Abstract
Penetration ability is one of the biggest concerns of light-emitting diode (LED) technology in the food industry, as most food matrices are usually in packaged conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal effects of LEDs on both pure culture and litchi fruit, which are packaged by nine commonly used commercial packaging films. Results showed that LEDs could penetrate these films with more than 88% energy transmittance. Under the same illumination condition, the inhibition rate in film packaged samples decreased by 8–35%. The difference might be due to the partial shielding of light by the films selected. However, when the illumination time was further extended, 410–420 nm LED still achieved complete inhibition of Fusarium sp. and Geotrichum candidum conidia in all tested films, particularly polyethylene (PE) 0.003 mm, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In vivo trials showed that LED illumination reduced the fungal populations on packaged litchi by ~ 99% with better physicochemical properties than the non-packaged ones. Although the presence of packaging films did affect the inactivation efficacy of LED, this study demonstrated that LED technology has the potential to be used for the decontamination of packaged litchi fruit and other packaged foods.
Graphical Abstract
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.
References
Chen, M., Lin, H., Zhang, S., Lin, Y., Chen, Y., & Lin, Y. (2015). Effects of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) treatment on postharvest physiology, quality and storage behavior of longan fruit. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 8, 971–982. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-014-1462-z
Chong, L., Ghate, V., Zhou, W., & Yuk, H. G. (2022). Developing an LED preservation technology to minimize strawberry quality deterioration during distribution. Food Chemistry, 366, 130566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130566.
Chua, A., Chong, L., Ghate, V., Yuk, H. G., & Zhou, W. (2021). Antifungal action of 405 nm light emitting diodes on tomatoes in a meso-scale system and their effect on the physicochemical properties. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 172, 111366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2020.111366.
Dai, T., Gupta, A., Murray, C. K., Vrahas, M. S., Tegos, G. P., & Hamblin, M. R. (2012). Blue light for infectious diseases: Propionibacterium acnes, helicobacter pylori, and beyond? Drug Resistance Updates : Reviews and commentaries in antimicrobial and anticancer Chemotherapy, 15, 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drup.2012.07.001
Djenane, D., Sánchez-Escalante, A., Beltrán, J., & Roncalés, P. (2001). Extension of the retail display life of fresh beef packaged in modified atmosphere by varying lighting conditions. Journal of Food Science, 66, 181–186. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2001.tb15603.x
Droby S, Wisniewski M, Benkeblia N (2011) Postharvest pathology of tropical and subtropical fruit and strategies for decay control. In: Yahia EM (ed) Postharvest biology and technology of tropical and subtropical fruits: fundamental issues. Woodhead Publishing, Cambridge, UK, pp 194–223. https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857093622.194.
Du, Y., Sun, J., Tian, Z., Cheng, Y., & Long, C. (2023). Effect of blue light treatments on Geotrichum citri-aurantii and the corresponding physiological mechanisms of citrus. Food Control, 145, 109468. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109468.
Ghate, V., Yew, I., Zhou, W., & Yuk, H. G. (2021). Influence of temperature and relative humidity on the antifungal effect of 405 nm LEDs against Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer and their inactivation on strawberries and tomatoes. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 359, 109427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109427
Ha, J. W., Back, K. H., Kim, Y. H., & Kang, D. H. (2016). Efficacy of UV-C irradiation for inactivation of food-borne pathogens on sliced cheese packaged with different types and thicknesses of plastic films. Food Microbiology, 57, 172–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2016.02.007.
Hasperué, J. H., Guardianelli, L., Rodoni, L. M., Chaves, A. R., & Martínez, G. A. (2016). Continuous white–blue LED light exposition delays postharvest senescence of broccoli. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 65, 495–502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2015.08.041.
Howarter, J. A., & Youngblood, J. P. (2008). Self-cleaning and next generation anti‐fog surfaces and coatings. Macromolecular Rapid Communications, 29, 455–466. https://doi.org/10.1002/marc.200700733.
Hyun, J. E., & Lee, S. Y. (2020). Antibacterial effect and mechanisms of action of 460–470 nm light-emitting diode against Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas fluorescens on the surface of packaged sliced cheese. Food Microbiology, 86, 103314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2019.103314.
Imada, K., Tanaka, S., Ibaraki, Y., Yoshimura, K., & Ito, S. (2014). Antifungal effect of 405-nm light on Botrytis cinerea. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 59, 670–676. https://doi.org/10.1111/lam.12330
Keklik, N., Demirci, A., & Puri, V. (2010). Decontamination of unpackaged and vacuum-packaged boneless chicken breast with pulsed ultraviolet light. Poultry Science, 89, 570–581. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.2008-00476.
Kumar, A., Ghate, V., Kim, M., Zhou, W., Khoo, G., & Yuk, H. (2016). Antibacterial efficacy of 405, 460 and 520 nm light emitting diodes on Lactobacillus plantarum, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 120, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.12975.
Linke, M., & Geyer, M. (2013). Condensation dynamics in plastic film packaging of fruit and vegetables. Journal of Food Engineering, 116, 144–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2012.11.026.
Liu, R., Zhu, X., Wang, J., & Huang, C. (2023). Activated release of chlorine dioxide gas from polyvinyl alcohol microcapsule (ethylcellulose/sodium-chlorite) hybrid films for active packaging of litchi during postharvest storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 196, 112173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2022.112173.
