COMPOSITION AND METHOD FOR PRESERVING PLANT MATERIAL

COMPOSITION ET METHODE DE PRESERVATION DE MATERIEL VEGETAL

English Abstract

The invention is a method and composition for preserving plant material, and
an
apparatus and assay for determining one or more anti-biofilm agents useful for
preserving or extending the shelf life of plant material.

Claims

IN THE CLAIMS:
We claim:
1. A method for preserving plant material comprising isolating a biofilm from
the plant material; assaying the biofilm for one or more anti-biofilm agents;
selecting one
or more anti-biofilm agents; and contacting the plant material or portion
thereof with a
composition that comprises one or more selected anti-biofilm agents, thereby
preserving the plant material.
2. A method for preserving plant material comprising determining one or
more anti-biofilm agents effective against one or more biofilms present in
plant material,
and contacting the plant material with a composition containing at least one
anti-biofilm
agent.
8. The methods of claims 1 or 2 wherein said anti-biofilm agent is selected
from the group consisting of metals, metal compounds and nanocrystalline
silver.
4. The method of claim 2 wherein determining one or more anti-biofilm
agents comprises isolating one or more biofilms from the plant material and
placing the
biofilm in a biofilm assay device; contacting the biofilm with one or more
anti-biofilm
agents; and determining which anti-biofilm agents are most effective against
the biofilm.
5. The method of claim 2 further comprising allowing the anti-biofilm agent to
degrade or remove the biofilm.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising contacting the plant material
with a preservative after the degradation or removal of the biofilm.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2 further comprising contacting the plant material
with an ethylene inhibitor.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the ethylene inhibitor is 8-hydroxyquinoline
citrate.
9. A composition for preserving plant material comprising an anti-biofilm
agent.
10. The composition of claim 9 wherein the composition further comprises an
ethylene inhibitor, a nutrient, a carbon source, art acidifier and/or a
carrier.

Description

CA 02458110 2004-02-19
Composition and Method for Preserving Plant Mat~ariat
1. f=ield of the fnvendon
(G441] This invention relates to preserving plants, more specifically to
preserving
and or extending the Life of plants such as cut flowers.
11. Background of the invention
(0002] A need still exists for extending or improving the life of a flower
after it has
been cut or harvested. A need also exists for determining one or more anti-
biofitm
agents and one or more ethylene inhibitors that are useful in preserving or
extending
the life of a cut flower.
Ifl. Summary of the invention
[t~Rt7~] The inventors believe that one or more biafiims are present in the
stem of a
cut flower, and their presence in the interstitial portions of the stem
prevents the
effective use of agents that might pmlong the life and quality of the cut
flower.
(0004] This invention prravicies an apparatus and method for determining one
or
more anti-biofitm agents that are effeGcive against one or more biofilms in
plant material.
(0005] The invention also comprises contacting the plant material with a
composition comprising one or more anti-biof fm agents, thereby extending
storage life
or preserving the plant material, such as a cut flower. The invention also
comprises
contacting the plant rnate~~al with a composition comprising one or more
ethylene
inhibitors, thereby extending storage life or preserving the plant material or
flower.
~l?OQ6~ tn accordance with the pre$ent invention, it has been determined that
tt~e
presence of one or more biofilms andlor ethylene in plant material may affect
the
longevity ar life of the plant or cut Rawer. The present invention provides a
method and
t~wa~sss ooc:,~1

CA 02458110 2004-02-19
apparatus for assaying the presence of those laiofiim$ andlor ethylene, a
method and
apparatus far screening a panel of anti-biofiJm agents andlor ethylene, and a
method
and composition for preserving plant material by contacting the plant material
with an
anti-biofilm agent andlor an ethylene inhibitor.
iV. petailed Descripti~ri of the Invention
[00'73 The invention comprises a methfld for determining an anti-biofilm agent
effective against one ar more biofitms in plant material. The invention also
comprises a
method for determining an ethylene inhibitor effective against ethylene in
plant material.
j0008~ ~lrt emk~odiment of the invention includes preserving the Iife or
quality of plant
material by contacting it with a composition comprising one or more anti.-
biofiim agents.
The anti-biofiJm agent is itself a preservative agent to eliminate or reduce
the presence
of a biofiJm in the plant material.
jQ009~ An embodiment of the invention includes assaying plant material for the
presence of a biofilm or ethylene andtor determining one or more anti-biofiJm
agents or
ethylene inhibitor effective against the biofilm or ethylene, respectively.
j0010~ An embodiment of the invention includes extending or preserving plant
material by contacting a plant material, such as a cut flower, with a
composition
comprising an anti-biofilm agent, an ethylene inhibitor, or combinations
thereof.
jJ5011J An embodiment of the invention comprises contacting plant material
witt3 an
anti-biofJm agent composition comprising a metal or metal compound,
preferably,
nanocrystaltme silver.
f~~,4a~ss oac:~?~

CA 02458110 2004-02-19
[pDl~l Another eml~odimerlt of the invention comprises contacting plant
material
with a composition comprising an ethylene inhibitor, preferably, 8-
hydroxyquinotine
citrate.
EOfl13~ An emt~atiiment of the invention comprises determining one or more
anti-
biotiim agents, preferably using a biofitm assay device as described in one or
more of
u.S. Patents Nos. 6051423, 8326198, 64~g258, 6696585, 6599696 and 6599714.
E6414~ As used herein, plant material refers to any plant or vegetable, or
parts
thereof, including seeds, stems and flowers_ tn preferred emt3odiments of the
invention,
cut flowers refer to flowers and sterns that f,ava been cut to be used alone
or in
combination with other (towers ire a flower arrangement.
[00~1~ As used herein, anti-biofiim agent refers to any element, chemical,
biochemical, ar the like that is effective against a biofilm. ~'ypicat anti-
biofilm agents are
those that have anti-rriiat, anti-t~aaterial, anti-fungal or anti-algat
properties. Metal
and metal compounds, preferably nanocrystaltine silver, have been shown
generally to
have anti-bacterial and ethylene inhibiting properties, and are preferred anti-
biafilm
agents in accordance with the present invention. the compound 8-
hydroxyquinotine
citrate has been shown generally to have ethylene inhibiting properties, and
is the
preferred ethylene inhibiting agent in accordance with the present invention_
X001 B~ As used herein, preservative or similar words include any element,
chemical,
biocHemicat or the Pike that cart tie used to preserve or extend the shelf
life of a plant
material, such as a cut flower. A preservative rna~y be an anti-1~riofilm
agent, car may he
used in combination with an anti-faiofiim agent, or may be used after an anti-
t~io~lm
agent has removed of degraded a aiofiim.
~E4ta7399.DOC,ly3
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CA 02458110 2004-02-19
~0017~ An emtwdiment of the invention is a compr~sition comprising one or more
anti-biofilm agents. Another embodiment of the invention is a composition
compr'~sing
one or more anti-biofilm agents, one or more ethylene inhibitors, nutrients,
carbon
sources, acidfiers and other additives.
~~dl~j Although a few preferred embodiments have bean described, it will be
appreciated by those skillet# in tile art that various changes and
rtto~difications might be
made without departing from the scope of the invention. The terms and
expressions in
the #~receding spec~catiort have beers used therein as terms of description
and not of
limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms arid
expressions of
exGuding equivalents of the features shown and described or pot'tions the~enf.
it being
recognized as the scope of the invention as defanetf and limited only dy the
claims that
fiollow.
~4147399.DOC,1 }~