Silk Coating Protects Fruit at Room Temperature

Silk Coating Protects Fruit at Room Temperature
May-07-16
A silk coating created by the team from Tufts University can keep fruits fresher at room temperature, and is also safe to eat.

The coating is made up of a solution of one percent silk fibroin, which the team dunked the strawberries in repeatedly to create a multi-layer coating. The coated fruits were then exposed to water vapor in a vacuum, which created crystalline beta-sheets in the coating—the long the exposure, the thicker the sheets and the more robust the coating. In tests, the coated fruits remained firm and juicy even after seven days at room temperature.

According to the team, the process works by making the fruit less permeable to oxygen and carbon dioxide, thus slowing respiration and therefore decay.

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[POPSCI.COM]
[NOW.TUFTS.EDU]
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