The project is making it possible to store the fruit for longer through post-harvest technology, with "the direct benefit for the industry and the consumer that this entails," as reported this week by the University of Extremadura (UEx) in a press release.
The initiative has been promoted by researchers from the Agroalimentary Technological Institute of Extremadura (Intaex-Cicytex), in partnership with the University Institute of Research in Agrarian Resources (Inura) of the University of Extremadura.
One of the researchers involved in the project, Manuel Serradilla, explained that figs have the capacity to ripen after the harvest, and therefore, it is "necessary to look for alternatives" to delay that process, so that the product remains in good condition for longer, he said.
Serradilla stressed that the technology used in the project has been based on the use of 1-MCP, a molecule analogous to the chemical compound that causes the ripening of figs. The objective was to "block" the ethylene receptors and thereby stop the ripening.
The process consists in the fruit's treatment in chambers with a volatile application of this molecule. This way, the figs ripened for up to 21 days "without any changes in their taste or appearance," said Serradilla.
The researcher also pointed out that this process "does not reduce the fruit's sweetness," since the technique does not alter the product's characteristics. He also said that it "is fully viable and is already done with other fruits, such as plums."
Production
It is worth noting that the region of Extremadura produces 8,272 tons of figs per year, which is almost 29 percent of the total Spanish production, and has 5,220 hectares devoted to fig trees, evenly distributed between the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. .
However, once harvested, the shelf life of this fruit is "extremely short" due to physiological alterations, such as softening, or microbiological alterations, such as endosepsis or the expulsion of the syrupy liquid through the ostiolus. These factors "negatively affect the product's marketing," reported the UEx.
