Air-assisted electrostatic sprays for postharvest control of fruit and vegetable spoilage microorganisms

Losses of foodstuffs following harvest can often exceed 10%-30%, much due to various fungal and other microorganisms which degrade the food in shipment and storage. In addition to these direct losses due to spoilage, certain microorganisms render foods unsafe for human consumption by natural toxins which they produce. To maintain quality and desired sensory attributes between farm and market, other fruits and vegetables require surface applications of waxes and water-loss barriers. This paper reports the research and development of an efficient electrostatic spray application method and processing-line prototype created specifically for postharvest protection of foodstuffs. In addition to relevant aspects of theoretical and technical design, the paper includes experimental results of extensive evaluations of electrostatically applied protective sprays onto bananas for international shipment-where both microbiological and mass-transfer data document typically 2.1-3.4 fold deposition improvements for food protection.