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WU invents rubber wood crates using essential oil vapors to slow fruit ripening, extend shelf life and protect against fungi

 

Researchers from Walailak University’s Center of Excellence in Innovation on Essential Oil have invented rubber wood crates which use essential oil vapors to control ripening of fruit during transport, extend produce shelf life and protect against fungi.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Narumol Matan, head of the Center of Excellence in Innovation on Essential Oil and acting dean of the School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry says this new innovation can be used with all kinds of fruits after they are harvested and during subsequent transportation. The wooden crates are made from rubber wood that is first smoked and then coated with natural substances to prevent various microorganisms, especially fungi, from spoiling fruit. This innovation will help maintain post-harvest quality of fruits and increase the safety of fresh fruit consumption.

Dr. Narumol added that these essential oils are naturally derived from plants, mainly from spices. These oils are secondary substances created by plants for protecting themselves from insects, fungi, or similar detriments. A steam distillation method is used to extract the essential oils from the plants. After distillation, the fragrant liquid obtained will vary according to the type of plant being distilled—lemon scent from lemon peel, peppermint scent from peppermint leaves, etc. The researchers formulate the essential oil in such a way as to help respiration of harvested fruits, thereby slowing ripening. The researchers also invented a method for absorbing essential oil vapors in rubber wood crates which inhibits mold on the surface of fruits as well as further delaying ripening during transportation.

Although the cost of rubber wood crates with essential oil vapor is higher than normal rubber crates, financial savings will accrue with each use of a crate. The antifungal and delayed ripening benefits will add value to agricultural products for farmers and entrepreneurs. The rubber wood industry is also interested in producing the crates and seeing their further use and distribution. The head of the Center of Excellence in Innovation on Essential Oil said essential oils are widely used with products requiring antifungal and antibacterial properties such as handicraft products, food products, food packaging, antimicrobial spray products, and hand sanitizers.

“The Center of Excellence continues to bring knowledge and to add value to handicraft products of various communities in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.We would like to thank all the research funding sources that have supported the Center of Excellence in Innovation on Essential Oil: Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI), the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), the Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC), and WU’s School of Agricultural Technology and Food Industry.”

For more information, please contact Walailak University’s Center of Excellence in Innovation on Essential Oil at email: wu_essentialoil@hotmail.com , Website: https://essentialoil.wu.ac.th/, and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EOlab80160.

Source: https://www.wu.ac.th/th/news/19221

Rewritten from Thai by Uraiwan Angkanawisut