This thesis attempts to understand the value chain of ethno-cultural vegetables (ECV) in Ontario to develop recommendations to benefit farmers and other stakeholders. This research has used a mixed method approach. At present ECV demand is huge and much of it is imported which involves long food miles. Growing ECV locally has multiple benefits to the society and environment. Two types of major value chains with many variations can be identified due to a range of socio-cultural, economic and physical factors. Small and large scale farmers were involved in local ECV production. The Ontario Food Terminal and other importers play a significant role in ECV supply. Supermarkets and ethnic grocery stores were important in ECV marketing. Local producers have the opportunity to supply fresh ECV which requires knowledge about production under local conditions, raising consumer awareness, educating all the stakeholders of the ECV value chain regarding benefits and market potentials. / Vineland research and Innovation Center

Glucosinolates have been implicated as a mediator of the cancer-protective properties of cruciferous vegetables. Enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates by plant or microbial myrosinase yields a range of metabolites including beneficial isothiocyanates. Little is known about the fate of glucosinolates after their ingestion. Using urinary end-products of metabolism as markers, measurement of the production of isothiocyanates in the digestive tract of monogastric animals has been achieved. Initially, a range of isothiocyanates were administered to rats and their excretion as mercapturic acids was quantified. Relative recovery of different isothiocyanates was found to be consistent and predictable, allowing the use of artificial isothiocyanates as recovery standards in subsequent experiments. Subsequently, the relative influence of plant and bacterial myrosinase on isothiocyanate production was quantified in rats. A proportion of 0.80 (s. e. m. 0.076) of benzyl glucosinolate was hydrolysed to isothiocyanate by plant myrosinase. In the presence of both plant and microbial activity,, the proportion of benzyl isothiocyanate release was significantly decreased (0.50 s. e. m. 0.046, p<0.01) suggesting microbial breakdown of isothiocyanates. The approach, adapted for use with human subjects showed that the proportions of allyl isothiocyanate measured after ingestion of raw and cooked cabbage were 0.37 (s. e. m. 0.045) and 0.53 (s. e. m. 0.134) respectively in healthy male volunteers. A further experiment with rats established that isothiocyanate uptake in the distal digestive tract was significantly less than in the proximal intestine (0.12 s. e. m. 0.017 and 0.48 s. e. m. 0.029 respectively), suggesting a potential underestimation of isothiocyanate release in the distal digestive tract when using urinary markers. Finally, enhancement of bacterial fermentation by addition of inulin to the diet had little influence on isothiocyanate production in the gut. The findings suggested that the formation of the cancer-protective isothiocyanates was significant, in vivo, thereby strengthening the evidence for a beneficial effect of cruciferous vegetables for health. The newly developed method opens up possibilities of concurrently exploring the digestive fate of isothiocyanates and the toxicity of carcinogenic compounds.

Dry Romano beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) were soaked and cooked at temperatures ranging from 70 to 100$ sp circ$C for different time intervals. The rate of texture softening associated with each temperature was found to be consistent with two simultaneous pseudo first-order kinetic mechanisms 1 and 2. Approximately 40% of the firmness of Romano beans was lost by the rapid softening mechanism 1. The remaining firmness loss was characterized by mechanism 2 which was found to be much slower ($ sim$1/50th of the former). The temperature dependence indicator (z value) of reaction rate constants were 30 and 24 C$ sp circ$, respectively for mechanisms 1 and 2 with associated activation energies of 82 kJ/mole and 103 kJ/mole, respectively. / Turnip (Brassica napobbrassica) and beet roots (B. Vulgaris L.) were cooked at temperatures ranging from 70 to 100$ sp circ$C for different time intervals. Three textural properties (firmness, springiness, and stiffness) were found to follow the same trend of apparent first order kinetic theory with two substrates. Temperature dependence of softening (z value) was found to be within 27 and 35 C$ sp circ ,$ with activation energies in the range of 93 and 60 kJ/mole. / Cylindrical turnip, beet root pieces and Romano beans were packed in thin profile plastic containers and cylindrical metal cans and thermally processed in the static and rotational modes. Through heat penetration testing, process times were adjusted to give an equivalent lethality of 10 min for each product. Thin profile packed vegetables, in all cases, were found to have a firmer and stiffer texture. On the other hand, for rotational processing, the result showed no significant improvement in textural properties (firmness, springiness and stiffness) over the still counterparts. It was found that previously determined kinetic data could be used to estimate texture retention.

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii, 1969. / Bibliography: leaves 431-437. / xi, 437 l tables

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Cornell University, 1921. / "Published as Bulletin 412 by the Cornell university agricultural experiment station, Ithaca, N.Y., December, 1922."

Thesis (Pil. p.)--Columbia University, 1929. / Vita. Published also as Studies in history, economics and public law, edited by the Faculty of political science of Columbia university, no. 312. Bibliography: p. 151-152.

Thesis--University of Wisconsin.

