Phytochemicals And Pharmacological Screening Of Loquat Plant

Abstract

The 2030 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Agenda emphasizes the importance of local products and their distribution through short supply chains for the sustainable development of many rural communities. Furthermore, due to the need for healthy eating, environmental protection, and local economic growth, an increasing number of consumers have expressed a particular interest in local production in recent years. However, due to their limited production potential, local fruit varieties, or ecotypes, have become much less common in recent decades. Genetic agrobiodiversity has been lost as a result of many farmers being compelled to substitute a small number of cultivars cultivated abroad for indigenous orchards. For example, foreign cultivars make up the majority of the loquat market in Italy. For example, the market for loquats in Italy consists of both locally grown autochthonous fruits (ecotype) and imported cultivars. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the sensory, chemical, and physical characteristics of loquat fruit as well as the factors that influence Italian consumers' preference for local ecotypes over imported ones. The findings indicate that local ecotypes produce superior physio-chemical and sensory qualities, and that the most significant determinants of consumers' preference for local loquats are flavour and place of purchase. Consequently, the production of loquat ecotypes and efficient marketing techniques may boost the competitiveness of some rural regions of Italy, where the crop has long been important to the local economy.