Mexican researchers are studying a mix of chloride dioxide and sea yeast as a protective agent for citrus fruit cultivars, website Am.com.mx reported.

Center of Biological Research of the Northeast (CIBNOR) experts are looking to the chloride dioxide to kill pathogens while the yeast would form a protective layer on fruit surface.

In particular, the yeast would guard against mildew and mold species, particularly penicillium digitatum and penicillium italicum.

To achieve this the fruit would first be submerged or washed with the chloride dioxide to sterilize it and then passed through a hopper with water that contains the yeast, which is part of the debaryomyces genus.

This process would allow the fruit to maintain longer during the cold storage and selling process. The work was started 10 years ago by the late Dr. Jose Luis Ochoa, but is still in a test stage and is not being used commercially yet.

The debaryomyces is also being used to boost the immune systems of shrimp, fish and octopus by exposing them to the yeast at the larval stage and thus increasing the chances that the specimen would reach maturity.

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Photo: Apsnet.org

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