Phospholipase D inhibition by hexanal is associated with calcium signal transduction events in raspberry

Researchers have shown that a simple pre-harvest spray could significantly increase the shelf life of raspberries. A team led by Jayasankar Subramanian of Canada ’s University of Guelph-Vineland Station evaluated the changes in raspberries sprayed with hexanal, a plant defensive chemical which has been approved as a food additive by the FDA. While fruit sweetness and acidity remained unaltered, the treatment increased the force needed to separate the edible part of the raspberry from the stem, a measure of how firm the fruit is. Electron microscopy revealed that treated fruit had more abundant hairs attaching the berry to the stem. Hexanal treatment also caused calcium crystals to appear on the berries and changed the expression of genes related to calcium signaling. These findings demonstrate that hexanal application can increase the post-harvest life of this fragile fruit.