Treatment with TTO or EtOH enhanced most of these free-radical scavenging capacities, except for H2O2 in strawberries, and for O2- and 1O2 in blackberries. These results indicated that all of the natural volatile compounds tested in this study, except AITC, promoted the antioxidant capacity and scavenging capacity of most major free radicals and, thus, helped to improve the physiology of berry fruits and enhanced their resistance to decay. While AITC was also very effective in reducing decay, its effect on free-radical scavenging capacity was inconsistent, suggesting that additional mechanisms may be involved in its inhibition of fungal growth. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry