Investigatory: Fruit and Shelf Life Essay Example

to traditional preservatives. This innovative technique aims to promote healthy and acceptable food preservation methods, specifically for fruits.

Hypotheses

Based on the problem statement, the study considered the following hypotheses:

1. The sayote seeds are effective in extending the shelf life of selected fruits.
2. .

Comparability can be observed in the shelf lives of the fruits and the extent of maceration in various treatments.

According to the study, there are noticeable impacts on the taste and odor of fruits from different treatments.

Significance of the Study

The purpose of this research is to assist farmers in prolonging the shelf life of fruits, ultimately resulting in increased earnings. If successful, this study can provide a natural alternative to commonly used chemical preservatives. This would ensure that fruits not in season can still be accessible in the market, thereby positively affecting the country's agriculture and economy.

This study may also motivate people to find solutions for the problems their country or society is facing. This can also lead to the creation of new products utilizing sayote seeds.

Scope and Limitations

The research was conducted at Ilocos Sur National High School, Vigan City, from February to July 2012, with the actual experimentation taking place in Barangay Pagpartian, Vigan City.

The sayote seeds were used as a prolonging agent to extend the shelf life of certain fruits including tomatoes, lanzones, longgan, and kiwi fruit. The shelf life of the fruits was determined by counting the days until signs of maceration appeared. A sensory evaluation test was conducted after one week of application to assess the extent of fruit

maceration and the acceptability of the prolonging agent in terms of taste and odor. Statistical tools such as frequency, percentage, mean, and ANOVA were utilized for data analysis. The researchers also referred to relevant literature and studies related to the study, which provided a strong foundation for achieving positive results and outcomes. Sayote, also known as chayote, is a viviparous plant and tends to sprout during postharvest storage.

According to Ogawa, gibberellin-like substances were identified in chayote seed extracts, with a significant level of growth-promoting activity observed in developing seeds approximately 5 weeks after anthesis. The presence of GA-like substances preceded the growth of the fruit and seed, indicating their involvement in organ development. Later on, Aung and Flick discovered that applying gibberellin A3 and A4/7 externally on the stigmatic surfaces of chayote flowers stimulated the growth of ovarian tissues. However, this also resulted in inhibited embryo/seed development and ultimately led to the formation of parthenocarpic fruit. In a separate study, Lorenzi and Ceccarelli used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify gibberellin A4 and A7 as major growth substances in both the seed and flesh of chayote fruit throughout various stages of development.

Researchers discovered that chayote endosperm and cotyledonary tissues can convert 14C-mevalonic acid into entkaurene and gibberellins. Additionally, Albone et al. identified 20 gibberellins in the chayote embryo, endosperm, and seedcoat, with gibberellin A1, A3, A4, and A7 being the major ones in chayote fruit. These findings support the notion that gibberellins are crucial for the development of chayote seed and fruit. Consequently, researchers wanted to investigate how gibberellins and gibberellin-antagonists affect chayote sprout development after harvest.

Chemical regulators were sourced and prepared from various

companies. Gibberellin A3 was obtained from Sigma Chemical Company in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Gibberellin A4/7 was obtained from Merck in Rahway, New Jersey, USA. Gibberellin A1 was obtained from Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Company, Ltd in Japan (sample courtesy of Dr. Y. Sumiki). Abscisic acid was obtained from Sigma Chemical Company in Missouri, USA. Tetcyclacis was obtained from BASF in Ludwigshafen, Germany (96%). Prohexadione was obtained from BASF in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA (10% powder; sample courtesy of Dr. Reid Evans).

The chemical regulants were prepared by dissolving the desired concentrations in 50 µl of alcohol and then diluting with distilled water. To the solution, a surfactant called Tween-80 was added. The final reagent solution contained 1% alcohol (v/v) and 0.05% Tween-80 (v/v). Using a Hamilton syringe, the following chemical regulators - Gibberellins (GAs, 1mM), abscisic acid (AbA; 50 µM), tetcyclacis (TC; 1mM), and prohexadione (1mM) - were injected into the fruit cavity. Each fruit cavity measured 5 mm in diameter and had a depth of 25 mm, adjacent to the embryonic shoot of the seed. A volume of 400 µl of each regulant was injected into each fruit cavity and covered with adhesive tape. There were four replicates for each treatment, with three fruits per replicate. The treated fruits were kept either at 25 ?C or at 15 ?C in environmental rooms to promote or slow down sprouting, respectively.

Data analysis was conducted on the sprout length and emergence in order to measure the development in response to the treatments. The obtained data underwent analysis of variance procedure, and the comparison of treatment means was done using the least significant difference at a probability

level of 5% or 1%. Percentage data were transformed using arc sine ?% prior to the computation of analysis of variance. The sprout length and development time were subjected to linear regression analysis to illustrate the retarding effect of prohexadione on sprout growth. Few plant species can match the phenomenon of vivipary found in chayote, which is a herbaceous perennial plant.

