Ethylene Antagonists project awarded with the Curtin University (Perth, Australia) Commercial Innovation Awards 2016

ISHS Secretariat

Ethylene Antagonists project awarded with the Curtin University (Perth, Australia) Commercial Innovation Awards 2016 which celebrates the work of Curtin staff and students who have made significant contributions to the advancement of commercial industries.

Ethylene Inhibitor: Fruits and vegetables are a vital part of a healthy diet and a large industry, but keeping them fresh on the way to the consumer can be a challenge. Nearly half of all fruit and vegetables spoil before they are bought, and one of the main reasons for this is a hormone called ethylene. This causes over-ripening of fruit, spoilage of vegetables and loss of petals in flowers.

Professor Zora Singh from the Department of Environment and Agriculture, and Dr Alan Payne from the Department of Chemistry, have developed non-toxic compounds that can help solve this problem by preventing produce from reacting to ethylene, which have been shown to slow ripening and extend the shelf life of produce and to reduce petal loss in flowers.

This advancement promises to reduce food waste, meaning that land and water can be utilised more sustainably, benefitting the environment and economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHV_WXM6Ze8

Tags: 
ethylene
food waste
Categories: 
General Interest
Groups audience: 
- Private group -