Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Plant Science Today (PST)

Review Articles

Vol. 11 No. sp4 (2024): Recent Advances in Agriculture by Young Minds - I

Harnessing ethylene-producing bacteria for fruit bio-ripening: a comprehensive review

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.5094
Submitted
16 September 2024
Published
11-12-2024

Abstract

Fruit ripening is a complex biological process regulated by various endogenous and exogenous factors, with ethylene playing a pivotal role as a gaseous hormone. Traditionally, ethylene for commercial use has been derived from environmentally hazardous processes. However, the discovery of ethylene-producing bacteria presents a sustainable alternative for fruit ripening. This review explores the mechanisms and potential of utilizing ethylene-producing bacteria in the bio-ripening of fruits. Through an analysis of current research, we elucidate the synthesis pathways of ethylene in microorganisms, optimization techniques to enhance ethylene production, and the compatibility among microbial strains for the development of effective microbial consortia. Recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of ethylene-producing bacteria, such as Bacillus and Pseudomonas species, in bio-ripening fruits like kiwifruit, plums, bananas, and apples. The optimization of growth conditions and the development of microbial consortia aim to maximize ethylene production efficiency While minimizing environmental impacts. This review underscores the importance of ethylene-producing bacteria in revolutionizing fruit ripening technology and advancing sustainable agricultural practices. By providing insights into the opportunities and challenges associated with bio-ripening fruits by ethylene-producing bacteria, this review seeks to guide future research and innovation in the field. Ultimately, using ethylene-producing bacteria offers a promising avenue for achieving safe, environmentally friendly, and efficient fruit ripening methods in agricultural practices.

