Nutritional composition, microbiological and sensory properties of dried melon: a traditional Turkmen product.

Seven different cultivars (Taze vaharman, Gökjek, Arap hatli, Türkmen vaharmani, Torli payendeke, Yazki bisek, Gizil gülabi) of honeydew melons (Cucumis melo L.) from Turkmenistan were processed to a dried traditional product known as 'kavun kaki' in order to evaluate the most suitable cultivar for drying process. The chemical composition (dry matter, crude oil, crude protein, crude fibre, energy, ash, water-soluble solids, total sugar, invert sugar, titratable acidity, pH and mineral contents) of the products was determined. The microbiological load (total aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria and yeasts-moulds) of the samples were also evaluated. There were no significant differences between the odour, taste and texture scores of all the cultivars according to acceptance sensory analysis. The Türkmen Vaharmani and Torli payendeke samples had the highest colour scores.

Investigation on the mineral contents of capers (Capparis spp.) seed oils growing wild in Turkey.

Minor and major mineral contents of seed oils of Capparis ovata Desf. var. canescens (Coss.) Heywood and Capparis spinosa var. spinosa used as pickling products in Turkey were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The seed oils contained Al, P, Na, Mg, Fe, and Ca, in addition to fatty acids. The highest mineral concentrations measured were 14.91-118.81 mg/kg Al, 1,489.34-11,523.74 mg/kg P, 505.78-4,489.51 mg/kg Na, 102.15-1,655.33 mg/kg Mg, 78.83-298.14 mg/kg Fe, and 1.04-76.39 mg/kg Ca. The heavy metal concentrations were less than the limit of detection in all oil samples. The results may also be useful for the evaluation of nutritional information.

The use of the oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) essential oil and hydrosol in green olive fermentation

The effect of oregano the (Origanum vulgare L.) oil at the levels of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.3 percent and oregano hydrosol on the physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of the green olive (Edremit variety) fermentation was investigated. The initial pH of the oregano oil added samples were higher than the other treatments, which were above 5.8. The highest final acidity was observed in the hydrosol+brine combination (0.53 percent). The initial LAB population on the first day of the fermentation was high in the diluted hydrosol (8.89 log cfu ml-1) and control (8.47 log cfu ml-1) samples. But a significant difference was not observed between the LAB counts of the treatments on the 40th day of fermentation. The control and brine+oregano hydrosol samples had the highest sensory scores.

Determination of the mineral content of bee honeys produced in Middle Anatolia.

The mineral content of 43 honey samples from the middle regions of Turkey was investigated. Minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometer. Calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus were the most abundant of the elements in all the studied honeys, with average concentrations ranging between 40.13 and 189.69 mg/kg for calcium, 161.01 and 598.62 mg/kg for potassium, 9.34 and 45.9 mg/kg for sodium, and 460.11 and 3,776.96 mg/kg for phosphorus. Cluster analysis of the honey data revealed that the mineral content of Corum and Konya honeys was closer as they formed a cluster at a similarity level of 60%.

Determination of mineral contents of bee honeys produced in Middle Anatolia.

The mineral contents of 43 honey samples from the middle regions of Turkey were investigated. Minerals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrophotometry. Calcium, potassium, sodium and phosphorus were the most abundant of the elements in all samples with average concentrations ranging between 40.13 and 189.69 mg/kg for calcium, 161.01 and 598.62 mg/kg for potassium, 9.34 and 45.9 mg/kg for sodium, and 460.11 and 3,776.96 mg/kg for phosphorus. Cluster analysis of the honeys' data revealed that mineral contents of Corum and Konya honeys were closer as they formed a cluster at a similarity level of 60%.

Constituents of the essential oil of sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) growing wild in Turkey.

The essential oils isolated by hydrodistillation from freshly obtained aerial parts of sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) were found to be a yellow liquid, obtained in a yield of 0.2% (vol/wt) based on wet weight. The essential oils obtained from young leaves and branches of C. maritimum, collected at two different locations in Turkey (Sipahili and Yesilovacik), were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twenty-three components were identified accounting for more than 99% of the total oils. The oils contained mainly monoterpenes, amounting to 89.0% and 99.6%, respectively, of the oils, with gamma-terpinene (36% and 32%), beta-phellandrene (21% and 22%), and sabinene (13% and 9%) as the main components.