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Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) multispectral technology offers a non-destructive and efficient approach to monitoring plant health and stress responses by analyzing reflectance data across various wavelengths. This study integrates UAV-based multispectral imagery with ground-measured sample data to evaluate the impact of atrazine (ATR) on chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, and anthocyanins in Red Cos lettuce. The results indicate a significant increase (p < 0.05) in ATR concentration in lettuce with soil application, leading to notable reductions in pigment concentrations. Heatmap analysis reveals that EVI shows the strongest negative correlations with pigment classes (coefficients ranging between −0.75 to −0.85), while NDVI, GNDVI, and BNDVI exhibit the strongest positive correlations with pigments (coefficients > 0.75). These findings highlight the potential of this innovative technique in predicting pigment concentrations and emphasize its importance in monitoring pesticide effects for sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of air drying parameters such as temperature, specific humidity and velocity, on non-enzymatic browning behaviour and on bio-active compounds and antioxidant properties of osmotically pretreated papayas. Convection drying was conducted under through-flow mode at four temperatures (50, 60, 70, 80 °C), three air velocities (0.2, 0.5, 0.7 m/s) and two specific humidity levels (10, 25 g/kg dry air). Higher drying temperatures resulted in a significant decrease in moisture content and polyphenol oxidase activity, while degree of browning and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural increased. The antioxidant activity and total phenolic compounds increased with temperature and as well with decreasing air velocity. In contrast, specific humidity did not have a major effect on quality attributes of dried samples, except for carotenoid contents. This study has shown that drying parameters can decompose and/or enhance carotenoids contents in dried papayas. To obtain the product with highest level of bio-active compounds and lowest possible melanoid formation, treatment with temperature of 70 °C, specific humidity of 10 g/kg dry air and velocity of 0.2 m/s proved to be the most suitable option. Based on these results, optimization of the process, particularly drying temperature, should be considered with respect to preserving product colour and biochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• pVACs in 16 plantain cultivars were investigated. • The highest concentration of carotenoids was found in ripe pulp of all cultivars. • pVACs were affected by ripening stage, cultivar, bunch type, location, and interaction between factors. • Consumption of plantain could meet the daily estimated vitamin A. • Plantains can be recommended for reducing VAD in low-income countries. In this study, the effect of ripening stage (R), cultivar (C), bunch type (T), and location (L) on the variability of provitamin A carotenoids (pVACs) in 16 plantain cultivars grown in Cameroon and Gabon was investigated. For the sixteen plantain cultivars, fruits were collected at stages 1 (unripe), 5 (ripe), and 7 (overripe) from three different bunch types (French, False Horn, and True Horn) across 13 locations in Cameroon and Gabon. For all cultivars, the highest concentration of carotenoids was found in ripe pulp (p < 0.05). For bunch type, a higher level of pVACs was observed in the French type compared with the False Horn and True Horn types at all ripening stages. In addition, the concentration of pVACs at each ripening stage varied greatly across locations. In both countries, the interaction between the four factors, particularly between R × C, R × T, R × L, R × C × L, and R × T × L, contributed significantly (p < 0.05) to the variability of pVACs in plantain. Daily consumption of 100 g of ripe plantain could meet 36.2–101.7 % of the dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for children 1–5 years old, 20.7–58.1 % for adult women, and 16.1–45.2 % for adult men. These findings can serve as a guide to reducing vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]