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Some olive cultivars grown in southeastern Italy are characterized by the production of olives with a reduced level of bitterness. They are known as sweet olive cultivars and fruits are usually consumed directly or cooked without any debittering process, offering either health benefits to consumers, thanks to the high content of antioxidants, or an economic benefit to farmers for their higher price with respect to both table and oil olives. This study evaluates and compares the organoleptic, pomological, chemical, and physical parameters of seven sweet olive cultivars at different ripening degrees in the Puglia region over 8 weeks of maturity stage for two consecutive seasons (2022 and 2023). The organoleptic evaluation was performed by a restricted panel of usual consumers/experts of sweet olives. The results showed a higher preference for the olive cultivars locally named Triggiano Dolce, Cerasella, and Mele. Significant differences in weight, length, and width of the fruits were observed based on both cultivar and year. The phenolic composition of olive cultivars was significantly affected by both cultivar and harvest year, with Cazzinicchio and Cellina di Nardò having the highest total polyphenols. The analysis of water fraction extracted from olive samples by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry led to the identification of eleven compounds belonging to the secoiroids, phenylpropanoids, phenylethanolids, and flavonoids classes. The comparison of these compounds among the studied cultivars highlighted significant differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The floristic composition and spatial distribution of algal communities in 97 stations in the Tiber River and its tributaries were studied. A total of 128 taxa were found, belonging mainly to the Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta. Filamentous algae (Cladophora glomerata, Vaucheria geminata, Oedogonium sp. and Spirogyra spp.) were the most common and abundant species. Melosira varians, Cocconeis pediculus, Gomphonema olivaceum, Cyclotella meneghiniana, Fragilaria crotonensis, Leptolyngbya valderiana and several species of Oscillatoria were also widely distributed but they were not important in terms of biomass. Spatial variations of species richness were found, with the middle and upstream sections showing a wider range of taxa than the downstream sections. Chamaesiphon incrustans and Lemanea fluviatilis were found only in the upstream sections of some watercourses of the basin in fast-flowing, cool, well-oxygenated waters, while Stigeoclonium tenue and Ulva flexuosa. was recorded exclusively in downstream sections with slow-flowing, warm and eutrophic waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]