Multicomponent uvaia and grumixama quality traits applying spectroscopy and multivariate analyses

• Grant number: 19/06177-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: July 23, 2019
• End date: January 22, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Crop Science
• Principal Investigator: Angelo Pedro Jacomino
• Grantee: Poliana Cristina Spricigo
• Supervisor: Luis E. Rodriguez-Saona
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Ohio State University, Columbus, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/00927-0 - Quality of fruits from selected plants of cambuci, uvaia, grumixama and cherry-of-Rio Grande., BP.PD

Abstract

The Atlantic Rainforest, despite being one of the Brazilian biomes most degraded by anthropogenic action, still comprises a unique richness of fruit plants. Different botanical families are present in this ecosystem, including Myrtaceae family members, that produce attractive fruit in both taste and appearance. The thematic project 12606-3/2014 consists in the selection and characterization of the following native fruits: Campomanesia phaea (cambuci), Eugenia pyriformis (uvaia), Eugenia brasiliensis (grumixama) and Eugenia involucrata (Rio-Grande cherry). One of the most significant challenges of this project is the extensive physicochemical characterization required for the development of a fruit quality database - a guiding base to expand these crops and apply in breeding programs. This project proposes the use of vibrational spectroscopic techniques for the multicomponent determination of uvaia and grumixama quality characteristics, aiming at methods capable of determining pigment, phenolic compound and sugar levels. To this end, a partnership was signed with Dr. Luis Rodriguez-Saona and Dr. Mônica Giusti, reference researchers at The Ohio State University, in the United States. This partnership intends to develop new research on the subject, collaborating for knowledge advancement concerning native Atlantic Rainforest fruits, through the generation of scientific and technically relevant information. (AU)