Science

UV-LEDs make bygones of strawberry mold and decay

UV-LEDs make bygones of strawberry mold and decay
Selective UV light keeps beautiful, lush strawberries that way even longer (Photo: Shutterstock)
Selective UV light keeps beautiful, lush strawberries that way even longer (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Status quo: the control group of strawberries grow rot and mold
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Status quo: the control group of strawberries grow rot and mold
UV-C light inhibits mold growth, but exacerbates existing rot and damage
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UV-C light inhibits mold growth, but exacerbates existing rot and damage
UV-B light inhibits both mold and decay, with circled areas highlighting a damaged portion of the berry
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UV-B light inhibits both mold and decay, with circled areas highlighting a damaged portion of the berry
Selective UV light keeps beautiful, lush strawberries that way even longer (Photo: Shutterstock)
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Selective UV light keeps beautiful, lush strawberries that way even longer (Photo: Shutterstock)
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A truism as old as strawberry picking is the observation that the juicier and tastier the strawberries, the more quickly the berries turn to a mushy heap of rot and mold, even in the fridge. An answer to longer fruit storage may come with research showing that selective UV light inhibits both decay and the growth of mold. With new LEDs able to produce specific types of UV light, we might see gadgets for use in the fridge that keep produce fresher longer.

It's not that researchers are blind to the potential of UV light in food preservation. However, traditional mercury-based sources of UV have been shown to dry out produce. And while UV-C has long been known to be a germicide, in experiments done by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), UV-C inhibited mold growth but only worsened any existing damage in the berries. However, UV-B was found to inhibit both mold and rot, potentially by inducing defense mechanisms in the berry itself.

The issue then lies in selectively generating the desired wavelength of UV light. Manufacturing LEDs that can span the full spectrum of UV light has been a challenge, but Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi) developed technology to produce LEDs capable of only emitting UV-B. The tests the USDA did with the new LEDs showed fruit stayed mold-free for nine days, twice as long as compared to fruit refrigerated in the dark.

UV-B light inhibits both mold and decay, with circled areas highlighting a damaged portion of the berry
UV-B light inhibits both mold and decay, with circled areas highlighting a damaged portion of the berry

The lead researcher from the USDA said of the potential of this technology, "UV-LEDs presented the opportunity to try low-power devices that work well in the cold and can be engineered to work in small spaces such as refrigerator compartments.”

I'm intrigued by the promise of such a device tomorrow, but if you'll excuse me, I have some strawberries to salvage today.

Source: The Optical Society

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3 comments
3 comments
Elmar Moelzer
I think that the first places to adopt this would be the supermarkets as well as the warehouses where they are delivered from and maybe the cargo containers that transport the fruit. Consumers will probably be the last ones to get them.
Slowburn
So the berries at the outside of the container look good while the rest in the shadow rot.
sk8dad
So, how does one completely illuminate every strawberry? Clearly we cannot have a berry-sized integrating sphere of UV LED's for each fruit...