Objective: To evaluate if fruits and vegetables consumption is associated with overweight and obesity in Peruvian adults and as to describe the sociodemographic profi le of the people with overweight and obesity. Subjects and methods: Populationbased study that used data from the National Demographic and Health Survey (DHSENDES) performed in the 25 regions of Perú. The outcomes were overweight and obesity assessed using the Body Mass Index, whereas the exposure variable was the fruit and vegetable consumption evaluated by self-report during the last seven days. Poisson regression models adjusted by potential confounders were used to evaluate associated factors with overweight and obesity, as well as the association of interest, reporting prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confi dence intervals (95%CI). Results: Data from 4,641 participants, mean age 37.1 years (SD: 11.8) and 53.6% women, were analyzed. Only 220 (4.8%; 95%CI 4.1%-5.4%) individuals reported a fruit and vegetable consumption of ≥5 portions per day, whereas 1,818 (39.2%; 95% CI 37.8%-40.6%) had overweight and 865 (18.6%; IC95% 17.5%-19.8%) presented obesity. Factors associated with overweight and obesity included gender, age, education level, socioeconomic level, marital status, and hypertension diagnosis. No association was found between a greater fruit and vegetable consumption and overweight (p=0.98) or obesity (p=0.99). Conclusions: No evidence of association between overweight and obesity with fruit and vegetable consumption was found. Only 1 out of 20 individuals reported consuming the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables per day, whereas 60% had overweight and obesity. / Revisión por pares

Orientador: Rogério Lopes Vieites / Banca: Roseli Aparecida Claus B. Pereira / Banca: André José de Campos / Resumo: As hortaliças apresentam propriedades nutricionais importantes para alimentação humana, principalmente devido à riqueza em vitaminas, minerais e fibras. No entanto, durante o processo de cocção das hortaliças ocorrem perdas de nutrientes, diminuindo a qualidade do alimento a ser consumido. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar o método e o tempo de cozimento mais adequado para o preparo de partes convencionais e não convencionais de quatro hortaliças, visando minimizar as perdas nutricionais. As hortaliças utilizadas foram: abóbora (polpa e casca), cenoura (polpa e casca), brócolis (flor, folha e talo) e couve flor (flor, talo e folha). Essas hortaliças foram submetidas a pré testes de cozimentos, iniciando-se com 0,5 min, 1 min, 1,5 min e sucessivamente. No pré teste foi observado a textura do alimento, para que todas as espécies obtivessem a mesma textura independente do tipo de cozimento. O grau de maciez foi avaliado subjetivamente por pressão das hortaliças entre os dedos, alcançando uma consistência adequada ao consumo. As hortaliças foram submetidas a quatro tipos de tratamentos térmicos (pressão, imersão, micro-ondas e vapor), após foram trituradas com um mix doméstico e armazenadas à -18 ºC. Foram realizadas análises físico químicas (proteínas, lipídios, fibras, açúcares redutores e totais e ácido ascórbico) e minerais (ferro, zinco, magnésio, potássio, fósforo e cálcio). Nas condições em que o experimento foi realizado, os resultados permitiram concluir que o método de cozimento à vapor e em micro-ondas obtiveram menores perdas nutricionais, pelo fato das hortaliças não entrarem em contato direto com à água no momento do cozimento, as partes não convencionais das hortaliças estudadas possuem quantidades equivalentes ou superiores de nutrientes e minerais, quando comparadas as partes convencionais das hortaliças estudadas / Abstract: The vegetables provide important nutritional properties for human consumption, mainly due to the wealth of vitamins, minerals and fiber. However, during the cooking process of vegetable nutrient losses occur, reducing the quality of the food to be consumed. The aim of this study was to verify the method and cooking time most suitable for the preparation of conventional and unconventional shares of four vegetables; to minimize nutrient losses. The vegetables used were: pumpkin pulp and peel; carrot pulp and peel; broccoli flower, leaf and stem; and cauliflower flower, stem and leaf. These vegetables were subjected to pre cooking tests was iniciating with 0.5 min, 1 min, 1,5 min and successively. Pretest was observed in the texture of the food, so that all species to obtain the same texture independent of the type of cooking. The degree of softening was evaluated subjectively by pressure of greenery between the toes, reaching a consistance adequated by consume. The vegetables were subjected to four types of heat treatment (pressure, immersion, microwave and steam), after been pounded with a mix household and stored at -18 ºC. Physic chemistries analyzes were performed (proteins, lipids, and total reducing sugars and ascorbic acid) and minerals (iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and calcium). In the conditions of this experiment, the results showed that the method of steaming and microwave had lower nutritional losses, because the vegetables do not come into direct contact with the water when cooking, unconventional parts of vegetables studied have equivalent or higher amounts of nutrients and minerals, when compared to the conventional share of the vegetables studie / Mestre

The nitrates content in 12various sorts of vegetables and potatoes was measured in years 2005 - 2007 using nitrate ion selective electrode. From total number 539 of analyzed samples 72 samples exceeded the maximal limit concentration of nitrates. Most frequently non-permissible values were found in the kohlrabi (26 samples from 44), radish (18 from 45), potatoes (8 from 48), root parsley (4 from 26), red beet (4 from 27) and white cabbage (6 from 45). Absolutely highest content of nitrates was measured in kohlrabi 4 610 mg NO3-.kg-1(in fresh matter) and red beet 4 977 mg NO3-.kg-1. Although over 13 % of samples exceeded limits of nitrates given by law, in generally, can be assumed that positive factors from vegetables consumption play more important role than potential risc from possible nitrates overdosage.