Ethnobotany of Zmeyovski pelin: A Traditional Artemisia-Flavored Wine from Bulgaria

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1. Modification needed: In order to have a better understanding of the information, it would be necessary to redo table 1 or incorporate another table that includes the formulas studied with their respective ingredients. Paragraphs 166 to 186 and 234 to 244 give information that is not completely extracted from the data indicated in Table 1. 15 samples and 49 ingredients are not so many and the table would be more clarifying to be able to follow the subsequent discussion of results.

It is recommended that both apple cultivars and individual grape varieties be considered in this table, as they correspond to different taxa, thus increasing the final number of taxa.

2. Modification needed: Figure 2 should be related to the new table of formulas to simplify its interpretation. In the Jaccard index (lines 144-145) it is indicated that similarities are evaluated between different flavouring blends from Zmeyovo and the rest of Bulgaria (ref 16), but it is not clear from the figure which samples are referred to in the own data and those from other areas. The codes should be listed indicating what they refer to and it would also be interesting to know the area of origin.

3. Modification needed: In Table 2, in the uses of the species, the corresponding reference study should be indicated, since these are not data pertaining to this study.

4. Question: Line 60 indicates that other wines flavored with Artemisia are less studied, especially their composition. Which sites are you referring to?

5. Question: Why, when there are 15 wild-collected species out of 49 taxa, only 5 have a herbarium sheet? And the cultivated ones?

6. Question: Why are there 6 of the 49 taxa for which it has not been possible to determine the species (only the genus)? In addition to the 3 in which only the local name is given.

7. Corrections: In table 1 the criteria for those taxa in which only the genus has been reached should be unified. Tilia, Thymus, Mentha, Dipsacus, Lavandula, Satureja are named differently in the same table.

8. Corrections: Although it is convenient to review throughout the text, the way of naming cultivars (without italics and between single quotation marks), errors have been detected in:

- line 374 and 376

9. Corrections: Assign reference number and include in references at the end of the article:

- line 138: Tardío and Pardo de Santayana, 2008.

- line 270: BMPL, 2000

10. Corrections: In the references section, the ISBN is missing on numbers 10 and 40.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

1. It is recommended to change both in table 1 and in lines 368 and 370, herbage for herba:

H: herbage (163)

Galium verum herbage (368)

Agrimonia eupatoria herbage (370)

 

2. In line 372 is missing "n" of introduction.

Author Response

We are grateful for the detailed review that will improve the quality and readability of the current manuscript. We tried our best to correct the pointed-out insufficiencies and to integrate your suggestions. Please, find bellow the responses to the specific comments.

1. Modification needed:In order to have a better understanding of the information, it would be necessary to redo table 1 or incorporate another table that includes the formulas studied with their respective ingredients. Paragraphs 166 to 186 and 234 to 244 give information that is not completely extracted from the data indicated in Table 1. 15 samples and 49 ingredients are not so many and the table would be more clarifying to be able to follow the subsequent discussion of results. It is recommended that both apple cultivars and individual grape varieties be considered in this table, as they correspond to different taxa, thus increasing the final number of taxa.

Recipes of our respondents are confidential and their disclosure would be against the ethical rules approved by our research institutions. This is why we list only the taxa mentioned by our respondents and calculated RFCs but not their detailed recipes.

The different fruit varieties are not separately listed, because they are added in varied quantities and proportions that could not be specified by our respondents. They depend on the annual availability and personal taste. The fruits were selected by the producers on the basis of their sweet taste and pleasant aroma, also variable characteristics.

2. Modification needed:Figure 2 should be related to the new table of formulas to simplify its interpretation. In the Jaccard index (lines 144-145) it is indicated that similarities are evaluated between different flavouring blends from Zmeyovo and the rest of Bulgaria (ref 16), but it is not clear from the figure which samples are referred to in the own data and those from other areas. The codes should be listed indicating what they refer to and it would also be interesting to know the area of origin.

