Ethanol Delays Post-harvest Decay of Grapes

Ethanol treatment may prevent the decay of grapes during storage while maintaining fruit quality. The research conducted at the Israel’s Volcani Center, indicated that ethanol is a promising alternative to sulfur dioxide (SO2), the currently used treatment during grape storage.

The effectiveness of ethanol in prolonging storage was tested using two grape cultivars and three methods of ethanol application: 1) dipping the grapes in 50% ethanol, 2) placing a container with a wick and ethanol inside the grape package, and 3) applying ethanol to paper and placing this paper above the grapes in the package. After each treatment, the grapes were stored for up to 8 weeks at 0°C and then assessed for quality.

Of the three methods, it was the wick application that showed the best result with excellent grape quality and taste after storage. Compared with the untreated grape berries all the methods gave excellent results in preventing the decay of grapes.

The full paper, published by the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology, can be accessed by subscribers at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2006.06.011