Articles
MORPHOLOGICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF DIFFERENT CAROB CULTIVARS IN SICILY
Article number
940_27
Pages
207 – 212
Language
English
Abstract
Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.), is a legume tree species diffused in marginal dry areas of Mediterranean basin; carob tree has been long considered a neglected and underutilized species, but the crop is gaining popularity, since the flour extracted from the seeds (Locust Bean Gum, LBG) is used in food industry as thickening agent classified in the European Codex (E410).
Nowadays several cultivars are cultivated in various Mediterranean countries showing high variability of morphological and technological properties of their fruits.
Pods and seeds characterization appears to be important for the improvement of the business generated by carob products.
For this reason 5 female (Ibla, Latinissima, Pasta, Racemosa, Ruta) and 3 hermaphrodite genotypes (Ramillete, Sangimignana, Tantillo) of different origin have been characterized.
Fruits collected from mature plants have been used for morphological characterization; seeds have been extracted and evaluated in terms of yield, rheological properties, and sugar composition of the endosperm also in comparison with those of commercial samples coming from abroad.
The viscosity of 1% LBG aqueous solutions was measured at different shear rates at pH 4.5 and 25°C.
Results gave remarkable indications for some cultivars concerning seed number, weight and yield.
LBG analysis of the samples showed statistical differences between the cultivars: the seeds of the Italian cultivars Ibla and Racemosa and those coming from Morocco showed the best yield, the latter standing out also for their high technological potential.
The results confirm the high level of intraspecific variability in terms of seed yield, sugar composition of the endosperm, as well as thickening properties.
Nowadays several cultivars are cultivated in various Mediterranean countries showing high variability of morphological and technological properties of their fruits.
Pods and seeds characterization appears to be important for the improvement of the business generated by carob products.
For this reason 5 female (Ibla, Latinissima, Pasta, Racemosa, Ruta) and 3 hermaphrodite genotypes (Ramillete, Sangimignana, Tantillo) of different origin have been characterized.
Fruits collected from mature plants have been used for morphological characterization; seeds have been extracted and evaluated in terms of yield, rheological properties, and sugar composition of the endosperm also in comparison with those of commercial samples coming from abroad.
The viscosity of 1% LBG aqueous solutions was measured at different shear rates at pH 4.5 and 25°C.
Results gave remarkable indications for some cultivars concerning seed number, weight and yield.
LBG analysis of the samples showed statistical differences between the cultivars: the seeds of the Italian cultivars Ibla and Racemosa and those coming from Morocco showed the best yield, the latter standing out also for their high technological potential.
The results confirm the high level of intraspecific variability in terms of seed yield, sugar composition of the endosperm, as well as thickening properties.
Authors
S. La Malfa, C. Avola, M. Brugaletta, G. La Rosa, G. Muratore
Keywords
Ceratonia siliqua L., biodiversity, seed, Mediterranean, LBG, thickening flour
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