In an effort to improve food safety and reduce food waste, UBC researchers have created a natural solution that not only removes pesticides but also makes perishable produce last longer.
According to UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, the researchers have developed a washing solution that removes pesticide residue and slows down spoilage.
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“We started this study because we wanted to use technology to reduce pesticides,” said Tianxi Yang, assistant professor and senior author of the research project.
“After we developed the wash, we thought, why not use the wash to keep the produce lasting longer?”
The researchers found that washing the fruits with water or baking soda only removed half of the pesticides, but the natural wash removed up to 94 per cent.
In addition, grapes that were dipped in the solution stayed plump for 15 days at room temperature, but without the wash, they could only stay fresh for 5 days.
The wash had the same effect on apple slices.
“We will put the fresh apples in our washing solution, and then we let them dry,” explained Ling Guo, a UBC Master’s student.
“After it dries, it will form a layer on the surface which protects it from browning.”
The all-natural wash took around two years to develop and contains ingredients like starch, iron, and tannic acid.
While pesticide levels on store-bought fruits are tightly regulated and safe to consume, the wash gives an extra layer of assurance.
“Traditional pesticide washes are effective for removing pesticides, but there’s no study to show they can extend the shelf life,” Yang said.
“This wash can be used in commercial processing facilities or at farms before they ship the produce. We can also make a spray or tablet that can dissolve into the solutions at home to spray our produce.”
The solution still requires further testing before being launched for household use, but researchers say that the goal is to help people feel more confident about their produce and create less food waste.
