
Natural Compounds Protect Fresh-Cut ProduceBy Doris Stanley February
10, 1998Sweet-smelling methyl jasmonate, a natural compound in certain plants,
protects produce from pathogens and doubles shelf life,
Agricultural Research Service scientists
report. It is thought that the chemical elicits proteins in living plants and
harvested produce that make them more resistant to temperature changes and
attack by insects, bacteria, and fungi, according to scientists at the ARS
Horticultural Crops
Quality Laboratory in Beltsville, MD. The proteins lead to production of
antifungal or antibacterial compounds. Methyl jasmonate is in a class of compounds called jasmonates, first found
in plants of the genus Jasminum. Most plants contain small amounts of
jasmonates, but jasmine and honeysuckle contain high levels. Scientists found that strawberries exposed to methyl jasmonate vapor for 24
hours at 68 degrees F resisted gray mold, Botrytis cinerea, a major
fungal disease of harvested fruits and vegetables, for 14 days with no change in fruit firmness. Treatment of fresh- cut celery and green peppers eliminated
browning and decreased bacterial growth a thousandfold for up to 2 weeks at 50
degrees F. The treatment also controlled soft rot on the peppers. Another
plus: Methyl jasmonate slowed grey mold on grapes. Methyl jasmonate is available commercially and is inexpensive. Truckloads
of produce can be treated with 25 milliliters (less than an ounce), which costs
about $30. It acts within a couple of hours and leaves no residue. This and other treatments are detailed in the February Agricultural
Research, available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/feb98/fres0298.htm Scientific contacts: J. George Buta, Harold E. Moline, and Chien
Yi Wang, ARS Horticultural
Crops Quality Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, phone (301) 504-6128, fax
(301) 504- 5107, [email protected]and [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |