A study has found that a treatment of aspirin helps keep pears fresher for longer. Lincoln University horticulturist Mike Morley-Bunker and Chinese scientist Zhang YuXing embarked on this study in a response to consumer demand for chemical-free, long lasting fruit.

Using a variety of pear called Taylor's gold, the research team measured the weight, firmness and the sugar content of the pears and some were then placed in a dilute solution of salicylic acid for 24 hours before being stored at room temperature for two weeks.

"What we are doing is responding to consumer preference by searching for natural plant products that can be used to enhance the keeping quality of fruits and vegetables," Morley-Bunker said. They were aware of the use of aspirin to extend the life of floral arrangements, but could not find anyone in the world who had treated just the outside of the pears.

Morley-Bunker said that the salicylic acid in aspirin was produced naturally by many fruits, vegetables and flowers and had roles in the ripening of fruit.

"We were very pleased to find that the treated pears had decayed much less than the untreated pears we used as controls," Professor Zhang said.

"We know that the physiological changes during fruit senescence [or decay] involve a decrease in respiration rate and the production of ethylene, so we were hoping that our treatment would put the brake on these changes and delay senescence and this is what appears to have happened," Morley-Bunker said.

Topics