Biological and postharvest interventions to manage the ethylene in fruit: a review

Abstract

Ethylene, the gaseous ripening hormone, notably influences the postharvest physiology of the fruit. The pronounced effect of ethylene on postharvest physiology ranges from beneficial to unacceptable, with substantial commercial repercussions. Climacteric fruit undergoes an ethylene burst with the onset of ripening, and this autocatalytic ethylene production leads to accelerated ripening and senescence of fruit. Thus, the fruit becomes soft, mealy, and prone to pathogen attack that ultimately leads to high postharvest losses during handling, storage, and marketing. The key to appropriate handling, storage, and marketing of fruit lies largely in the successful management of ethylene. Biological interventions such as gene silencing, gene editing and recently the gene modifications through CRISPR/Cas9 are widely accepted and being used to regulate ethylene in fruit. Nevertheless, postharvest interventions and use of novel molecules such as 1-MCP, polyamines, salicylic acid, and ozone have received commercial status for controlling ethylene action in fruit. Use of metal-based catalysts at low temperature has been considered as a safer approach. This review focuses on the history, biosynthesis, action mechanism and techniques employed for useful modulation of ethylene biosynthesis and action in harvested fruit.