionally, TUR extracts have significant effects in improving serum cholesterol levels ( Zibaeenezhad et al, 2012 ), reducing blood sugar ( Gutiérrez-Gamboa, Wei, Moreno-Simunovic, Sun, & Fang, 2020 ) and inhibiting cancer cell viability ( Nasser et al, 2020 ). In conclusion, TUR abandoned in orchards has great application potential in the food and pharmaceutical industries in the future.…”