Chinese scientists developed and tested the effect of a combination of low concentration ethephon with 1-MCP on the ripening of banana fruit, as well as on physiological and biochemical changes.
For the study, fruit were treated with 0, 200, 400, 600 nL/L 1-MCP for 16 h, and then stored at 25±1°C. From this first experiment, scientists found that the best 1-MCP concentration was determined as 400 nL/L. In addition, fruit were treated with 0, 50, 100 µL/L ethephon for 1 min, followed by the optimized 1-MCP treatment, and then stored at 25±1°C for 20 days.
The combination of 50 µL/L ethephon with 400 nL/L 1-MCP resulted in the most suitable treatment to delay ripening and senescence of harvested banana fruit without problems in coloring or volatile formation.
This treatment effectively 1) delayed and decreased respiration rate and ethylene production, 2) inhibited the enzyme activity responsible for fruit softening and ethylene synthesis, 3) prolonged the shelf life of banana fruit. Moreover, it also delayed the formation of volatile compounds, but did not detrimentally affect the amount of volatiles, especially the esters. The combined treatment effectively maintained the commercial value of banana fruit.
Click here to enlarge the picture.
Scientists conclude that the optimized low concentration ethephon with 1-MCP (50 µL/L ethephon + 400 nL/L 1-MCP) significantly delayed ripening process of harvested banana fruit, without negative impact on normal coloring and volatile development, thus this combination can be a potential application for commercial use in the banana industry.
Study is available online since May 15th 2015 at:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925521415300107
Source: Xiaoyang Zhu, Lin Shen, Danwen Fu, Zhenwei Si, Bin Wu, Weixin Chen, Xueping Li, 'Effects of the combination treatment of 1-MCP and ethylene on the ripening of harvested banana fruit', September 2015, Postharvest Biology and Technology, Vol. 107, pages 23–32.
Contacts:
Xueping Li
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources/Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Postharvest Science and Technology of Fruits and Vegetables, College of Horticulture,
South China Agricultural University
Guangzhou 510642, PR China
Phone: +86 20 38294892
Fax: +86 20 85288280
Email: lxp280477@gmail.com