Department of Biology, Utica College, Utica, New York, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2018 Apr 17;13(4):e0192749. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192749. eCollection 2018.
Erythritol, a non-nutritive polyol, is the main component of the artificial sweetener Truvia®. Recent research has indicated that erythritol may have potential as an organic insecticide, given its harmful effects on several insects but apparent safety for mammals. However, for erythritol to have practical use as an insecticide in agricultural settings, it must have neutral to positive effects on crop plants and other non-target organisms. We examined the dose-dependent effects of erythritol (0, 5, 50, 500, 1000, and 2000 mM) on corn (Zea mays) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedling growth and seed germination. Erythritol caused significant reductions in both belowground (root) and aboveground (shoot) dry weight at and above the typical minimum insecticidal dose (500 mM erythritol) in tomato plants, but not in corn plants. Both corn and tomato seed germination was inhibited by erythritol but the tomato seeds appeared to be more sensitive, responding at concentrations as low as 50 mM erythritol (in contrast to a minimum damaging dose of 1000 mM erythritol for corn seeds). Our results suggest erythritol may have damaging non-target effects on certain plant crops when used daily at the typical doses needed to kill insect pests. Furthermore, if erythritol's damaging effects extend to certain weed species, it also may have potential as an organic herbicide.
赤藓糖醇，一种非营养性多元醇，是人工甜味剂 Truvia®的主要成分。最近的研究表明，赤藓糖醇可能具有作为有机杀虫剂的潜力，因为它对几种昆虫具有有害影响，但对哺乳动物显然是安全的。然而，为了使赤藓糖醇在农业环境中作为杀虫剂具有实际用途，它必须对作物植物和其他非目标生物具有中性到积极的影响。我们研究了赤藓糖醇（0、5、50、500、1000 和 2000 mM）对玉米（Zea mays）和番茄（Solanum lycopersicum）幼苗生长和种子发芽的剂量依赖性影响。赤藓糖醇在番茄植物中，在典型的最小杀虫剂量（500 mM 赤藓糖醇）及以上剂量下，显著降低了地下（根）和地上（茎）干重，而在玉米植物中则没有。赤藓糖醇抑制玉米和番茄种子的萌发，但番茄种子似乎更敏感，在赤藓糖醇浓度低至 50 mM 时就有反应（而玉米种子的最小损伤剂量为 1000 mM 赤藓糖醇）。我们的研究结果表明，赤藓糖醇在每天使用杀死害虫所需的典型剂量时，可能对某些植物作物具有有害的非靶标效应。此外，如果赤藓糖醇的破坏作用扩展到某些杂草物种，它也可能具有作为有机除草剂的潜力。
