1-Methylcyclopropene: a review

The use of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on fruits and vegetables.

The inhibitor of ethylene perception, 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), is the basis of a new technology that is increasingly being used to improve storage potential and maintain quality of fruit and vegetables. 1-MCP is registered for use on a number of crops, including apple, apricot, avocado, banana, broccoli, kiwifruit, pear, mango, melon, peach, nectarine, persimmon, plum, and tomato. Theregistered crop is often specificto country. The effectsof 1-MCP onquality of thesecrops,aswellasitseffectsonphysiologicaldisordersandpathological diseases,arereviewed.Mostavailableliterature on 1-MCP has focused on laboratory-based trials and little information exists about its effects on product quality at the commercial level. The apple is the most significant exception, being the first crop for which 1-MCP was used commercially and extensively around the world. The apple is a crop for which limited ripening after harvest is desirable. For many other fruit, successful commercialization of 1-MCP will require an appropriate balance between 1-MCP concentrations and exposure periods that will delay but not inhibit ripening. The effects of preharvest factors, cultivar, maturity, and postharvest practices are complex and will impact commercial success of 1-MCP-based technology. For leafy or nonfruit vegetables, the advantages of 1-MCP may only be apparent under abusive conditions such as high temperatures and exogenous ethylene exposure. Finally, commercial utilization of 1-MCP-based technology will be a function of the cost of its application relative to its benefits for each product.

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Overview of 1-Methylcyclopropene Trials and Uses for Edible Horticultural Crops

Postharvest softening of apple (Malus domestica (Borkh.)) fruit is a serious problem for growers in many countries, including New Zealand. To reduce this problem considerable research has been undertaken to determine the biological causes of softening so that this process can be managed or controlled more effectively. This review describes the pattern of softening for harvested apple fruit, and how it is influenced by different preharvest, at‐harvest, and postharvest factors. Information is also given on the likely physiological and biochemical causes of apple softening, such as fruit anatomy and cell packing, modification of the cell wall and membranes, changes in cell turgor, and the role of ethylene and other growth regulators. Despite many softening studies, there is still a poor understanding of what causes firmness variation in the marketplace. Until this understanding is improved, apple producers will continue to struggle to meet market requirements for texture.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01140671.2002.9514210

Postharvest softening of apple (Malus domestica) fruit: A review

Some of the compounds binding to the ethylene receptor induce an ethylene response, but others prevent it. The compounds preventing an ethylene response have been developed into a means for protecting plants against ethylene and extending the life of some plant material. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), a compound now commercially available under the names EthylBloc and SmartFresh™, is currently being used on flowers, fruit and vegetables with great success. In ethylene sensitive flowers, among other responses, it prevents senescence and abscission of plant organs; in fruit and vegetables it slows down the ripening process. Other similar compounds are now being developed for a range of methods of application.

Compounds Interacting with the Ethylene Receptor in Plants

Fruit of 'Redchief Delicious' apple ( Malus sylvestris (L) Mill. var. domestica (Borkh.) Mansf.) were harvested 1 week before the climacteric (harvest 1), at the onset of the climacteric (harvest 2), and 1 week after the onset of the climacteric (harvest 3). Fruit were stored at 0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 °C and were treated with 0.7 µL·L -1 1-MCP on a once-per- week, once-per-2-week, once-per-month, and once-per-year basis or were left nontreated. The initial 1-MCP treatment was at 20 °C and subsequent applications were at storage temperatures. The compound slowed softening at all temperatures relative to nontreated fruit, however as temperature decreased, the benefits of 1-MCP application became less pronounced. Effectiveness of 1-MCP declined slightly as harvest maturity increased. Efficacy of 1-MCP treatment increased with greater frequency of application at 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C, but not at 0 °C. Fruit stored without refrigeration (20 °C) for more than 100 days did not soften significantly when treated once per week with 1-MCP. However, decay was a significant problem for treated and nontreated fruit stored at temperatures >5 °C; 1-MCP application reduced, but did not prevent decay. Rate of decline in titratable acidity increased with storage temperature and 1-MCP had no significant effect on retarding the decline in acid content. Minimal (Fo) and maximal (Fm) chlorophyll fluorescence was altered markedly by 1-MCP application, but the ratio of (Fm-Fo)/Fm was only slightly affected. The most effective 1-MCP treatment frequency was once per week and, at all elevated temperatures (5, 10, 15, and 20 °C), slowed loss of firmness to a greater extent than refrigeration (0 °C) alone. Application of 1-MCP resulted in greater retention of firmness than controlled atmosphere (CA) with O2 and CO2 at 1.5 kPa and 3 kPa, respectively. Data suggest that 1-MCP application, has the potential to reduce reliance on refrigeration and CA storage for maintaining firmness of 'Redchief Delicious' apple, especially for relatively short storage durations (<50 days) when fruit are harvested within a week of the ethylene

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Harvest maturity, storage temperature, and 1-MCP application frequency alter firmness retention and chlorophyll fluorescence of 'Redchief Delicious' apples

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Najma Khan

Papers

Harvest maturity, storage temperature, and 1-MCP application frequency alter firmness retention and chlorophyll fluorescence of 'Redchief Delicious' apples

534 1-Methylcyclopropene Extends Shelf Life of Tomato at All Stages of Maturity