References

  1. Abeles FB, Morgan PW, Saltveit Jr ME. Ethylene in plant biology. Academic Press; 2012.
  2. Dhillion SS, Anderson RC. Production on burned and unburned sand prairies during drought and non-drought years. Vegetation.1994;115:51-9.
  3. Silva WB, Silva GM, Santana DB, Salvador AR, Medeiros DB, Belghith I, da Silva NM, Cordeiro MH, Misobutsi GP. Chitosan delays ripening and ROS production in guava (Psidium guajava L.) fruit. Food Chem. 2018;242:232-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2017.09.052
  4. Brenner K, You L, Arnold FH. Engineering microbial consortia: a new frontier in synthetic biology. Trends biotechnol. 2008;26(9):483-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2008.05.004
  5. Seymour GB, Colquhoun IJ, Dupont MS, Parsley KR, Selvendran RR. Composition and structural features of cell wall polysaccharides from tomato fruits. Phytochem. 1990;29(3):725-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9422(90)80008-5
  6. Canavari M, Bazzani GM, Spadoni R, Regazzi D. Food safety and organic fruit demand in Italy: a survey. Brit Food J. 2002;104(3/4/5):220-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700210425688
  7. Watkins CB. The use of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on fruits and vegetables. Biotechnol adv. 2006;24(4):389-409. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2006.01.005
  8. Crocker WE. Similarities in the effects of ethylene and the plant auxins. Contributions. Boyce Thompson Instit Plant Res, 1935;7:231-48.
  9. Denny FE. Effect of ethylene upon respiration of lemons. Botanical Gazette. The UChicago press J 1924;77(3):322.
  10. Chace EM. Health problems connected with the ethylene treatment of fruits. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1934 ;24(11):1152-6.
  11. Rose WC. The nutritive significance of the amino acids. Physiol. Rev. 1938;18(1):109. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.1938.18.1.109
  12. Toivonen PM, Brummell DA. Biochemical bases of appearance and texture changes in fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. Postharvest Biol Technol. 2008;48(1):1-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2007.09.004
  13. Ralet MC, Dronnet V, Buchholt HC, Thibault JF. Enzymatically and chemically de-esterified lime pectins: characterization, polyelectrolyte behaviour and calcium binding properties. Carbohydr. Res. 2001;336(2):117-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-6215(01)00248-8
  14. Liu M, Pirrello J, Chervin C, Roustan JP, Bouzayen M. Ethylene control of fruit ripening: revisiting the complex network of transcriptional regulation. Plant Physiol. 2015 ;169(4):2380-90. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.15.01361
  15. Perotti VE, Moreno AS, Podestá FE. Physiological aspects of fruit ripening: the mitochondrial connection. Mitochondrion. 2014 Jul 1;17:1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mito.2014.04.010
  16. Joshi H, Kuna A, Lakshmi MN, Shreedhar M, Kumar AK. Effect of stage of maturity, ripening and storage on antioxidant content and activity of Mangifera indica L. var. Manjira. Int J Food Sci. Nutr. 2017;2(3):1-9.
  17. Tripathi K, Pandey S, Malik M, Kaul T. Fruit ripening of climacteric and non climacteric fruit. J Environ Appl Biores. 2016;4(1):27-34.
  18. Bouzayen M, Latché A, Nath P, Pech JC. Mechanism of fruit ripening. Plant Develop Biol-Biotechnol Perspectives: Volume 1 2009.
  19. Pathak S, Sriramulu S, Thandavan SP, Jothimani G, Banerjee A, Marotta F. Enhancement of shelf life of the climacteric fruits. A Review on Application of CRISPRi Technology. Trends Tech Sci Res. 2018;1(2):23-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erf072
  20. Alexander L, Grierson D. Ethylene biosynthesis and action in tomato: a model for climacteric fruit ripening. J Exp Bot. 2002;53(377):2039-55. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erf072
  21. Faramawy S, Zaki T, Sakr AE. Natural gas origin, composition, and processing: A review. J Nat Gas Sci Eng. 2016;34:34-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2016.06.030
  22. Bradford KJ. Shang Fa Yang: Pioneer in plant ethylene biochemistry. Plant Sci. 2008;175(1-2):2-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2008.01.005
  23. Khan NA, Mir MR, Nazar R, Singh S. The application of ethephon (an ethylene releaser) increases growth, photosynthesis and nitrogen accumulation in mustard (Brassica juncea L.) under high nitrogen levels. Plant Biol. 2008;10(5):534-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1438-8677.2008.00054.x
  24. Bar M, Ori N. Leaf development and morphogenesis. Development. 2014;141(22):4219-30. https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.106195
  25. Dubois M, Van den Broeck L, Claeys H, Van Vlierberghe K, Matsui M, Inzé D. The ethylene response factors ERF6 and ERF11 antagonistically regulate mannitol-induced growth inhibition in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 2015;169(1):166-79. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.15.00335
  26. Reinhardt D, Mandel T, Kuhlemeier C. Auxin regulates the initiation and radial position of plant lateral organs. Plant Cell. 2000;12(4):507-18. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.12.4.507
  27. Beyer Jr EM. A potent inhibitor of ethylene action in plants. Plant Physiol. 1976 ;58(3):268-71. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.58.3.268
  28. Ogawara T, Higashi K, Kamada H, Ezura H. Ethylene advances the transition from vegetative growth to flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana. J Plant Physiol. 2003;160(11):1335-40. https://doi.org/10.1078/0176-1617-01129