As the figure caption says “Similarity matrix (Jaccard index) of different preparations of Zmeyovski pelin” •            Line 138

Thank you for this valuable comment. Figure 2 showed only similarities between Zmeyovski pelin recipes. We added the comparison of the studied recipes to previously reported data on Bulgarian pelin - Figure 2b together with additional corresponding text in the Results to further elaborate on the local characteristics.

3. Modification needed: In Table 2, in the uses of the species, the corresponding reference study should be indicated, since these are not data pertaining to this study.

Information about the reported remedies is according to Georgiev (2013), as stated in the Table title. We included also information of earlier ethnographic studies that are cited in it, where these recipes are specifically mentioned, for further convenience.

4. Question: Line 60 indicates that other wines flavored with Artemisia are less studied, especially their composition. Which sites are you referring to?

Thank you for this question. We envisage Balkan Artemisia-flavored wines as mentioned in the previous sentence; however, studies on current local knowledge on these traditional beverages in Western Europe also would be of potential interest.

5. Question: Why, when there are 15 wild-collected species out of 49 taxa, only 5 have a herbarium sheet? And the cultivated ones?

Producers were visited in different times of the year and some of the plants were presented to us already dried in bunches, hence, unsuitable for the SOM collection. All showed ingredients were photo documented with permission of the owners who use them further in the preparation of the pelin.

6. Question: Why are there 6 of the 49 taxa for which it has not been possible to determine the species (only the genus)? In addition to the 3 in which only the local name is given. 7. Corrections: In table 1 the criteria for those taxa in which only the genus has been reached should be unified. Tilia, Thymus, Mentha, Dipsacus, Lavandula, Satureja are named differently in the same table.

Thank you for this remark. Some herbal ingredients (e.g., linden blossom, thyme, mint, etc.), and especially that are supplied from the market, have no fixed content and could be mixes from several species commonly harvested in the country. The producers could not verify that they put exactly the same blend every year so we decided to report these only on a generic level to avoid misinformation.

8. 8. Corrections: Although it is convenient to review throughout the text, the way of naming cultivars (without italics and between single quotation marks), errors have been detected in:

- line 374 and 376

Thank you for pointing these mistakes. We re-checked the text once

 

9. Corrections:Assign reference number and include in references at the end of the article:

- line 138: Tardío and Pardo de Santayana, 2008.

- line 270: BMPL, 2000

10. Corrections:In the references section, the ISBN is missing on numbers 10 and 40.

 Missing references were added and Reference list was updated.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

1. It is recommended to change both in table 1 and in lines 368 and 370, herbage for herba:
2. In line 372 is missing "n" of introduction.

 

Thank you for these corrections, the text is rechecked for inconsistencies and typos and for an overall enhancement of the English language. Changes are made with Track Changes so that they are obvious for the reviewers.

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The header indicates "Diversity," which suggests that the author might have used a template not intended for this journal. This should be corrected.

 

The title is not suitable as it does not provide readers with precise information. Phrases like "wine of ones' soul" and "Zmeyovski pelin" are unclear and do not immediately inform the reader about the content. A suggested revision could be: "Ethnobotany of Zmeyovski Pelin: The Traditional Artemisia-Flavored Wine of Bulgaria."

 

Abstract

In line 17, the sentence appears to be grammatically incorrect. Please revise for clarity and completeness.

 

Introduction

In line 37, the abbreviation "incl." is not appropriate. Please use the full term to ensure reader understanding.

 

Lines 40-44: The last two sentences of the first paragraph have a confusing logical flow and do not read smoothly. Consider rephrasing for clarity.

 

The second paragraph is too long and should be broken into smaller sections for better readability and comprehension.

 

It's important to mention the significance of the study at the end of the introduction, such as what scientific questions it addresses, its potential applications, or its positive impacts on future research or industry development.

 

Methods

Details about the population and ethnic characteristics of the village where the study was conducted should be included to provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding.

 

What was the basis for selecting respondents? Were they chosen randomly, through snowball sampling, or introduced by experts? This should be clearly stated.

 

Results

In line 177, "(Cinnamomum verum, FC = 0.13)" should likely be "RFC = 0.13"?

