Laydy Mitsu Mena-Chacon

Honey bees (Apis mellifera), depend on the availability and diversity of floral resources within the landscape for their survival and productivity. This study characterized the floristic composition, richness and diversity of vegetation in a beekeeping area of the Peruvian Amazon in order to evaluate its potential to provide forage resources for honey bees. Vegetation was surveyed within a circular area of 28.3 km² centered on an apiary, where 24 quadrats were distributed along four transects. Species composition analyses were conducted for the general floristic composition and for species with bee foraging potential, followed by PERMANOVA and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analyses. A total of 124 plant species belonging to 103 genera were recorded. Among them, 90 species belonging to 75 genera were identified as bee forage species, of which 23% were classified as pollen sources, whereas 77% provided both nectar and pollen. Both the general floristic composition and the bee forage species assemblage were dominated by the low vegetation stratum (≥86%), indicating a high prevalence of herbaceous species. Shannon, Simpson, evenness, and Berger–Parker dominance indices for the general floristic composition were 2.05 (0.38), 0.81 (0.08), 0.79 (0.09), and 0.32 (0.11), respectively, with no significant differences among land-cover types, transect orientations, or distances from the apiary, except for the Berger–Parker dominance index, for which distance had a significant effect. PERMANOVA revealed significant differences in species composition among land-cover types and transects (p < 0.05) for both the general floristic composition and bee forage species, which was further supported by NMDS analysis (stress = 0.16). The high proportion of plant species with documented floral resources and the heterogeneous landscape indicate substantial potential floral resource availability. These findings provide a baseline for understanding the floral resources supporting beekeeping in the study area and highlight the need for future validation through honey bee visitation, palynological, phenological, and resin-resource studies.

Spontaneous fermentation of Criollo cacao involves temporal changes in culturable microorganisms and in the volatile compound profile, with potential implications for the development of aroma-related characteristics. This study aimed to characterize culturable microorganisms, assess their apparent pectinolytic potential, and evaluate the temporal dynamics of volatile compounds during spontaneous fermentation of Criollo cacao from the Lagunas rural community, Amazonas, Peru. Microorganisms were isolated at different fermentation stages, and pectinolytic potential was evaluated by screening for pectin-degradation halos on a mineral medium supplemented with pectin. Selected isolates were molecularly identified by sequencing the ITS region for yeasts and the 16S rRNA gene for bacteria. Volatile compounds were analyzed by headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS). All isolates evaluated in the pectin assay produced visible degradation halos, although halo diameter and area varied among isolates, indicating differences in apparent pectinolytic potential. Molecular characterization showed frequent recovery of Pichia kudriavzevii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Hanseniaspora opuntiae among yeasts, whereas Acetobacter species were frequently recovered among bacteria. Volatile profiling revealed temporal changes in the relative abundance of alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, terpenes, acids, and other compound families. Exploratory Spearman correlation analysis identified several strong temporal associations between microbial recovery frequency and VOC families, particularly involving P. kudriavzevii, Acetobacter pasteurianus, A. tropicalis, and Bacillus subtilis. However, these associations did not remain significant after correction for multiple comparisons. Overall, the integrated culture-dependent, molecular, pectinolytic screening, and volatile profiling approach provides preliminary evidence of coordinated temporal patterns between culturable microorganisms and volatile compounds during spontaneous Criollo cacao fermentation and identifies candidate isolates for further functional evaluation.

Background: Essential oils (EOs) are promising natural antimicrobials against food-borne pathogens, yet their efficacy depends on complex chemical profiles that vary by species and origin. The evaluation of underexplored aromatic plants from the Peruvian Amazon may reveal novel bioactive agents. Methods: We chemically characterized six EOs from Aloysia citrodora, Arracacia xanthorrhiza (two cultivars), Baccharis genistelloides, Piper acutifolium, and Piper lanceifolium using GC-MS and assessed their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Salmonella enterica (ATCC 14028), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 49476). Results: EOs of Aloysia citrodora and Arracacia xanthorrhiza cv. Yellow exhibited the strongest inhibition, effective against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, potentially associated with higher relative abundances of oxygenated monoterpenes and aliphatic aldehydes. Dose–response analysis supported their superior antibacterial potency, with the lowest LD₅₀ values observed for these oils. Oils rich in sesquiterpenes showed lower activity. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of EO chemical composition for antibacterial potency and suggest that select Amazonian EOs have potential as natural preservatives for food safety applications.

Sustainable starch-based bioplastics have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional plastics for fresh produce packaging, yet their efficacy in preserving highly perishable fruits remains underexplored. Strawberries cv. San Andreas, prone to rapid postharvest deterioration, require packaging that balances moisture retention and gas exchange to maintain quality. This study developed lucuma seed starch-based bioplastics incorporated with free (EO) or microencapsulated (EOM) lemon verbena essential oil and evaluated their performance during 16 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C) compared to non-active bioplastic (Control) and commercial low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Microencapsulation enhanced the stability and controlled release of bioactive compounds. The EOM treatment reduced weight loss to 12.81% (vs. 18.25% in Control and 6.29% in LDPE), while preserving firmness at 3.87 N (vs. 2.19 N in LDPE). Strawberries packaged in both EO and EOM exhibited complete suppression of visible decay (0% incidence) throughout storage, in stark contrast to LDPE (57.34% incidence). The EOM system also maintained higher levels of total phenolics (205.51 mg GAE/100 g FW), antioxidant capacity (289.05 µmol TE/100 g FW), and anthocyanins compared to LDPE and Control treatments. These findings demonstrate that lucuma seed starch bioplastics containing microencapsulated lemon verbena essential oil represent a sustainable and functional packaging strategy to extend shelf life and preserve the quality of highly perishable strawberries during refrigerated storage.

Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L.) quality is influenced by genotype and postharvest conditions; however, the role of altitude remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the effects of genotype (CCN51 and Criollo) and altitude (404 and 1,096 m a.s.l.) on fermented bean physicochemical traits and cocoa liquor composition. A 2 × 2 factorial design with two-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD, PCA, and HCA was applied. Criollo showed lower cotyledon pH than CCN51 (4.39 ± 0.29 vs. 4.77 ± 0.12; p < 0.0001), while titratable acidity increased at 1,096 m (p = 0.0001). Fat content ranged from 51.00% (CCN51, 404 m) to 57.03% (CCN51, 1,096 m), with significant genotype × altitude interaction (p < 0.0001). Saturated fatty acids decreased from 64.38% to 61.56% with altitude (p < 0.0001), whereas oleic acid and the unsaturated/saturated ratio increased under cooler conditions. CCN51 at 1,096 m showed the highest total phenolic content (64.46 ± 0.88 mg GAE/g f.w.) and antioxidant capacity (38.90 ± 0.32 mg TE/g f.w.). PCA explained 67.3% of total variance, confirming altitude as the main driver of lipid variation, while phenolic and compositional traits were more genotype-dependent. These findings demonstrate that altitude modulates cocoa liquor quality and enables differentiation for industrial and nutraceutical applications.