BEIJING,Nov.20(Xinhua)--Blueberriesaretart,juicybutdonotlastverylongoncetheyhavebeenpicked,soitisbesttoeatthemquicklybeforetheyturnintomush.Allthiscouldchange,however,asanewstudyfoundthatcompoundsfromsunflowercropwastecouldpreventrottinginthegem-likefruit,helpingprolongitsshelflife.LedbyresearchersfromKunmingInstituteofBotanyundertheChineseAcademyofSciences,thestudyfocusedonsunflowerstems,whicharegenerallyconsideredtobeawasteproduct.Previousexperimentsshowthestemsareresistanttomanyplantdiseases,soresearchersdecidedtoexplorewhetherthestemsmighthavecomponentsresponsibleforthisprotectiveeffect,andwhethertheycouldbeusedtofightfungalplantpathogensinfruit,asawaytoavoidthetoxicityandresistanceassociatedwithchemicalfungicides.Theresearchersusedchemicalstoprepareextractsfromsunflowerstems.Theythenisolatedandidentifiedthecomponentsintheseextracts.Theyfound17diterpenoids,mostofwhichshowedactivityagainstgraymold.Fourofthecompounds--includingtwoofthenewlyidentifiedones--wereeffectiveatdestroyingtheplasmamembraneofthisfungus,causingitscellstoleakandpreventingitfromformingbiofilms.Inanothertest,theresearcherswetblueberrieswiththestemextracts,thendriedthefruitsandinjectedthemwithmold.Overaperiodofsixdays,theextractsprotectedalmosthalftheberriesfrommoldgrowth.ThestudyresultswerepublishedintheJournalofAgriculturalandFoodChemistry,apublicationoftheAmericanChemicalSociety.Theresearcherssuggestthatthefoodindustrycouldusethenaturalantifungalcompoundstoprotectagainstpost-harvestdiseases.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.