 

In line 183, "(JI = 0.52)" should possibly be "RFC"?

 

In Figure 1, using A and B for left and right labeling would be better. Additionally, the image quality is insufficient. If faces appear in the images, was extra review or informed consent required?

 

Lines 181 starting with "the latter" to the end of the paragraph are confusing. The pronoun references are unclear. Please rephrase these sentences for clarity.

 

Conclusion

A conclusion section is needed to summarize the findings and their implications.

 

Author Response

Thank you for the positive recommendations and for the careful consideration to our work. We tried our best to correct the pointed-out insufficiencies and to integrate your suggestions. Please, find bellow the responses to the specific comments.

 

1. The title is not suitable as it does not provide readers with precise information. Phrases like "wine of ones' soul" and "Zmeyovski pelin" are unclear and do not immediately inform the reader about the content. A suggested revision could be: "Ethnobotany of Zmeyovski Pelin: The Traditional Artemisia-Flavored Wine of Bulgaria."

We are grateful for the proposed revision. The title is changed to the proposed one.

Abstract

2. In 14? In line 17, the sentence appears to be grammatically incorrect. Please revise for clarity and completeness.

Thank you for the remark. Sentence grammar was revised.

Introduction

3. In line 34: In line 37, the abbreviation "incl." is not appropriate. Please use the full term to ensure reader understanding.

Thank you for the remark. Wording was revised and corrected.

4. Lines 37 to 40??? Lines 40-44: The last two sentences of the first paragraph have a confusing logical flow and do not read smoothly. Consider rephrasing for clarity.

Thank you for the suggestion. The text is corrected as follows:

Especially, wine consumption, being recognized as an important part of the Mediterranean diet, was linked to improved cardiovascular health, longevity and hedonic component of the subjective well-being [4]. The latter is related to the presence of beneficial compounds like anthocyanins and polyphenols which are also shown to be perceived as a part of quality of wines [5]. In the same time, despite the growing interest in functional foods and beverages, the consumption of wines is in de-cline even in countries where they are traditionally popular [6,7].

 

5. The second paragraph is too long and should be broken into smaller sections for better readability and comprehension.

Thank you for the suggestion. The paragraph is divided in two following the logic of its contents.

 

6. In Line 88: It's important to mention the significance of the study at the end of the introduction, such as what scientific questions it addresses, its potential applications, or its positive impacts on future research or industry development.

Thank you for the suggestion. Last paragraph of the Introduction was re-checked following your suggestion.

 

Methods

7. In Line 98: Details about the population and ethnic characteristics of the village where the study was conducted should be included to provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding.

Thank you for the suggestion. Information about the ethnic characteristics is included in the text.

8. In line 102: What was the basis for selecting respondents? Were they chosen randomly, through snowball sampling, or introduced by experts? This should be clearly stated.

Thank you for the suggestion. Participants were contacted by local mayor and community center leader. The information in added in the text.

Results

9. In 168: In line 177, "(Cinnamomum verum, FC = 0.13)" should likely be "RFC = 0.13"?

Thank you for the remark. It is corrected

 

10. In line 183, "(JI = 0.52)" should possibly be "RFC"?

Thank you for pointing this mistake. We included Fig. 2B, which presents the similarities between the recipes of our respondents and the recipes found in the available Bulgarian literature and corrected the text accordingly.

 

11. In Figure 1, using A and B for left and right labeling would be better. Additionally, the image quality is insufficient. If faces appear in the images, was extra review or informed consent required?

Thank you for the suggestion. The photos are now numbered with a & b. We have changed the first photo with herbs bunches. However, the photo with the producer is done late in the evening when the preparation of Artemisia herbage took place. We prefer this “natural” picture than a “staged” one. Permission from the producer is acquired accordingly.

12. Lines 181 starting with "the latter" to the end of the paragraph are confusing. The pronoun references are unclear. Please rephrase these sentences for clarity.

Thank you for the suggestion. It is corrected.

Conclusion

Thank you for the suggestion. Conclusion chapter is added.