Resveratrol treatment controls microbial flora, prolongs shelf life, and preserves nutritional quality of fruit.

J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Mar 9;53(5):1526-1530. Related Articles, Links

Jimenez JB, Orea JM, Montero C, Urena AG, Navas E, Slowing K, Gomez-Serranillos MP, Carretero E, De Martinis D.

Unidad de Laseres y Haces Moleculares, Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, P degrees C Juan XXIII, 1. 28040-Madrid, Spain, Departmento de Farmacologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain, and Sezione Genetica e Genomica Vegetale, UTS Biotecnologie, Protezione della Salute e degli Ecosistema ENEA, C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, C.P. 2400. 00060, Rome, Italy.

Resveratrol is known as a grapevine secondary metabolite with fungicide activity. Its exogenous application on harvested grapes resulted in the reduction of microbial flora growth, and consequently, prolonged shelf life, without affecting the nutritional quality of the fruit. Resveratrol treatment also resulted in being effective on fruit that normally does not accumulate such metabolites as, for example, tomatoes, apples, avocado pears, and peppers. As a result, all treated fruits maintained their post-harvest quality and health longer than the untreated ones. This study demonstrates the potential use of resveratrol as a natural pesticide to reduce post-harvest fungi development on a broad spectrum of fruit types.