  29. O'Malley RC, Rodriguez FI, Esch JJ, Binder BM, O'Donnell P, Klee HJ, Bleecker AB. Ethylene-binding activity, gene expression levels, and receptor system output for ethylene receptor family members from Arabidopsis and tomato. Plant J. 2005 Mar;41(5):651-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2004.02331.x
  30. Smith CJ, Watson CF, Bird CR, Ray J, Schuch W, Grierson D. Expression of a truncated tomato polygalacturonase gene inhibits expression of the endogenous gene in transgenic plants. Molecular General Genetics MGG. 1990;224:477-81. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00262443
  31. Fray RG, Grierson D. Identification and genetic analysis of normal and mutant phytoene synthase genes of tomato by sequencing, complementation and co-suppression. Plant Mol Biol. 1993;22:589-602.
  32. Burg SP, Burg EA. Role of ethylene in fruit ripening. Plant physiology. 1962;37(2):179. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.37.2.179
  33. Ram HB, Singh SK, Singh RV, Surjeet Singh SS. Effect of Ethrel and smoking treatment on ripening and storage behaviour of banana cv. Harichhal. Progressive Hort. 1979. https://doi/full/10.5555/19800384520
  34. Selvarajan M. Technology for ripening fruits as important as marketing them. [internet]. India : The Hindu 2011. [updated 2024 25 Nov].
  35. Parmar C. 2010. Use of chemicals in fruits ripening [Internet]. 2010 India : Tribune . Available from: www.tribuneindia.com/july2010.
  36. Thamaraiselvi SP. 2011 Technology for ripening fruits as important as marketing them. [internet]. India : The Hindu 2011. [updated 2024 25 Nov].
  37. Ram R. Openness, country size, and government size: Additional evidence from a large cross-country panel. J Pub Econo. 2009;93(1-2):213-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.04.009
  38. Swapna TS. Salt stress-induced changes on enzyme activities during different developmental stages of rice (Oryza sativa Linn.). Indian Journal of Biotechnology. 2003;2:251-58 https://doi/full/10.5555/20033120247
  39. Guo H, Ecker JR. The ethylene signaling pathway: new insights. Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 2004;7(1):40-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2003.11.011
  40. Giovannoni JJ. Genetic regulation of fruit development and ripening. The plant cell. 2004;16(suppl_1):S170-80. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.019158
  41. Gierson D, Kader AA. Fruit ripening and quality. In: Atherton JG, Rudich J, editors.The tomato crop: A scientific basis for improvement. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands;1986. p. 241-80.
  42. Saltveit ME. Effect of ethylene on quality of fresh fruits and vegetables. Postharvest Biology and Technology. 1999;15(3):279-92. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(98)00091-X
  43. Pelayo C, de B Vilas-Boas EV, Benichou M, Kader AA. Variability in responses of partially ripe bananas to 1-methylcyclopropene. Postharvest biology and technology. 2003 Apr 1;28(1):75-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-5214(02)00124-2
  44. Harvey HW. Biological chemistry and physics of seawater. The University Press; 1928.
  45. Mohamed NIA, Abu GAA. Effect of ethrel in aqueous solution and ethylene released from ethrel on guava fruit ripening. Agriculture and Biology Journal of North America. 2010 Jun 9;1(3):232-7.
  46. Mahajan BV, Kaur T, Gill MI, Dhaliwal HS, Ghuman BS, Chahil BS. Studies on optimization of ripening techniques for Banana. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2010;47:315-9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-010-0050-0
  47. Kulkarni SG, Kudachikar VB, Keshava Prakash MN. Studies on physico-chemical changes during artificial ripening of banana (Musa sp) variety Robusta. Journal of food science and technology. 2011; 48:730-4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-010-0133-y
  48. Venkatesan T, Tamilmani C. Effect of ethrel on phenolic changes during ripening of off-season fruits of mango (Mangifera indica L. var. Neelum). Current Botany. 2010; 1:22-28.
  49. Deshi VV, Siddiqui MW, Homa F, Lata D, Singh DR. CaC2-induced ripening: Unveiling the bitter truth behind sweet fruit. Food Chemistry. 2024;140097.
  50. Siddiqui MW, Dhua RS. Eating artificially ripened fruits is harmful. Current science. 2010; 25:1664-8.
  51. Wills RB, McGlasson WB, Graham D, Joyce DC. Postharvest: an introduction to the physiology and handling of fruit, vegetables and ornamentals University of New South Wales Press Ltd. Sydney, Australia. 2007. https://doi/full/10.5555/19980301716
  52. Siddiqui MW. Studies on some aspects of mango ripening. Department of Post-Harvest Technology of Horticultural Crops. Mohanpur, Nadia, India. 2008.
  53. Bal E, Kök D. Effects of different calcium carbide doses on some quality criteria of kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa). Journal of Tekirdag Agricultural Faculty. 2006; 3(2): 213-9https://doi/full/10.5555/20063120772
  54. Nagaraj P, Ramana KV, Prasad BA, Mallikarjunaradhya S, Patwardhan MV, Ananthakrishna SM, Rajpoot NC, Subramanyan L. Effect of calcium carbide on ripening and quality of Alphonso mangoes. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 1985; 21 (5). 278-82, https://doi/full/10.5555/19850330655
  55. Mann SS. Effect of ethylene and acetylene on the ripening of mango fruits. Acta Hortic. 1985;158:409-12. https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1985.158.47
  56. Chacón SI, Víquez F, Chacón G. Artificial ripening of bananas: effect of two ripening agents: calcium carbide and ethylene in solution. https://doi/full/10.5555/19900394227
  57. Tauqir Abbas TA, Javaid Iqbal JI, Musahib-ud-Din Khan MU. Effect of calcium carbide on physical changes in mango fruits (cvs. Desi and Dusehri) during ripening. https://doi/full/10.5555/19920317126
