Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research 

About: Chilean Journal of Agricultural Research is an academic journal published by Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Biology & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 0718-5820. It is also open access. Over the lifetime, 974 publications have been published receiving 14659 citations.

Improving Meat Quality Through Natural Antioxidants

Abstract: Nowadays, consumers are demanding more natural foods, obliging the industry to include natural antioxidants in foods. Natural antioxidants have been used instead of synthetic antioxidants to retard lipid oxidation in foods to improve their quality and nutritional value. This review discusses some aspects of recent research on antioxidant activity of plant extracts and natural compounds to improve meat quality. Many herbs, spices, and their extracts have been reported as having high antioxidant capacity, such as some plants of the Lamiaceae family, e.g., oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), and sage (Salvia officinalis L.). The antioxidant activity of these plants is attributed to their phenolic compound content, which includes volatile compounds also known as essential oils. Several factors that cause some differences on the antioxidant activity of plant extracts include: type of solvent used during extraction, measurement method, and number of samples. Some studies have demonstrated that shelf-life and meat quality can be improved by using natural antioxidants in some stages of meat production. The main effects of these compounds are reducing microbial growth and lipid oxidation during storage. Nevertheless, more research is needed to determine antimicrobial activity of natural antioxidants in meat during storage, identify the main metabolic pathway of these compounds, and its effect on other meat quality parameters.

Antifungal activity of medicinal plant extracts against phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria spp.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of extracts of 10 plant species used in traditional Uruguayan medicine against the phytopathogenic fungus Alternaria spp. The plants were selected on the basis of their reported ethnobotanical uses. Aqueous, saline buffer and acid extracts of different plant species were screened in vitro for their antifungal activity against Alternaria spp. For the antifungal evaluation we used a microspectrophotometric assay. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) of the extracts were determined. Three solvents were assayed on different tissues of the plants and among the 29 evaluated extracts, 31% of the extracts inhibited growth, similar to the effects of a chemical fungicide. Acid extracts of the plants were more effective than the aqueous or buffer extracts against Alternaria spp. The MIC values of the extracts were determined ranging between 1.25 and 25 µg mL -1 . The MFC values of the extracts ranged between 1.25 µg mL -1 (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and 10 µg mL -1 (Cynara scolymus L.). MICs and MFCs values obtained from leaves (Salvia officinalis L. and R. officinalis ) and seeds extracts (Salvia sclarea L.) were quite comparable to values obtained with the conventional fungicide captan (2.5 µg mL -1 ). The extracts of Salvia sclarea, S. officinalis and R. officinalis could be considered as potential sources of antifungal compounds for treating diseases in plants. These extracts showed maximum activity, even at very low concentrations, and the same fungicide effects as chemical fungicide. We conclude from this that these extracts exhibit amazing fungicidal properties that support their traditional use as antiseptics.

A Ricardian Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on South American Farms

Abstract: A B S T R A C T This study estimates the impact of climate change on South American agriculture taking into account farmer adaptations. The study used a Ricardian analysis of 2300 farms to explore the effects of global warming on land values. In order to predict climate change impacts for this century, were examined climate change scenarios predicted by three Atmospheric Oceanic General Circulation Models (AOGCM): the Canadian Climate Center (CCC), the Centre for Climate System Research (CCSR), and the Parallel Climate Model (PCM) models. Several econometric specifications were tested, and five separate regressions were run: for all farms, small household farms, large commercial farms, rainfed farms, and irrigated farms. Farmland values will decrease as temperature increases, but also as rainfall increases except for the case of irrigated farms. Under the severe Canadian Climate Center (CCC) scenario, South American farmers will lose on average 14% of their income by the year 2020, 20% by 2060, and 53% by 2100, but half of these estimates under the less severe Centre for Climate System Research (CCSR) scenario. However, farms will lose only small amounts of income under the mild and wet Parallel Climate Model (PCM) scenario. Both small household farms and large commercial farms are highly vulnerable, but small farms are more vulnerable to warming, while large farms are more vulnerable to rainfall increases. Both rainfed and irrigated farms will lose their incomes by more than 50% by 2100, with slightly more severe damage to irrigated farms, but the subsample analysis treats irrigation as exogenous.

