Whether in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter, fruits and vegetables often spoil before we’ve even had a chance to eat them. Extending their shelf life has long challenged science.

At the Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University, PhD student Belal Abu Salha has developed a process of coating fruits and veggies with edible nanoparticles using sonochemistry. Abu Salha’s research began at his family’s strawberry nursery in the Golan Heights in northern Israel, where he often wondered how he could prolong the freshness of the fruit from the moment picked until the moment eaten.

“I used sonication, a process of applying an ultra-sound energy in a liquid, to develop nano-coated particles from chitosan. Chitosan is a natural substance derived from polymers such as chitin, polysaccharides, and proteins,” explains Abu Salha. “Sonochemistry allows the chitosan particles to embed into the surface of the fruit and coat it quickly and efficiently, and the coating significantly decreases the damage to the fruit caused by fungi and bacteria.”

The process can be used as a safe substitute for current methods to preserve produce. The coating significantly decreases damage caused by bacteria and fungi, thereby extending shelf life and preserving fresh taste and quality. Moreover, chitosan is environmentally friendly and biodegradable.

Source - Jewish Press/X - Image - Ph.D. student Belal Abu Salha. /Courtesy of Bar-Ilan University/Flash90





Image - Hadas Parush/Flash90