  58. Kumar A, Dhawan SS. Effect of post harvest treatments on the enhancement of ripening of mango (Mangifera indica) fruit cv. Dashehari. https://doi/full/10.5555/19970300939
  59. Padmini S, Prabha TN. Biochemical changes during acetylene-induced ripening in mangoes (var. Alphonso). Tropical Agriculture. 1997; 74(4):1-5. https://doi/full/10.5555/19990303267
  60. Guha D, Bhuiyan MA. Effect of ripening materials on mango. Annals of Bangladesh Agriculture. 1997;7(1):73-5.
  61. Pal RK. Ripening and rheological properties of mango as influenced by ethrel and calcium carbide. Journal of Food Science and Technology-Mysore. 1998; https://doi/full/10.5555/19990301261
  62. Amarakoon R, Illeperuma DC, Sarananda KH. Effect of calcium carbide treatment on ripening and quality of Velleicolomban and Willard mangoes. Tropical Agricultural Research. 1999;11:54-60.
  63. Joon MS, Kumar JK, Sharma RK, Singhrot RS. Comparison of calcium carbide and ethephon on ripening of mango. Haryana Journal of Horticultural Sciences. 2001;30(3-4):181-82
  64. Jayawickrama F, Wilson Wijeratnam RS, Perera S. The effect of selected ripening agents on organoleptic and physico-chemical properties of papaya. In: IV International Conference on Postharvest Science 553 2000 Mar 26 (pp. 175-178). https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.553.37
  65. Ur-Rahman A, Chowdhury FR, Alam MB. Artificial ripening: what we are eating. Journal of Medicine. 2008;9(1):42.
  66. Fattah SA, Ali MY. Carbide ripened fruits-a recent health hazard. Faridpur Medical College Journal. 2010;5(2):37-.
  67. Dhembare AJ. Bitter truth about fruit with reference to artificial ripener. Arch Appl Sci Res. 2013;5(5):45-54.
  68. Primrose SB, Dilworth MJ. Ethylene production by bacteria. J Gen Microbiol. 1976;93(1):177-81.
  69. Billington DC, Golding BT, Primrose SB. Biosynthesis of ethylene from methionine. Isolation of the putative intermediate 4-methylthio-2-oxobutanoate from culture fluids of bacteria and fungi. Biochem J. 1979;182(3):827-36. https://doi.org/10.1042/bj1820827
  70. Ince JE, Knowles CJ. Ethylene formation by cell-free extracts of Escherichia coli. Arch microbiol.1986;146:151-8. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00402343
  71. Shipston BN, Bunch AW. The physiology of L-methionine catabolism to the secondary metabolite ethylene by Escherichia coli. Microbiol. 1989;135(6):1489-97. https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-135-6-1489
  72. Mansouri S, Bunch AW. Bacterial ethylene synthesis from 2-oxo-4-thiobutyric acid and from methionine. Microbiol.1989;135(11):2819-27. https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-135-11-2819
  73. Nagahama K, Ogawa T, Fujii T, Tazaki M, Tanase S, Morino Y, Fukuda H. Purification and properties of an ethylene-forming enzyme from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola PK2. Microbiol. 1991;137(10):2281-6. https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-137-10-2281 77.
  74. Digiacomo F, Girelli G, Aor B, Marchioretti C, Pedrotti M, Perli T, Tonon E, Valentini V, Avi D, Ferrentino G, Dorigato A. Ethylene-producing bacteria that ripen fruit. ACS Synthetic Biol. 2014;3(12):935-8.https://doi.org/10.1021/sb5000077
  75. Primrose SB. Evaluation of the role of methional, 2-keto-4-methylthiobutyric acid and peroxidase in ethylene formation by Escherichia coli. Microbiol. 1977;98(2):519-28. https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-98-2-519 79.
  76. Fukuda H, Ogawa T, Tanase S. Ethylene production by microorganisms. Adv Microbial Physiol. 1993;35:275-306.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2911(08)60101-0
  77. North JA, Miller AR, Wildenthal JA, Young SJ, Tabita FR. Microbial pathway for anaerobic 5'-methylthioadenosine metabolism coupled to ethylene formation. Proceedings National Academy Sci. 2017;114(48):E10455-64. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1711625114
  78. Bezerra MA, Santelli RE, Oliveira EP, Villar LS, Escaleira LA. Response surface methodology (RSM) as a tool for optimization in analytical chemistry. Talanta. 2008;76(5):965-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2008.05.019
  79. Ahmadi M, Vahabzadeh F, Bonakdarpour B, Mofarrah E, Mehranian M. Application of the central composite design and response surface methodology to the advanced treatment of olive oil processing wastewater using Fenton's peroxidation. J Hazard Mater. 2005;123(1-3):187-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2005.03.042
  80. Induja R, Gopal NO, Anandham R. Isolation and Screening of Ethylene Producing Bacteria. Madras Agricultural Journal. 2019;106.
  81. Lertcanawanichakul M, Sawangnop S. A comparison of two methods used for measuring the antagonistic activity of Bacillus species. Walailak J Sci Technol. 2008;5(2):161-71.
  82. Peela S, Kurada VB, Terli R. Studies on antagonistic marine actinomycetes from the Bay of Bengal. World j microbiol biotechnol. 2005 ;21:583-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11274-004-3493-5
  83. Silva DD, de Lima Cavalcanti D, de Melo EJ, dos Santos PN, da Luz EL, de Gusmão NB, de Queiroz MD. Bio-removal of diesel oil through a microbial consortium isolated from a polluted environment. Int Biodeter Biodegr. 2015;97:85-9.
  84. Maintinguer SI, Fernandes BS, Duarte IC, Saavedra NK, Adorno MA, Varesche MB. Fermentative hydrogen production by microbial consortium.Int J Hydrogen Energy. 2008;33(16):4309-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2008.06.053
  85. Miller HJ, Henken G, Veen JV. Variation and composition of bacterial populations in the rhizospheres of maize, wheat, and grass cultivars. Canadian J Microbiol. 1989;35(6):656-60. https://doi.org/10.1139/m89-106

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.