Researchers from the University of Barcelona develop a natural solution based on antioxidants to extend the useful life of stone fruits

More than 25% of the fruit produced and harvested is not consumed due to its rapid deterioration and the loss of quality suffered in the distribution chain. One of the types of fruit that suffer the most from this situation are stone fruits of the genus Prunus, such as cherries or plums. Researchers at the University of Barcelona (UB) have developed a solution based on antioxidants that allows the deterioration of these fruits to be controlled, increasing their post-harvest life at room temperature by up to five days. The RIPLESS project, led by the professor of the Faculty of Biology of the UB, Sergi Munné-Bosch, has received a grant from the Product of the Knowledge Industry program of the Generalitat de Catalunya of 150,000 euros to validate this promising innovation in real conditions.

“It is an innovative alternative with a triple impact, since its application guarantees maximum use of natural resources, provides nutritious and safe food to society and reduces economic losses resulting from food waste”, explains the professor, who he is also a member of the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) and the Nutrition and Food Safety Research Institute (INSA) of the UB.

Better preservation without refrigeration

The main reasons given by consumers for discarding stone fruits are the loss of organoleptic quality and firmness, which also contributes to an increase in the incidence of pathogens. In addition, in fruits such as cherries, traditional preservation techniques such as refrigeration considerably reduce their flavor and do not completely prevent the incidence of these microorganisms.

Faced with this challenge, the solution developed by the UB is based on an oil-in-water formulation of antioxidants that can control the post-harvest useful life of these fruits without modifying the quality properties most valued by consumers, such as flavor, and at the same time, maintain its firmness and reduce the incidence of pathogens.

In addition, the new product does not require specific equipment for its application and can be used throughout the distribution chain because it is compatible with current fruit classification systems, which allow to reduce manual operations. In this sense, it could also be very useful for national and international distribution, especially in cases where refrigeration is difficult to implement, such as in national markets where the cost of refrigerated transport makes it unprofitable.

Reduces the incidence of pathogens by 40%

The new product has been validated on a laboratory scale, thanks to a grant from the Llavor modality of the same program of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In this preliminary phase, the researchers tested various formulations and application methods, until they identified a solution that increased the postharvest life of cherries and plums by up to five and eight days, respectively, and reduced the incidence by up to 40% of pathogens, without using any cooling system. In these studies, better results were also obtained than with other similar products available on the market, since the new technology is able to better preserve the firmness of the fruit.

The new project, with file number 2023 PROD 00013, will bring the technology closer to the market, testing it in real conditions and with more quantities and varieties of stone fruits. These grants from the Generalitat’s Knowledge Industry program are intended for obtaining prototypes and for the valorization and transfer of research results generated by research teams in Catalonia.

Source: FBG