Application of electrolyzed water in postharvest fruits and vegetables storage: A review

• Published in: Trends in food science & technology Vol. 114; pp. 599 - 607
• Main Authors: Zhang, Wanli, Cao, Jiankang, Jiang, Weibo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Elsevier Ltd 01.08.2021; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Bioactive compounds; Biological activity; Browning; Chilling; Cooling; Disinfectants; Disinfection; Disinfection & disinfectants; Economic impact; Electrolyzed water; Fruits; Fruits and vegetables; Functional foods & nutraceuticals; Metabolism; Molecular structure; Pesticide residues; Pesticides; Pollutant removal; Post-harvest decay; Postharvest; Residues; Senescence; Shelf life; Sterilization; Storage; Vegetables; Postharvest; Electrolyzed water; Fruits and vegetables
• ISSN: 0924-2244; 1879-3053
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2021.06.005

Due to rapid senescence and disease, a large amount of economic losses of fresh fruits and vegetables (F&V) occurs during postharvest stage. As a non-residue physical sterilization and preservation method, many scientists have recently applied electrolyzed water (EW) to postharvest F&V storage. This article reviews recent applications of EW in postharvest storage of F&V, including effects on sterilization and removal of pesticide residues. Moreover, this work summaries the effect of EW treatment on improving postharvest F&V quality during storage including suppressing browning, delaying senescence, maintaining nutraceutical/bioactive compounds and alleviating chilling injury. This work reviews the application of EW as a disinfectant to postharvest F&V in recent years, and concludes that EW controls the postharvest diseases caused by fungal infections not only through the direct inhibition to pathogen, but also seems to be related to the increased resistance of host induced by EW. In addition, this article also summarizes the application of EW as a pesticide remover in postharvest F&V and reveals the types as well as molecular structures of target pesticides that acidic electrolyzed water (AEW) and alkaline electrolyzed water (ALEW) may act on. Particular finding is that in addition to the efficacy of disinfection and removing pesticide residues, EW also gets involved in regulating the physiological metabolism of postharvest F&V, which plays an important role in improving the quality and extending the shelf life of fresh products. The main applications of EW in improving the quality of postharvest F&V include (Ⅰ) suppress browning, (Ⅱ) delay senescence, (Ⅲ) maintain bioactive compounds, and (Ⅳ) alleviate chilling injury. In addition, the potential biochemical mechanisms of EW on improving quality of postharvest F&V are also discussed. •Electrolyzed water (EW) can be used commercially for disinfection of F&V.•The application of EW in postharvest F&V can remove a variety of pesticides.•EW is a promising treatment in improving quality of postharvest F&V.