Stayfresh Chemicals for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables often wilt and shrivel under ambient conditions losing their fresh appeal owing to the natural phenomenon of ripening and senescence which triggers loss of turgor, softening, discoloration and overall deterioration in the quality of the produce. This poses problems during normal handling, transportation and storage of these valuable commodities leading to substantial post-harvest losses. It is ethylene, the plant ripening hormone, that causes senescence. The Laboratory has developed a smart blanket based on certain chemicals to absorb and remove the liberated ethylene from the surrondings of fruits and vegetables. This in turn, considerably slows down the senescence process and, thereby, substantially extend the shelf-life (SL) of the produce. SL extension may vary from 4 to 10 days depending on the nature of the agricultural produce.

For further information please contact :

Defence Food Research Laboratory
Ministry of Defence,
Mysore - 570011