Bopape, L., Satekge, T., Mafeo, P., & Lekganyane, M. (2024). Apple fruit as a biological suppressant for potato tuber sprouting during ambient storage. Heliyon, 10(18), e38055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38055
This research article investigates the potential of using apple fruit to prevent potato tubers from sprouting during storage. The researchers hypothesised that ethylene gas released by ripening apples could inhibit sprouting, an undesirable process that reduces the quality of potatoes. They stored potato tubers from four farms, with or without apple fruit, at ambient temperatures for 30 days. Their results showed that potatoes stored with apples had significantly less sprouting than those stored alone. However, they also observed an increased rot incidence in tubers from two specific farms, highlighting the need for further research to understand this phenomenon. This study demonstrates that apple fruit could serve as an effective biological sprout suppressant for potatoes, providing a potentially safer and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods using synthetic chemicals.
Here are five key facts about the research discussed in the source provided:
- The study investigated the effectiveness of using apple fruit as a biological control for potato sprouting during storage at ambient temperatures. The researchers chose the apple fruit because of its availability and its classification as a climacteric fruit, which means it releases ethylene as it ripens. Ethylene has been shown to have anti-sprouting properties in other studies.
- The results showed that storing potatoes with apples significantly delayed sprouting in three of the four farms from which the potatoes were sourced, compared with the control group. The researchers suggest that ethylene emitted by the ripening apples diffuses into the potatoes and inhibits sprout growth. However, complete inhibition of sprouting was not achieved, possibly because the apples were removed after 14 days as they began to rot.
- Storing potatoes with apples significantly reduced physiological weight loss compared to the control group. This effect is probably related to the reduced sprouting of potatoes stored with apples, as sprouting is known to increase physiological weight loss.
- The study found that potatoes stored with apples had significantly lower starch content than those stored alone, but only for potatoes from one farm. The researchers suggest that ethylene emitted by the apples may have inhibited sprout development, which in turn reduced starch breakdown. However, the inconsistent results between farms suggest that other factors may be at play.
- The researchers found that storing potatoes with apples caused decay in tubers from two of the four farms. They suggest that this may be due to microbial interactions between the potatoes and the apples, possibly exacerbated by the ethylene emitted by the ripening apples. However, as this effect was not observed in potatoes from the other farms, the researchers suggest that the specific agricultural practices on the two affected farms may have played a role.
