Sensory, physicochemical and volatile compound analysis of short and long shelf-life melon (Cucumis melo L.) genotypes at harvest and after postharvest storage.

Flavor is a key attribute defining melon fruit quality and driving consumer preferences. We characterized and compared fruit ripening patterns (ethylene, respiration), physicochemical properties (rind/flesh color, firmness, soluble solids, acidity), aroma volatiles, and flavor-related sensory attributes in seven melon genotypes differing in shelf life capacity. Fruits were evaluated at optimal maturity and after storage for six days at 5 °C plus one day at room temperature. Total volatile content increased after storage in all genotypes, with esters being dominant. Shorter shelf-life genotypes, displaying a sharper climacteric phase, correlated with fruity/floral/sweet flavor-related descriptors, and with esters, sulfur-containing compounds and a terpenoid. Longer shelf-life types were associated with firmness, green and grassy aroma/flavor and aldehydes. Multivariate regression identified key volatiles that predict flavor sensory perception, which could accelerate breeding of longer shelf-life melons with improved flavor characteristics.

Conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas sobre el consumo de sal/sodio en niños del departamento de Antioquia, Colombia / Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding salt/sodium consumption in children of Antioquia, Colombia

El presente estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas (CAP) relacionados con la ingesta de sal/sodio en niños, desde la perspectiva de los cuidadores. Este, es un estudio de corte transversal en el que participaron 2997 cuidadores que asistieron a una sesión educativa sobre alimentación saludable realizada en el marco del proyecto "Acciones Complementarias del Programa de Alimentación Escolar y Maná Infantil" de la Gobernación de Antioquia, liderado por la Escuela de Nutrición y Dietética de la Universidad de Antioquia, entre agosto y septiembre de 2015. Al recolectar la información, se obtuvo que un alto porcentaje de encuestados refieren no conocer la diferencia entre sal y sodio (79,1%) y desconocen la cantidad de sodio contenida en los alimentos que consumen sus hijos; no obstante, consideran importante limitar la ingesta de sal en los niños. Finalmente, se identifica un alto número de personas dispuestas a disminuir la ingesta de sal en sus hijos, pero no sucede lo mismo cuando se hace referencia al sodio, debido a que se requiere un conocimiento más especializado y específico para tomar decisiones relacionadas con el contenido de este mineral en los alimentos, dado que está oculto.

The present study aims to identify the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to salt / sodium intake in children from the perspective of caregivers. We conducted a crosssectional study involving 2997 caregivers who attended an educational session on healthy eating carried out within the framework of the project "Complementary Actions of the School Feeding Program and Children's Mana" carried out by the Government of Antioquia and led by the School of Nutrition and Dietetics of the University of Antioquia between August and September 2015. When collecting the information, it was found that a high percentage of persons surveyed reported not knowing the difference between salt and sodium (79.1%) and not knowing the amount of sodium contained in their child's foods; however, they considered the limiting of salt intake important for their children. Finally, a high percentage of participants were willing to reduce the salt intake of their children, but this was not the case with regard to sodium, because more specialized and specific knowledge is required to make decisions related to the content of this mineral in food, since it is hidden.

Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping of Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Host Plant Resistance in Two Populations of Doubled Haploid Lines in Maize (Zea mays L.).

Over the last 70 yr, more than 12,000 maize accessions have been screened for their level of resistance to western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (LeConte; Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), larval feeding. Less than 1% of this germplasm was selected for initiating recurrent selection or other breeding programs. Selected genotypes were mostly characterized by large root systems and superior root regrowth after root damage caused by western corn rootworm larvae. However, no hybrids claiming native (i.e., host plant) resistance to western corn rootworm larval feeding are currently commercially available. We investigated the genetic basis of western corn rootworm resistance in maize materials with improved levels of resistance using linkage disequilibrium mapping approaches. Two populations of topcrossed doubled haploid maize lines (DHLs) derived from crosses between resistant and susceptible maize lines were evaluated for their level of resistance in three to four different environments. For each DHL topcross an average root damage score was estimated and used for quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. We found genomic regions contributing to western corn rootworm resistance on all maize chromosomes, except for chromosome 4. Models fitting all QTL simultaneously explained about 30 to 50% of the genotypic variance for root damage scores in both mapping populations. Our findings confirm the complex genetic structure of host plant resistance against western corn rootworm larval feeding in maize. Interestingly, three of these QTL regions also carry genes involved in ascorbate biosynthesis, a key compound we hypothesize is involved in the expression of western corn rootworm resistance.