New Nano Packing Box Reduces Transport Loss Extends Mango Shelf Life

The cooperation topic of this nanotechnology was funded by the International Development Research Center. The scientists in the research group came from Canada, India and Sri Lanka. The application of this nanotechnology packaging box can increase the toughness of the fruit, so that the mango can maintain high quality after long-distance shipping.

It is reported that the key to this technology is "biocompound acetaldehyde," which is a substance secreted by wounded plants in the natural world, and this substance can ease the loss after harvest. Researchers from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Sri Lanka Institute of Technology who are involved in this project have been able to artificially synthesize it and have already tested it.

Through several field tests in Indian mango gardens, scientists have found that spraying low concentrations of acetaldehyde can delay fruit ripening for three weeks. With these winning times, producers can stagger time into the market and gain better returns, while also being able to move mangoes to higher-margin export markets, increasing revenue by up to 15%.

A report from the International Development Research Center stated that after the harvest season, fruit growers can spray mango with acetaldehyde, which can give mangoes a longer shelf life - 26 days in the cold state plus 17 days at room temperature . With the invention of this technology, special packaging boxes were also designed. These boxes contained banana fibers impregnated with acetaldehyde. Using a nanofiber matrix of banana fibers, this technology can modulate the volatilization of acetaldehyde.

The report also mentioned that the design of this special packaging box can reduce the loss during transportation. They are strong and can be stacked together without damaging the fruit inside. Only this measure can reduce the loss after harvest by 10%-15%.

India is the world's largest producer of mangoes, and Sri Lanka can produce nearly 90,000 metric tons of mango every year. Therefore, this type of nano-packaging box is of great significance to these two countries.

According to a report from the International Development Research Center, although South Asian fruit production is very competitive worldwide, due to poor processing and storage facilities, the region's products can only meet half of the market demand. The annual losses caused by waste are as high as 35% of the total output, amounting to billions of dollars.

Historically, mango production areas throughout India have suffered severe post-harvest losses due to the lack of cold chain equipment. Therefore, inventing a new packaging method may be one of the solutions to this problem.

In Sri Lanka, the research team has devised a system that uses acetaldehyde-saturated fiber paper to package the waxed mango. This will increase the shelf life of mango from the original four days to 21 days, making it able to withstand long-distance transportation.

However, despite the fact that acetaldehyde has proven to be very effective, acetaldehyde itself has a shelf life of only 6-8 hours. This means that researchers also need further research to create a ready-to-use formula. After hard work, the scientists discovered that since acetaldehyde is a volatile compound, soaking it in the packaging material may help inhibit its volatilization, thereby reducing the loss of fruit during storage and transportation. This discovery also requires further expansion of research projects and extensive investigations to ensure that the technology can be commercialized.

(Original title: New nanometer packaging box can extend the shelf life of mango)