May 11, 2024

Holy Guacamole! Using Science To Help Avocados Stay Fresh Longer

The researchers state that their chitosan-based finishing and forecast technique might assist enhance the shelf life and quality of avocados for sale.

Scientists have actually developed a chitosan-based covering that can extend the life span of avocados, according to a research study published in ACS Food Science & & Technology. Chitosan, a biomaterial originated from shellfish exoskeletons, was compared to the frequently used 1-methyl-cyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment. Avocados treated with a 1.5% chitosan-based coating stayed at optimal ripeness for 12 days, twice as long as unattended samples or those treated with 1-MCP. The group likewise established an imaging method using hyperspectral video cameras and artificial intelligence models to anticipate the rack life of avocados, which could improve their quality for sale.
A chitosan-based covering has actually been established by researchers to extend avocados life span and an imaging technique to anticipate their remaining shelf life. The coating outshined conventional methods, keeping avocados efficiently ripe for 12 days, while an accompanying maker learning design helps to assess quality.
Smashed on toast, creamed in guacamole, or mixed into salad dressing, avocados always seem to be popular. The fruits are notoriously picky, going from pale green and firm to brown and mushy in the blink of an eye. Now, scientists in ACS Food Science & & Technology report a chitosan-based coating that maintains them for longer periods. The group likewise established an imaging strategy to quickly predict their rack life.
To tell if avocados are ripe, most individuals gently squeeze them, and a little sponginess indicates that theyre mature. And more recently, studies have actually revealed that naturally-derived chitosan– a biomaterial obtained from shellfish exoskeletons– imparts antimicrobial activity when used as a finish to fruits, including avocados. Angie Homez-Jara, Angelica Sandoval-Aldana, and coworkers desired to compare the efficiency of the 2 preservation methods on avocados quality and rack life.

Avocados treated with a 1.5% chitosan-based coating stayed at optimal ripeness for 12 days, two times as long as unattended samples or those treated with 1-MCP. The group also developed an imaging technique using hyperspectral cameras and device knowing models to predict the shelf life of avocados, which could improve their quality for sale.
And more recently, research studies have actually revealed that naturally-derived chitosan– a biomaterial derived from shellfish exoskeletons– imparts antimicrobial activity when applied as a coating to fruits, consisting of avocados. Angie Homez-Jara, Angelica Sandoval-Aldana, and associates desired to compare the effectiveness of the two conservation approaches on avocados quality and rack life.

A chitosan-based finishing (used on the fruits revealed here) and a forecast strategy could improve the quality of avocados. Credit: Adapted from ACS Food Science & & Technology 2023, DOI: 10.1021/ acsfoodscitech.3 c00084.
The scientists dealt with commercially fully grown Hass avocados with either gaseous 1-MCP or water-based options that consisted of various concentrations of chitosan. Imitating reasonable transportation conditions, treated and untreated avocados were cooled at 41 degrees Fahrenheit for 21 days and then moved to space temperature to replicate a grocery store environment, until they were rotten.
Throughout the research study, the researchers also imaged the entire surface area of the fruits with hyperspectral video cameras in the near-infrared and noticeable spectrum. Then the reflectance data from the images were compared to the avocados firmness, peel color, oxygen usage, and weight-loss, using a variety of computer designs. Two device learning designs best explained the changes that took place throughout the avocados ripening and could predict their staying life span. The scientists state that their chitosan-based covering and forecast method could help enhance the service life and quality of avocados for sale.
Reference: “Postharvest Treatments of Hass Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) and Estimation of Its Quality Using Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI)” by Angie Homez-Jara, Henry Cardenas-Roa, Miguel Montealegre, Loong-Tak Lim, Maria G. Corradini, Henry Alexander Váquiro-Herrera and Angelica Sandoval-Aldana, 3 May 2023, ACS Food Science & & Technology.DOI: 10.1021/ acsfoodscitech.3 c00084.
The authors acknowledge funding and support from the Gobernación del Tolima, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Program, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program and the SMART Training Platform.