The Effect of Cold Plasma by Nano Titanium in Cathode on the Shelf Life and Quality Characteristics of Strawberry Fruits

Abstract

Different post-harvest diseases in fruits and vegetables cause heavy economic losses
worldwide. Strawberry fruit is extremely corruptible and prone to mechanical damage, rotting,
and physiological bruising in postharvest period. Nowadays, one of the essential issues in
societies is to reduce postharvest losses of fresh crops to increase food security and prevent
loss of capital. In this study, cold plasma was used to reduce degradation rate of it during 7
days of storage and increase shelf life. Samples of strawberry were treated with cold plasma jet
using helium gas for 5 min and color indicators were measured immediately after the plasma
application. The results indicated no significant difference between the indicators in control
and treated samples. According to the results of sensory evaluation after 7 days of storage, the
texture, color, and general acceptance (acceptability) of plasma-treated samples were
significantly better than those of control samples, but no significant difference was observed
in terms of the odor. In this context, it may be concluded that cold plasma may be considered
a novel approach to increase shelf life of strawberry fruits.