Real-time quantitative PCR was used to study lipoxygenase (LOX) gene expression patterns in kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa [A. Chev.] C.F. Liang et A.R. Ferguson var. deliciosa cv. Hayward) during fruit ripening, and in response to ethylene and low temperature during post-harvest storage. Six LOX genes were identified and cloned from a kiwifruit EST database. All were expressed in vegetative ti...

this study investigated the survival of a probiotic strain of lactobacillus acidophilus (la-5) in jug cheese during storage (120 days at 6-8 °c). the jug cheese treatments were: c (control), containing commercial starter frc-65; la, containing lactobacillus acidophilus; and las, containing commercial starter and lactobacillus acidophilus. the results showed that the amount of lactobacillus acid...

Although much progress has been made towards understanding the ripening of non-climacteric fruit using the strawberry as a model plant, the defined molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, RNA-sequencing was performed using four cDNA libraries around the onset of ripening, and a total of 31,793 unigenes and 335 pathways were annotated including the top five pathways, which were involved in ri...

Grape and wine production and quality is extremely dependent on the fruit ripening process. Sensory and nutritional characteristics are important aspects for consumers and their development during fruit ripening involves complex hormonal control. In this review, we explored data already published on grape ripening and compared it with the hormonal regulation of ripening of other climacteric and...

Raw ewes' milk semi-soft cheeses (RESS-cheeses) are important products in Portugal and in several European regions. Creamy texture is an essential attribute of these cheeses, which results from structural properties that are not always well characterized. Here, the structural changes occurring during the ripening period of a traditional RESS-cheese, known as Serpa cheese, were analysed through ...

Reproductive development in the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger L.) differs from that in commonly investigated model plants in two important aspects: (i) the perianth develops a photosynthetic system, after fertilization, and persists until seed ripening; and (ii) the ripe seed contains an immature embryo which continues to mature off the mother plant. The possible roles of cytokinins in these...

Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates plant development and adaptation to environmental conditions. Although the ABA biosynthesis pathway in plants has been thoroughly elucidated, how ABA biosynthetic genes are regulated at the molecular level during plant development is less well understood. Here, we show that the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) zinc finger transcription factor SlZFP2 is involved in the...

The plant-specific NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) transcription factors (TFs) play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, the precise role of NAC TFs in relation to fruit ripening is poorly understood. In this study, six NAC genes, designated MaNAC1-MaNAC6, were isolated and characterized from banana fruit. Subcellular localization showed that MaNAC1-MaNAC5 p...