Enhancing shelf life of bananas by using atmospheric pressure pulsed cold plasma treatment of the storage atmosphere

Abstract

Multiple nonthermal antimicrobial treatments and/or modified atmosphere have �been tested to extend the shelf life of banana storage. Cold plasma is an environmentally friendly antimicrobial technology with the potential to enhance the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of recirculated air treated with nonthermal �nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure microsecond-pulsed direct barrier discharge plasma (msp-DBD or “cold plasma”) on the shelf life of bananas. Bananas were exposed to plasma-treated air for 1 week at room temperature and normal pressure and humidity. The change in weight, color, surface morphology, and sugar content of bananas was investigated. Plasma treatment caused no significant change in weight, color, surface morphology, or sugar content of bananas. Addition-ally, mold growth was observed in untreated samples after storage, but was absent in plasma-treated samples. This study demonstrated that the mspDBD technique has the potential to prolong the shelf life of bananas compared with conventional methods by inhibiting pathogen growth in post-harvest storage conditions.