Scientists at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), in collaboration with Worrell Water Technologies, have developed a small plastic pouch designed to make produce safer.
The pouch, which is only half the size of a credit card, emits chlorine dioxide gas which kills bacteria and pathogens including Escherichia coli from the surfaces of the produce.
It features a semi-permeable membrane to ensure that the gas is released slowly. Otherwise, it has been seen during the initial development of the pouch that chlorine dioxide gas when released quickly can cause chemical burns on fruits and vegetables.
According to Worrell Water, it is the first time that packing houses and wholesalers will get to use a plastic pouch packaged with chlorine dioxide to keep their produce fresh.
ARS volunteers have found that the treatment with chlorine dioxide in the pouch didn’t alter the taste or appearance of grapefruits which were tested by Worrell Water.
It has been claimed by the company that grapefruits which were packaged in the pouch had 10 times lesser bacterial and fungal pathogens compared to grapefruits stored without pouches. Both the sets of grapefruits were tested under normal packing, shipping, and storage conditions, said Worrell Water.
The company worked on the new type of pouch with plant pathologist Jinhe Bai and his colleagues at the US Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Bai said that other laboratory tests demonstrated a 100,000-fold reduction in E. coli levels in inoculated grape tomatoes stored with the pouches.
ARS has stated that the pouches do have the potential to sanitize other fruits and vegetables apart from those tested. However, the in-house research agency of the US Department of Agriculture added that more studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of the pouches in storing certain fruits and vegetables.
