The effect of photosensitization mediated by curcumin on storage life of fresh date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit

The effect of photosensitization mediated by curcumin (CUR) in sanitizing the fresh date fruit surface was investigated. Approximately 3-4 μl CUR solution ranging from 1000 to 1800 μM was sprayed on the date surface, followed by irradiation using blue light at 420 nm for 10 and 15 min at light dosages of 180 J/cm2 and 270 J/cm2 respectively. After irradiation, the date was stored at 4 °C and 30 °C until fungi was visually observed. The combination of CUR and light resulted in significant (p < 0.05) extension of the shelf life and quality of fresh date. The shelf life of date fruit photosensitized by 1400 μM CUR for 10 min and stored at 30 °C lasted for 14 days in comparison to the 7 days for the control, while date stored at 4 °C lasted 98 days for the photosensitized fruit compared to the control of 28 days under the same conditions. In addition, no changes in physico-chemical characteristics were observed after treatment. The sanitization treatment of photosensitization mediated by CUR indicated a promising strategy in extending the shelf life of fresh date fruit. Clean and green technologies that are environmentally friendly like photosensitization are preferred by consumers to the synthetic chemicals used in conventional practices for sanitizing food.