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Pyrus Pyrifolia (Sand Pear) is one of the most underused pear variety despite its nutraceutical potential. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the Pyrus Pyrifolia in term of origin, distribution and classification, nutritional and bioactive potential, therapeutic potential and valorization along with future prospectus.

A wide variety of publications (88) were identified through electronic databases (Science direct, PubMed, SciELO, Google scholar, Link springer and Research gate) under the umbrella of different keywords such as bioactive compounds, health benefits, nutrition, sand pear, Pyrus and Pyrus pyrifolia.

Pyrus Pyrifolia (Sand Pear) is abundant in nutritional and bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, vitamins and minerals. It exhibits therapeutic potential as being an antioxidant, anti-obesity, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agent. However, P. pyrifolia is not much explored by food researchers and industrialists, hence remaining underused. A few attempts have been made toward the use of P. pyrifolia for jam, jelly, candy and wine preparation. However, more research is required for the commercial processing of P. pyrifolia and to enhance its availability outside its growing area.

In this paper, nutritional and bioactive compounds of P. pyrifolia are discussed that provide knowledge to the researchers for its use as a functional ingredient.

The Jingpo ethnic minority is located almost entirely in Dehong Prefecture in the west of Yunnan. This prefecture borders Myanmar, shares a number of natural characteristics with it, and is dissected by rivers which form the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy River. Its climate is influenced by monsoons originating in the Indian Ocean. The total population of this minority is about 118,000 and they are mainly located in hilly areas. This paper examines the rural economy of the Jingpo people, traditional factors influencing their management of local forest resources such as their religious beliefs, and local means of governance. The Jingpo people possess valuable indigenous knowledge about their local forest resources which should be taken into account in the quest for the sustainable economic development of this community. Today, slash‐and‐burn agriculture is causing economic sustainability problems for the Jingpo. In addition, land ownership problems and conflicts about property rights threaten their conservation of forests and entail economic sustainability problems as explained in this paper. Whether or not improved access to markets and the use of more productive techniques will relieve the situation and reduce poverty among the Jingpo remains to be seen. Currently, the incidence of poverty among the Jingpo is high, they obtain little education and pursue mainly a subsistence lifestyle. This situation is not dissimilar from that for many hill tribes in parts of India and in Southeast Asia.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of sodium metabisulfite (SMB) and ascorbic acid (AA) either alone or in combination as anti-browning agents in industrially processed potatoes.

The experiment was carried out in the production line of an agricultural industry located in the state of Paraná, Brazil, testing the following chemical treatments in the immersion process of the potatoes: T1 (control, without additives), T2 (0.5 percent AA), T3 (0.5 percent SMB), T4 (0.5 percent SMB + 0.5 percent AA) and T5 (0.25 percent SMB + 0.25 percent AA). The statistical significance of the difference between chemical treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5) and storage periods (1, 5, 10 and 15 days) was evaluated by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additionally, multifactorial ANOVA was carried out in a 2² factorial experimental design with 3 central points to estimate the influence of independent variables on the results. The analyses performed on the samples of the different treatments were total soluble solids content, pH, total titratable acidity, instrumental color and browning index.

The tested antioxidants did not affect the content of total soluble solids and total titratable acidity but significantly influenced the pH, color and browning index. The treatment T3, containing only SMB (0.5 percent m/v), and the treatment T5, a combination of SMB (0.25 percent m/v) and AA (0.25 percent m/v), were the most effective in the controlling the browning reaction. In these treatments, the formation of brown color in potatoes after cooked was significantly reduced (p<0.05) using relatively lower concentration of antioxidants.

The novelty of the research is focused on reducing the use of chemical agents to control the browning of the processed potatoes (peeled, steamed, sterilized and vacuum packed) ready for consumption and widely marketed. During processing of this commercial potato, the tissue damage caused by mechanical processes, as well as the heat treatment employed during cooking, induces the development of enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning reactions. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the influence of industrially employed chemical agents in order to maintain the quality of this product, with stable color and the lowest possible concentration of additives. The reduction of chemical additives offers viable solutions to many of the problems the Sustainable Development Goals are meant to tackle, as they ensure healthy lives, availability and sustainable management of water and promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization.