Tools to Maintain Postharvest Fruit and Vegetable Quality through the Inhibition of Ethylene Action: A Review

Abstract

Ethylene is a plant hormone controlling a wide range of physiological processes in plants. During postharvest storage of fruit and vegetables ethylene can induce negative effects including senescence, over-ripening, accelerated quality loss, increased fruit pathogen susceptibility, and physiological disorders, among others. Apart from the endogenous ethylene production by plant tissues, external sources of ethylene (e.g. engine exhausts, pollutants, plant, and fungi metabolism) occur along the food chain, in packages, storage chambers, during transportation, and in domestic refrigerators. Thus, it is a great goal in postharvest to avoid ethylene action. This review focuses on tools which may be used to inhibit ethylene biosynthesis/action or to remove ethylene surrounding commodities in order to avoid its detrimental effects on fruit and vegetable quality. As inhibitors of ethylene biosynthesis and action, good results have been found with polyamines and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) in terms of maintenance of fruit and vegetable quality and extension of postharvest shelf-life. As ethylene scavengers, the best results can be achieved by adsorbers combined with catalysts, either chemical or biological (biofilters).

Keywords:

• ethylene inhibitors
• 1-MCP
• polyamines
• activated carbon
• catalysis
• oxidation

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The critical reading of the manuscript by Dr. Ian Ferguson (The Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand) is deeply appreciated. This work has been funded by INIA, Project CAL03-010, by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology through Project AGL2003-03257/ALI and the European Commission with FEDER funds, and by Agro-Fresh™ in the 1-MCP experiments.

Notes

* low,

** medium and

*** high ethylene production or sensitivity.