Eleni Tsantili | Agricultural University of Athens (original) (raw)

Papers by Eleni Tsantili

Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization

In the pdf published, anthocyanins and chlorophylls were presented by tenfold higher, while total... more In the pdf published, anthocyanins and chlorophylls were presented by tenfold higher, while total carotenoids in the legend of the respective Table 1 in μg 100 g −1 fw instead of [μg (× 10 3) 100 g −1 fw], affecting text, Tables 2 & 3 and Fig. 2. Corrected text, Figure and Tables are presented below:

ΜEΤΑΣΥΛΛEΚΤΙΚΗ ΜEΤΑΧ/ΣΗ ΚΑΡΠΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΑΧΑΝΙΚΩΝ [ΓEΩΠΟΝΙΚΟ ΠΑΝEΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ, ΣΧΟΛΗ ΑΓΡΟΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΑΡΑ... more ΜEΤΑΣΥΛΛEΚΤΙΚΗ ΜEΤΑΧ/ΣΗ ΚΑΡΠΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΛΑΧΑΝΙΚΩΝ [ΓEΩΠΟΝΙΚΟ ΠΑΝEΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΑΘΗΝΩΝ, ΣΧΟΛΗ ΑΓΡΟΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΑΡΑΓΩΓΗΣ ΥΠΟΔΟΜΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΠEΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΟΣ, ΤΜΗΜΑ EΠΙΣΤΗΜΗΣ ΦΥΤΙΚΗΣ ΠΑΡΑΓΩΓΗΣ]

Agriculture, May 28, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

Postharvest Biology and Technology, 2021

Abstract Polyamines are actively involved in diverse processes, including fruit ripening and stre... more Abstract Polyamines are actively involved in diverse processes, including fruit ripening and stress responses. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of storage temperature on polyamine metabolism of tomato fruit, which were either harvested at the turning stage or left to mature on-plant. The applied temperatures (5, 10 and 25 °C) and storage duration (7 d) are regularly employed in real-world scenarios. The metabolic profile of polyamines (putrescine, spermidine and spermine), gene transcription of the enzymes mediating polyamine biosynthesis and catabolism, protein accumulation of the putrescine synthesis enzyme and the putrescine-produced H2O2 were evaluated. Putrescine was the major polyamine in all cases, and its content generally increased during ripening, as well as in chilled fruit (stored at 5 °C). Increases in arginine decarboxylase protein content and in arginine decarboxylase transcription of both attached fruit and detached ones stored at either 10 or 25 °C showed that putrescine accumulation was mainly driven via the arginine decarboxylase biosynthetic pathway. Interestingly, putrescine catabolism by copper-containing amine oxidase was favored in parallel with increases in arginine decarboxylase and ornithine decarboxylase transcripts in fruit stored at 5 °C. However, the arginine decarboxylase protein accumulation suggests that ornithine decarboxylase is mainly responsible for putrescine accumulation at 5 °C. This study indicates that storage temperature modifies the homeostasis of polyamines in tomato fruit, which in turn orchestrates ripening-associated physiological processes.

Foods, 2022

Butanol vapor feeding to ripe banana pulp slices produced abundant butyl butanoate, indicating th... more Butanol vapor feeding to ripe banana pulp slices produced abundant butyl butanoate, indicating that a portion of butanol molecules was converted to butanoate/butanoyl-CoA via butanal, and further biosynthesized to ester. A similar phenomenon was observed when feeding propanol and pentanol, but was less pronounced when feeding hexanol, 2-methylpropanol and 3-methylbutanol. Enzymes which catalyze the cascade reactions, such as alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), acetyl-CoA synthetase, and alcohol acetyl transferase, have been well documented. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which is presumed to play a key role in the pathway to convert aldehydes to carboxylic acids, has not been reported yet. The conversion is an oxygen-independent metabolic pathway and is enzyme-catalyzed with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) as the cofactor. Crude ALDH was extracted from ripe banana pulps, and the interference from ADH was removed by two procedures: (1) washing off elutable proteins which contain 95...

Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 2021

Fig fruit phenolics are beneficial to human health and contribute to attractiveness by consumers.... more Fig fruit phenolics are beneficial to human health and contribute to attractiveness by consumers. Phenolic compounds, total carotenoids (TCAR) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the flesh and chlorophylls, anthocyanins and colour in the peel were determined during ripening stages of pollinated ‘Mission’, ‘Vasilika’ and ‘Mavra Markopoulou’ (‘MM’) figs. The two latter stages studied, S3 and S4, corresponded to commercial and tree-ripe state, respectively, in each variety. Peel and flesh phenolic compounds were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC–DAD). Here, the acids 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic (2,4-DHB), 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic (2,3-DHB) and sinapic, the anthocyanins delphinidin-3- O -glucoside (delph-3-glc), petunidin- O -glucoside (pt-3-glc) in flesh and malvidin- O -glucoside (malv-3-glc) in flesh and peel were revealed in figs for first time. Gallic was the prominent acid in flesh and cyanidin- O -3-rutinoside (c-3-rut) the major anthocyanin in flesh and peel in all varieties. During ripening most phenolic compounds, TCAR and TAC in flesh did not increase. Peel anthocyanins increased greatly in all varieties. The sum of anthocyanins reached 952 mg 100 g −1 fw in the dark-peel ‘MM’ at S4, corresponding to a surface colour with a hue angle value of 6.48, rendering the peel an edible part of high nutritional value. However, part of chlorophyll was still present in ‘MM’ peel. Conclusively, most of the variables determined were significantly influenced by variety and ripening stage. The hierarchical cluster analysis, a rapid and easy way of results interpretation, distinguished varieties and stages according to the variables determined, giving the opportunity for variety selection and/or ripening stage determination at harvest.

Agronomy, 2021

Harvest timing of oil olives is important for oil quality. Concerning the specific features of ea... more Harvest timing of oil olives is important for oil quality. Concerning the specific features of each cultivar, physiological and quality characteristics during ripening of Koroneiki olives were investigated in two successive years, A and B, from trees on full production. In A, olives were harvested at maturity indices (MIs) 0.9, 1.4, 2.1 and 4, while in B at MIs 1.1, 3.8 and 6.9. MIs ~1, ~4 and ~7 corresponded to green, red and dark purple peel in olives, respectively. Peel color parameters (L*, h° and C*), respiration and ethylene production rates were evaluated along with phenolic compounds and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in olives of both crop years. Additionally, oil composition and a-tocopherol content were examined in olives harvested in years A and B, respectively. During fruit development, respiration and ethylene productions rates, hydroxytyrosol concentration and linoleic acid increased, while TAC, oleuropein, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, linolenic acid and α-tocopherol val...

Food Packaging and Shelf Life, 2019

Water loss is one of the major causes for the food loss and waste of small fruits, both in the re... more Water loss is one of the major causes for the food loss and waste of small fruits, both in the retail market and at the consumer level. A modified humidity (MH) one-pound (˜454 g) clamshell was designed for small fruit packaging and was compared to a typical commercial (COM) clamshell for several small fruits held in cold (0-6°C), refrigerated shelf (10°C) and room (19-25°C) temperatures, typical in the industry for shipment, storage and marketing. Water loss of litchis, sweet cherries, strawberries, blueberries, Chinese bayberries, apricots, loquats and cherry tomatoes packaged in the COM clamshells was 1.2-4.5-fold more than for MH clamshells. Quality attributes of the packaged fruits were generally better maintained in the MH clamshells, especially for those attributes susceptible to water deficit, such as shriveling, desiccation-induced browning and/ or drying of pedicels in cherries, calyx of strawberries, pericarp of litchis, peel shriveling of cherry tomatoes and softening of blueberries and strawberries. The modification of the internal clamshell atmosphere was minor to moderate (mostly less than 1 kPa change, with a maximum change of 3.6 kPa which is still minor for O 2 , but is probably not so for CO 2). MH clamshells could be problematic in some cases because it is more prone to condensation especially when raising temperature from cold storage to room temperature during marketing. Overall, the MH clamshells substantively reduced water loss, maintained fresh fruit quality and extended storage life of small fruits without excessively modifying the package atmosphere and inducing decay.

Journal of Plant Physiology, 2019

This study aimed to investigate the firmness retention by ethylene treatment in olive fruit, as o... more This study aimed to investigate the firmness retention by ethylene treatment in olive fruit, as observed earlier. Ethylene concentrations up to 1000 μL L-1 were applied to dark green 'Konservolia' olives harvested shortly before the green maturation and exposed to 20 °C for up to 9 d. Surprisingly, the results indicated a tendency to fruit firmness increases in concentration-dependent manner in a non-climacteric fruit. The highest concentration increased the firmness within 12 h by approximately 1.35-fold, but transiently for approximately up to 5 d; all ethylene inhibitors tested, either of synthesis (ethoxyvinyl glycine or AVG), or perception (1 -methyl-cyclopropene or 1-MCP, and silver nitrate) prevented the firmness increase. Texture was evaluated by firmness and changes in lignin, cellulose (CL), total pectins (TPC), water soluble pectins (WSP) and total non-cellulosic sugars (total sugars) concentrations, and in pectin esterification degree (DE) in the alcohol insoluble residue (AIR) of 'Konservolia' fruit pericarp during 1.5-d, 5-d and 10-d treatments with 1000 μL L-1 ethylene at 20 °C. Pectins in AIR were also extracted sequentially with cyclohexane-trans-1,2-diaminetetra-acetate (CDTA), Na2CO3, 1 M and 4 M KOH. The results showed that on day 1.5, the increased firmness was consistent with increased CL (crystalline formation, as observed by microscopy), total sugars and DE levels, but reduced WSP, whereas softening reversed the changes and lowered TPC and CDTA-soluble pectins in all fruit on day 10. However, on day 5 ethylene-treated olives exhibited a transitional phase during softening, characterized by retention of high TPC concentration and energy demand, as indicated by elevated respiration rates. The inhibitor 1-MCP, applied before ethylene, did inhibit the responses to ethylene treatment. Ethylene firming effect and the respective cell wall changes in olives are demonstrated for first time. The experiments could be used for research on perception and transcription responses to ethylene in olive, a non-climacteric fruit. In practice, high ethylene concentrations could also be beneficial for firmness increase and/or short storage of dark green olives.

