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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Dairy and Functional Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #333999
Title: Impact of different environmental stimuli on the release of 1-MCP from boron-MCP complexes

Author
item SHAHRIN, TASNUVA - Orise Fellow
item Sarker, Majher
item ZHENG, YANLI - Tianjin University Of Science And Technology
item Tomasula, Peggy
item Liu, Linshu

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Studies
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/25/2016
Publication Date: 11/29/2016
Citation: Shahrin, T., Sarker, M.I., Zheng, Y., Tomasula, P.M., Liu, L.S. 2016. Impact of different environmental stimuli on the release of 1-MCP from boron-MCP complexes. Journal of Plant Studies. 6:46-57. doi: 10.5539/jps.v6n1p46.

Interpretive Summary: Many fresh fruits and vegetables naturally produce the chemical ethylene as they ripen, which may significantly lower their quality and result in spoilage before they reach the consumer. Application of the chemical 1-MCP to produce slows ethylene production and thus the ripening process, resulting in an extended shelf-life. 1-MCP can only be applied in a closed environment because it is gas at ambient temperatures. In this study, ARS scientists attached 1-MCP molecules and molecules from other non-toxic compounds to a boron atom creating two new B-MCP complexes, which are stable liquids under ambient conditions and easier to handle. 1-MCP would only be released from the complexes to plants in response to environmental stimuli, such as temperature and humidity. The B-MCP complexes show enormous potential as a means to provide 1-MCP in open environments over a long period of time to protect crops in hostile environmental conditions.

Technical Abstract: In our previous report, boron derivatives of methylene cyclopropane complexes (B-MCP) were developed to stabilize the gaseous 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene), a commercial plant growth regulator, for eventual release in open crop fields when under humid conditions or in contact with water. To meet the requirements of various end-use applications, B-MCP compounds that can release 1-MCP at different rates for different time periods are demanded. In this paper, we examined the impact of different environmental stimuli such as humidity, surface area, water pH and water volume on the release kinetics of 1-MCP from B-MCP compounds of various chemical structures. The results showed that the release of 1-MCP from B-MCP compounds can be tailored by altering the architectures and chemical natures of the two short-chain moieties attached to the boron atom and thus either the electronic affinity or the hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties or both.