Effect of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on Shelf Life of Commonly Used Vegetables

Abstract

Most of the harvested fruits and vegetables cannot be stored in natural conditions for satisfactory shelf life duration due to their perishable nature. Applications of nanotechnology to fruits and vegetables shelf life extension may overcome the shortcomings of traditional preservation technologies because nanotechnology has many unique properties. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) synthesized from Nigella sativa extract on shelf life of cucumber and tomato. Nanoparticles were characterized by using UV-Vis spectrophotometry and particle size analyzer. Vegetables were soaked in tap water, distilled water and treated with different concentrations of ZnO NPs (0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 g/100 mL). The effect of ZnO NPs on vegetables quality factor like external appearance, weight loss measurement, carotenoid content and total phenolic content was observed. The result showed that ZnO NPs reduced weight loss, delayed disease development and maintained firmness to extend shelf life of vegetables.