Journal of Plant Physiology, 2018

Olives are non-climacteric fruit. In a previous article, oleuropein (OE) increased substantially ... more Olives are non-climacteric fruit. In a previous article, oleuropein (OE) increased substantially in fresh green olives exposed to 20°C for 7 d, but the increases were lower in preharvest treated fruit with an ethylene synthesis inhibitor. The present aim was to investigate whether phenolic compounds, including OE, were affected by ethylene treatment in green harvested olives. Postharvest treatments with the ethylene perception inhibitor, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) at 1.5 μL L −1 for 12 h, and/or ethylene at 1000 μL L −1 at 20°C for up to 10 d were applied to fruits of 'Konservolia' cultivar. The results showed that ethylene and/or 1-MCP had similar effects on total phenolics (TP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and OE and these results are revealed for the first time in olives. Ethylene had no effect on green loss, but 1-MCP prevented it slightly. In all treated fruit, but not in controls, TP and TAC were increased soon after harvest and remained almost stable throughout exposure, whereas OE increased in controls and all treated at later stages (as confirmed by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS) independently of degreening. The present experiments could be applied to studies of ethylene perception and transcription related responses in these non-climacteric fruit. In practice, harvested olives do not lose their antioxidant capacity, but the OE elevation in short-stored olives at ambient temperature might have an impact on olive products quality.

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2017

BACKGROUND: Sugars and antioxidants in peaches contribute to fresh fruit quality and nutrition; h... more BACKGROUND: Sugars and antioxidants in peaches contribute to fresh fruit quality and nutrition; however information on widely grown cultivars and changes induced after peach jam preparation is limited. In the present study colour, sugars and antioxidant parameters were determined in fruit and jam from 45 peach and nectarine cultivars.

Scientia Horticulturae, 2017

Sweet cherry storage at 1°C significantly affected many biochemical parameters linked to anthocya... more Sweet cherry storage at 1°C significantly affected many biochemical parameters linked to anthocyanin concentration in fruits and subsequently their colour. While no significant differences in the concentration of total phenolics were detected among treatments, total anthocyanin concentration and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase enzyme activity, as well as the transcription of anthocyanidin synthase and flavonol 3-O-glucosyltransferase (genes coding for enzymes fundamental for the anthocyanin synthesis) were considerably lower in fruits stored at 1°C (with or without a 24-h period of storage at 20°C) in comparison to the initial fruits at harvest. In contrast, the fruits stored continuously at 20°C exhibited higher levels of total anthocyanins and Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase activity and also elevated expression of the genes coding for enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins in comparison to fruits that underwent cold storage. Our results suggest that cold storage of sweet cherries at low, but non-chilling temperatures, decelerates the accumulation of anthocyanins and consequently causes slower colour development in fruits.

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2017

BACKGROUND: Goji berries (Lycium barbarum L.) are functional fruits, but usually disposed to mark... more BACKGROUND: Goji berries (Lycium barbarum L.) are functional fruits, but usually disposed to markets as dried. The aim, here, was to investigate the storability of fresh goji berries treated with high CO 2 and low O 2 concentrations before air storage at 1 o C for 21 d. RESULTS: Berries harvested without stems were exposed to air (controls) or treated for 2 d at 1 o C with the following controlled atmosphere (CA) treatments: 21% O 2 + 0% CO 2 (21+0), 5% O 2 + 15% CO 2 (5+15), 10% O 2 + 10% CO 2 (10+10) and 20% O 2 + 20% CO 2 (20+20). During 14 d storage, all treatments decreased weight loss, while treatments 5+15 and 20+20 prevented fungal decay. No fermentation was observed. The treatments did not affect colour changes, decreases in soluble sugars and increases in total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total carotenoids, total phenolics

Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization

Agriculture, May 28, 2022

Postharvest Biology and Technology, 2021

Foods, 2022

Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization, 2021

Agronomy, 2021

Food Packaging and Shelf Life, 2019

Journal of Plant Physiology, 2019

Journal of Plant Physiology, 2018

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2017

Scientia Horticulturae, 2017

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2017