The growth habit of chayote is different from other seed-bearing plants. While other plants require a period of dehydration for seed germination, chayote seeds remain enclosed in a fleshy pericarp with a high water content of 80-90%. This allows the seeds to continue growing and maturing. Most plants detach their seeds from the fruit for planting, but chayote seeds stay within the fleshy fruit, using the entire structure for propagation. In commercial practice, chayote fruits are harvested before they are fully mature. Even after being severed from the mother plant, the endogenous seed of the chayote continues to grow under postharvest conditions by using stored water and nutrients.

We have observed that a sprouted chayote fruit grew a 1-2 m long shoot during a 6-8 week period using primarily its stored water and nutrients, and with only its embryonic roots immersed in distilled water at 25 ?C under dim light. Under these conditions, the developing shoot completely resorbed and utilized the entire fruit content leaving only the epicarpic shell.

Chayote seed grows continuously without dormancy or dehydration within the fleshy fruit, and it appears that exogenous postharvest application of hormonal compounds must in effect influence or modulate on-going metabolic/cellular processes rather than on the processes initiating sprouting. Furthermore, the exogenous substances could interact with endogenous hormonal substances

which have a primary/direct role(s) in the initiation of sprout growth and its development.

The biological activity of endogenous GA-like substances in chayote fruit tissues was shown by Ogawa. Subsequently, the chemical identity of the GAs in the seed and fruit tissues of chayote was demonstrated unequivocally by GC/MS. However, the specific function(s) of GAs in chayote growth and development is still lacking.

Ceccarelli and Lorenzi demonstrated that GA conjugates and 16, 17-dihydro-16-hydroxy-GA15 alcohol glucoside from cotyledonary tissues stimulated the growth of plantlets when grown in a greenhouse under short photoperiod conditions of 8 hours at temperatures ranging from 15?C to 25?C. Additionally, applying a foliar spray of GA4/7 helped revive the shoot growth of decotylized plantlets. These findings led the researchers to conclude that GA-conjugates or the breakdown products of cotyledons may play a role in promoting shoot growth. Considering that chayote seed tissues also contain cytokinins and indole-3-acetic acid, it is reasonable to speculate that GAs, in collaboration with these compounds, likely contribute to shoot growth. The seeds of Sechium edule, a viviparous species, contain substantial levels of gibberellins and cytokinins throughout their development.

The study investigated the levels of ABA hormone in the same seeds. It was observed that there was no accumulation of the hormone during maximum seed growth, contrary to what is observed in other species. The focus of this report is on quantifying ABA in the integuments and nucellus of pollinated and unpollinated Sechiumovules. Due to limited tissue availability at each stage of ovule development, a highly sensitive and accurate methodology using a solid-phase RIA with a monoclonal antibody against free (S)-ABA was employed. This antibody has high affinity and specificity, enabling

precise quantitation of very low levels of ABA in aqueous plant crude extracts. Additionally, the study found that salt tolerance increased in seeds treated with 25 ppm kinetin and 1% prostart (2 h), as evidenced by improvements in shoot and root length, as well as shoot fresh and dry weight.

The improved performance of seedlings originating from seeds primed with kinetin may be attributed to an increase in invertase, ?-amylase, and starch synthetase in wheat (Sekhon and Singh, 1994). These findings correspond, to some degree, with the research conducted by Patel and Saxena (1994), who discovered that the fresh and dry weight of seedlings increased when the seeds were treated with kinetin and GA3 in comparison to seeds treated with NAA and Ethrel. Furthermore, these results are consistent with the findings of Angrish et al. (2001), who observed that salinity improvement occurred due to augmented N levels and nitrate reductase activity when wheat seeds were treated with cytokinins before sowing.

The production of cytokinins in the endosperm of Sechium edule Sw. (also known as chayote) was investigated by incubating the seed endosperm with [U-14C] adenine and [13C]mevalonic acid for 17 hours. Following the incubation period, cytokinins were extracted and purified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) revealed that isopentenyladenine and zeatin riboside incorporated [13C]mevalonic acid, providing conclusive evidence of cytokinin biosynthesis in the endosperm. This study represents the first definitive proof of cytokinin production in a normal plant tissue, as confirmed by MS analysis of precursor integration into cytokinins. The implications of these findings are discussed, particularly regarding a potential mononucleotide-independent pathway for cytokinin biosynthesis.

According to William Nault (1996), wax is a

fatty acid substance that is commonly used to protect different surfaces. It has the ability to resist air, water, and chemical changes. Numerous plants naturally have a wax coating that serves to protect them from heat and moisture. Furthermore, the researchers aimed to determine if the previously mentioned variables have a significant impact on the ability of sayote seeds to extend the shelf life of specific fruits. This information can be a valuable resource for future studies and individuals involved in food preservation planning.

The final form and substance of the present study were shaped by various studies and researchers, who primarily focused on sayote, shelf life, and prolonging agents.