Ethanol Vapours to Complement or Replace Sulfur Dioxide Fumigation of Table Grapes

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that dipping table grapes in ethanol solutions at harvest improved storage of the fruit. We report here the first results obtained by treating 'Chasselas' table grapes (Vitis vinifera) with ethanol vapours over the storage period. We tested the effect of ethanol at 0, 4 and 8 g/kg fruit during cold storage for 2, 4 and 6 weeks. We measured berry shatter, stem browning, Botrytis rot incidence and sensory appreciation by tasting panels. Ethanol vapours reduced Botrytis rot incidence and berry shatter, but hastened stem browning. Sensory analyses did not detect any differences between treatments.

Ethanol vapours limit Botrytis development over the postharvest life of table grapes

“…In the preliminary study (Chervin et al, 2003), we showed that ethanol vapours also had the potential to reduce berry shatter. It would be worth checking this with other cultivars than 'Chasselas'.…”

“…We have already investigated the efficacy of ethanol vapours to control rots. Preliminary results indicated that the optimal ethanol dose for effective disease control was less than 5 ml.kg -1 of fruit (Chervin et al, 2003). Since stem browning was higher at 5 ml ethanol.kg -1 compared to SO 2 treatments, we conducted new experiments in order to find a lower dose of ethanol that would still control rot development without too high stem browning as in commercial SO 2 treatments,.…”

Release kinetics of carvacrol and eugenol from poly(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) films for food packaging applications

“…The use of active films for food packaging applications represents a good option for the purposes of lengthening the food shelf life while maintaining quality [1,2]. The use of active films mitigates the drawbacks associated with the direct application of the antimicrobials on the food products, usually carried out by spraying or dipping, such as the rapid neutralization of active compounds or the fast diffusion from the surface into the product [3].…”

Shelf life improvement of grape (Vitis viniferaL. cv. Rish Baba) using nitric oxide (NO) during chilling damage

“…These include postharvest physical treatments [13,14] , modified atmosphere packaging [15][16][17] , temperature conditioning [18] and chemical treatments with plant growth regulators. [19][20][21][22] In this case, nitric oxide (NO) due to its properties (small size, no charge, short-lived, free radical and highly diffusible across biological membranes) has multifunctional roles in plant growth and mechanisms [23] and involved many plant physiological processes. [24,25] NO protects plant cells against oxidative stress by reducing ROS accumulation.…”