It is now possible to delay the ripening of tomatoes by exposing them to certain sounds. (Image : Yonhap)
SEJONG, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – It is now possible to delay the ripening of tomatoes by exposing them to certain sounds.
The Office of Rural Development announced that they have developed a method to postpone the ripening of tomatoes after they are harvested by using sound waves.
The research team exposed green tomatoes for six hours to various sound frequencies (0㎐, 250㎐, 500㎐, 800㎐, 1㎑ and 1.5㎑). After 12 days, the ripening of tomatoes in the 250㎐ zone was delayed by 22 percent, 18 percent in the 500㎐ zone, 5 percent in the 800㎐ zone, 40 percent in the 1㎑ zone and 2 percent in the 1.5㎑ zone. Results showed that the best effect occurred for tomatoes that were exposed to the 1㎑ frequencies.
It is now possible to delay the ripening of tomatoes by exposing them to certain sounds. (Image : Yonhap)
Compared to tomatoes that didn’t go through any treatment, the tomatoes that were exposed to sound waves produced a lower amount of ethylene (35 percent lower). Also, the respiration volume was 33 percent lower.
The ripening delay resulted from a decrease in the gene expression of ethylene biosynthesis, with an average delay of 3 to 4 days observed in the study.
The Office of Rural Development anticipates that the sound wave treatment will suppress the biosynthesis of ethylene, and allow longer periods of storage.
The technology is now the subject of a patent application, and the results were published in the online version of the international journal, ‘Postharvest Biology and Technology’.
By M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
