Articles
Pre- and postharvest inhibition of ethylene production and action by 1-MCP and the quality of apples and other horticultural products
Most research has focused on postharvest applications of 1-MCP, but new preharvest application technologies have been developed.
By 2013, over 1200 papers had been published on 1-MCP and horticultural products, representing a vast increase of the postharvest knowledge base.
This paper highlights some findings in the literature under four categories:
1) Effects of 1-MCP on ripening and senescence of horticultural products.
Progress has been made on dissecting the involvement of ethylene in
climacteric and non-climacteric systems, and the effects of 1-MCP on quality
factors.
Research is still needed to understand the reason for variation among
product types.
2) Effects of 1-MCP on physiological disorders.
Incidence of disorders can be
increased or decreased according to the role of ethylene in their
development, and therefore can be affected greatly by 1-MCP applications.
3) Development of handling protocols to maximize benefits of 1-MCP. Each product has different requirements for effective application of 1-MCP, and the apple is used to illustrate factors such as 1-MCP concentration, timing of its application, and non-target binding.
4) Development of novel methods for application of 1-MCP. These include preharvest applications, aqueous postharvest applications and incorporation of 1-MCP into films and other release systems.
1-MCP provides a tool for horticultural industries to maintain quality of products, especially apples, for the consumer and reduce waste, while also providing a powerful tool to investigate metabolic processes involved in ripening and senescence.