Determination of Antioxidant Capacity, Total Phenolic Content and Mineral Composition of Different Fruit Tissue of Five Apple Cultivars Grown in Chile

Abstract: Apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) have been identified as one of the main dietary sources of antioxidants, mainly phenolic compounds. These compounds vary in their composition and concentration, among cultivars and fruit tissues. In this research, the total phenolic content (Folin-Ciocalteau assay), antioxidant capacity (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power, FRAP assay) and mineral composition in three fruit tissues (peel, pulp and whole fruit), of apple cultivars commonly used for dried apple production in Chile, were studied. In addition, the physical-chemical characteristics (dry weight, pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids content and color) were also evaluated. The results indicated that the total phenolic content, the antioxidant capacity, and the mineral composition, of peel were substantially higher than those of whole fruit, and pulp for all the cultivars studied. Among cultivars, �Red Delicious� apple peels have a significantly much higher content of total phenolic (11.6 mg gallic acid equivalents [GAE] g-1 FW) and a higher FRAP (209.9 µmol Fe+2 g-1 FW). Additionally, a high correlation between total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity was found in all the cultivars and fruit tissues analyzed, except in the apple pulp. On the other hand, the physical and chemical composition differed among cultivars and fruit tissues. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that the total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, mineral composition, and physical and chemical characteristics vary considerably depending on the apple cultivars and fruit tissues analyzed.

Characterization of Sugars and Organic Acids in Commercial Varieties of Table Grapes

Abstract: La composicion del sabor ha sido definida como un atributo complejo de la calidad de la fruta, en el cual la mezcla de azucares, acidos y volatiles juega un rol determinante. En uva de mesa (Vitis vinifera L.), el dulzor y la acidez son los atributos primordiales para su consumo fresco. Sin embargo, la mayoria de los estudios realizados al respecto se han desarrollado en uva para la produccion de vino, la cual crece, se cultiva y se procesa de manera diferente a la uva de mesa. Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente trabajo se centro en caracterizar los cambios en azucares y acidos organicos a lo largo de su desarrollo en las variedades ‘Thompson Seedless’, ‘Red Globe’, y ‘Crimson Seedless’, producidas bajo las mismas condiciones agroclimaticas. Para cada variedad se realizaron muestreos semanales desde 2 semanas previas a pinta hasta la cosecha comercial. Los azucares y acidos organicos fueron cuantificados mediante cromatografia liquida de alto rendimiento (HPLC) equipados con detectores evaporativos de dispersion de la luz (ELSD) y ultra violeta, respectivamente. El rango de concentraciones de acidos y azucares encontrados en uva fueron los siguientes: acido tartarico, 1,28-7,45 g L-1; acido malico, 0,38-29,92 g L-1, acido citrico trazas-1,03 g L-1; fructosa, 0,15-8,74 g (azucar) 100 g (uva)-1; glucosa, 0,19-8,71 g (azucar) 100 g (uva)-1 and sacarosa 0.02-0.91 g (azucar) 100 g(uva)-1. Entre los azucares, glucosa fue la mas abundante en etapas tempranas y luego disminuyo hasta el periodo de cosecha, cuando la cantidad de fructosa y glucosa converge en un promedio de 47% para cada azucar. A pesar de que los acidos organicos alcanzaron un nivel constante entre 3 a 4 semanas antes de su cosecha, existen diferencias importantes en el perfil de acidos organicos entre las variedades, con ‘Thompson Seedless’ mostrando la mas baja relacion de acidos tartarico/malico de 1,19. Estas diferencias son un punto importante al considerar el sabor general para cada variedad.