Mexican students create natural layer to protect avocados

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With wild grass and vegetable oils, a group of students from the Technological Institute of Morelia have developed a protective layer that will help extend the shelf life of avocados.

In the scientific field, the production of layers is one of the methods recently used for food preservation, and the use of vegetable oils gives this material an additional pesticidal function.

This development stands out because it uses wild grass, an agricultural waste that usually represents economic losses in crops, reducing production. It is also added with plant extracts of Leonotis Nepetifolia .

The students of Biochemical Engineering , Diana Patricia Solís Avilés and Samara Zamudio López, are responsible for the project, though they had advice from academics Fernando Covián Nares and Fernando Bedolla Cázares.

Popularly known as Bola del Rey or Christmas Candle in countries of the American continent like Mexico, this plant is native to Africa . Over the years, it has been distributed to various nations.

It has a high content of secondary metabolites that inhibit the microbial growth of different species of both bacteria and fungi, so that extracts of this plant in the preparation of green pesticides could mean an alternative to the use of chemicals that pose a risk to health and the environment.

The Mexican young students use it to stop the growth of the cause of anthracnose in avocado fruits, a disease of the plants, and extend their shelf life by up to 20 days.

In a statement, the Technological Institute of Morelia reported that the avocado is one of the fruits of major agricultural importance in Mexico, and about 260 thousand tons are exported annually, with Michoacán being the main producer worldwide.

Finally, they stated that their work could help improve their production and sale, which would represent a better performance for farmers.