Maclean, M., MacGregor, S. J., Anderson, J. G., Woolsey, G., et al. (2009). Inactivation of bacterial pathogens following exposure to light from a 405-nanometer light-emitting diode array. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75, 1932. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01892-08
Mahjabin, S., Haque, M. M., Sobayel, K., Selvanathan, V., Jamal, M., Bashar, M., Sultana, M., Hossain, M. I., Shahiduzzaman, M., Algethami, M., et al. (2022). Investigation of morphological, optical, and dielectric properties of RF sputtered WOx thin films for optoelectronic applications. Nanomaterials, 12, 3467. https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12193467
Mangaraj, S., Goswami, T., & Mahajan, P. (2009). Applications of plastic films for modified atmosphere packaging of fruits and vegetables: A review. Food Engineering Reviews, 1, 133–158. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12393-009-9007-3.
Marangoni Junior, L., Cristianini, M., & Anjos, C. A. R. (2020). Packaging aspects for processing and quality of foods treated by pulsed light. Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 44, e14902. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.14902.
Menetrez, M., Foarde, K., Dean, T., & Betancourt, D. (2010). The effectiveness of UV irradiation on vegetative bacteria and fungi surface contamination. Chemical Engineering Journal, 157, 443–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2009.12.004.
Mukhopadhyay, S., Sokorai, K., Ukuku, D. O., Jin, T., Fan, X., Olanya, O. M., Leng, J., Juneja, V., et al. (2021). Effects of direct and in-package pulsed light treatment on inactivation of E. coli O157: H7 and reduction of microbial loads in Romaine lettuce. LWT, 139, 110710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110710
Pennisi, G., Orsini, F., Castillejo, N., Gómez, P. A., Crepaldi, A., Fernández, J. A., Egea-Gilabert, C., Artés-Hernández, F., & Gianquinto, G. (2021). Spectral composition from led lighting during storage affects nutraceuticals and safety attributes of fresh-cut red chard (Beta vulgaris) and rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) leaves. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 175, 111500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2021.111500.
Purbey, S., Pongener, A., Marboh, E. S., & Lal, N. (2019). Advances in packaging of litchi fruit to maintain the quality. Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 38, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.9734/cjast/2019/v38i130342.
Suresh, R., Ponnuswamy, V., & Mariappan, R. (2015). Influence of mole concentration on the optical properties of nebulized spray coated CeO2 thin films. Journal of Optics, 44, 203–209. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12596-015-0265-6.
Tarek, A. R., Rasco, B., & Sablani, S. S. (2015). Ultraviolet-C light inactivation kinetics of E. coli on bologna beef packaged in plastic films. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 8, 1267–1280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-015-1487-y
Yamaga, I., & Nakamura, S. (2018). Blue LED irradiation induces scoparone production in wounded satsuma mandarin ‘Aoshima Unshu’ and reduces fruit decay during long-term storage. The Horticulture Journal, 87, 474–480. https://doi.org/10.2503/hortj.OKD-147
Yu, X., Chen, J., Zhong, J., Deng, W., Zhang, Z., Wu, Y., & Zheng, Q. (2023a). Antifungal efficacy of LEDs against major postharvest pathogens of litchi fruit in vitro and in vivo. Food Control, 154, 110019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.110019.
Yu, X., Deng, W., Zhang, Z., Zou, Y., Wei, T., Lin, J., Guo, L., Yuk, H. G., Ye, Z., & Zheng, Q. (2023b). Development and optimization of LED systems for surface fungal decontamination of fresh produce. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 200, 112323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2023.112323
Yu, X., Zhang, Z., Jiang, Z., & Zheng, Q. (2023c). Recent advances in the application of LEDs-based hurdle technology for enhancing food safety. Food Engineering Reviews, 15(2), 196–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12393-023-09344-4
Yu, X., Zheng, P., Zou, Y., Ye, Z., Wei, T., Lin, J., Guo, L., Yuk, H. G., & Zheng, Q. (2022). A review on recent advances in LED-based non-thermal technique for food safety: Current applications and future trends. Critical Reviews In Food Science And Nutrition, 63(25), 7692–7707. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2049201
Zhang, X., Zhang, M., Chitrakar, B., Devahastin, S., & Guo, Z. (2022). Novel combined use of red-white LED illumination and modified atmosphere packaging for maintaining storage quality of postharvest pakchoi. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 15, 590–605. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-022-02771-x.
Zheng, L., Situ, J., Zhu, Q., Xi, P., Zheng, Y., Liu, H., & Zhou, X. (2019). Identification of volatile organic compounds for the biocontrol of postharvest litchi fruit pathogen Peronophythora litchii. Postharvest Biology and Technology, 155, 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2019.05.009
Funding
This work was supported by the Guangdong Province Science and Technology Plan Project (International Science and Technology Cooperation Field) (Grant No. 2020A0505100049).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Xinpeng Yu: Conceptualization, writing - original draft, investigation, methodology and experiment design. Qianwang Zheng: Writing - review and editing, funding acquisition, project administration and supervision. Jinglei Chen and Junyong Zhong: Visualization, data curation and validation. Ziqian Zhang, Yingyin Wu and Yuan Zou: Software and investigation. Tao Wei and Junfang Lin: Formal analysis and supervision.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Yu, X., Chen, J., Zhong, J. et al. Antifungal Efficacy of LEDs for Spoilage Pathogens on Litchi Fruit Packaged with Different Types and Thicknesses of Films. Food Bioprocess Technol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-024-03440-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-024-03440-x