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Electrospun Nanofibers Containing TiO2 for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Ethylene and Delaying Postharvest Ripening of Bananas

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Abstract

The study aimed to develop a nanofiber film for photocatalytic degradation of ethylene and slowing down the ripening of banana fruit. Nanofibers containing different amounts of TiO2 nanoparticles (1 wt%, 5 wt%, and 10 wt%) were prepared using electrospinning method. Nanofibers containing 5 wt% TiO2 exhibited a nano-scale structure, good nanoparticle uniformity, and an anatase phase as characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Nanofibers containing 5 wt% TiO2 were tested in a photocatalytic reactor and showed higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of ethylene. The utility of the photocatalytic reaction was further confirmed via a banana fruit-ripening test. The TiO2 nanofiber successfully delayed the color change and softening of bananas during storage. The results suggest that the TiO2 nanofiber offers photocatalytic degradation of ethylene and could potentially be used as packaging material for delaying postharvest fruit ripening.

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Funding

The study was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFD0401302), Beijing Natural Science Foundation (2172039), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRF-BR-17-033A).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Bioengineering, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Zhu Zhu & Yongqiang Wen

  2. College of Chemistry & Environmental Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, Hebei, China

    Yibo Zhang & Yanli Shang

Authors
  1. Zhu Zhu
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  2. Yibo Zhang
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  3. Yanli Shang
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  4. Yongqiang Wen
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Correspondence to Yanli Shang or Yongqiang Wen.

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Zhu, Z., Zhang, Y., Shang, Y. et al. Electrospun Nanofibers Containing TiO2 for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Ethylene and Delaying Postharvest Ripening of Bananas. Food Bioprocess Technol 12, 281–287 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-018-2207-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-018-2207-1

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