Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops
Abstract Horticultural crops, encompassing fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs, play a critical role in providing nutrition and health‐promoting compounds. However, their limited storability challenges producers and exporters, resulting in significant postharvest losses. Traditional preservation me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12121 |
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| author | Tesfahun Belay Mihrete Melkamu Alemayehu Workie Fenta Assefa Bogale |
| author_facet | Tesfahun Belay Mihrete Melkamu Alemayehu Workie Fenta Assefa Bogale |
| author_sort | Tesfahun Belay Mihrete |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Horticultural crops, encompassing fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs, play a critical role in providing nutrition and health‐promoting compounds. However, their limited storability challenges producers and exporters, resulting in significant postharvest losses. Traditional preservation methods like cold storage, controlled atmosphere storage and packaging techniques have been employed to prolong shelf life, but they have their constraints. Biotechnological interventions, notably genetic engineering, offer promising avenues to address these limitations. Genetic modifications target physiological processes such as ripening and ethylene production, enhancing resistance to postharvest diseases and improving nutritional profiles. For instance, genetically modified tomatoes with prolonged shelf life and reduced susceptibility to fungal infections showcase the potential of genetic engineering. Similarly, genetic modification has been successfully applied to various horticultural crops like apples, bananas and mushrooms, resulting in decreased browning and heightened disease resistance. Emerging technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging, edible coatings and nanoparticle treatments further augment efforts to extend shelf life. Despite their benefits, the debate surrounding genetically modified fruits and vegetables persists due to concerns regarding environmental impact, health implications and ethical considerations. This review offers insights into current practices and research endeavours aimed at enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops through both traditional and biotechnological means, shedding light on opportunities and hurdles in this domain. Future directions include intensifying basic research to unravel molecular processes in harvested tissues, prioritising investigations that directly benefit consumers and developing sustainable and cost‐effective approaches for emerging technologies like modified atmosphere packaging, edible coatings and postharvest treatments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8096545dd3ac42ee933d5765384eb07d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2767-035X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-8096545dd3ac42ee933d5765384eb07d2025-08-20T02:55:35ZengWileyJournal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment2767-035X2024-09-0133n/an/a10.1002/sae2.12121Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural cropsTesfahun Belay Mihrete0Melkamu Alemayehu Workie1Fenta Assefa Bogale2Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar EthiopiaDepartment of Horticulture, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Bahir Dar University Bahir Dar EthiopiaDepartment of Plant Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences University of Gondar Gondar EthiopiaAbstract Horticultural crops, encompassing fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs, play a critical role in providing nutrition and health‐promoting compounds. However, their limited storability challenges producers and exporters, resulting in significant postharvest losses. Traditional preservation methods like cold storage, controlled atmosphere storage and packaging techniques have been employed to prolong shelf life, but they have their constraints. Biotechnological interventions, notably genetic engineering, offer promising avenues to address these limitations. Genetic modifications target physiological processes such as ripening and ethylene production, enhancing resistance to postharvest diseases and improving nutritional profiles. For instance, genetically modified tomatoes with prolonged shelf life and reduced susceptibility to fungal infections showcase the potential of genetic engineering. Similarly, genetic modification has been successfully applied to various horticultural crops like apples, bananas and mushrooms, resulting in decreased browning and heightened disease resistance. Emerging technologies such as modified atmosphere packaging, edible coatings and nanoparticle treatments further augment efforts to extend shelf life. Despite their benefits, the debate surrounding genetically modified fruits and vegetables persists due to concerns regarding environmental impact, health implications and ethical considerations. This review offers insights into current practices and research endeavours aimed at enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops through both traditional and biotechnological means, shedding light on opportunities and hurdles in this domain. Future directions include intensifying basic research to unravel molecular processes in harvested tissues, prioritising investigations that directly benefit consumers and developing sustainable and cost‐effective approaches for emerging technologies like modified atmosphere packaging, edible coatings and postharvest treatments.https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12121Biotechnologygene silencinggenetic engineeringgenetically modified fruits and vegetablesnano coatingshelf life |
| spellingShingle | Tesfahun Belay Mihrete Melkamu Alemayehu Workie Fenta Assefa Bogale Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops Journal of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology gene silencing genetic engineering genetically modified fruits and vegetables nano coating shelf life |
| title | Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops |
| title_full | Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops |
| title_fullStr | Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops |
| title_short | Applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops |
| title_sort | applications of biotechnology for enhancing the shelf life of horticultural crops |
| topic | Biotechnology gene silencing genetic engineering genetically modified fruits and vegetables nano coating shelf life |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/sae2.12121 |
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