{"id":391045,"date":"2026-04-14T06:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/391045\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T06:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:00:07","slug":"new-wash-removes-pesticides-and-extends-produce-shelf-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/391045\/","title":{"rendered":"New Wash Removes Pesticides and Extends Produce Shelf Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

VANCOUVER, Canada \u2014 University of British Columbia researchers have developed a natural, biodegradable wash that removed up to 96 per cent of pesticide residue from fruit and slowed browning and moisture loss.<\/p>\n

This could mean safer apples, grapes and other fruit that also stays fresh and crisp for days longer. With rising food prices and nearly half of all fresh produce wasted worldwide each year, finding a way to cut pesticide exposure and reduce spoilage could have a big impact. The findings were published in\u00a0ACS Nano<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal was to create a simple, safe and affordable wash that improves both food safety and food quality,\u201d said senior author Dr. Tianxi Yang, an assistant professor in UBC\u2019s faculty of land and food systems. \u201cPeople shouldn\u2019t have to choose between eating fresh produce and worrying about what\u2019s on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A safe, plant\u2011based way to clean produce<\/p>\n

While pesticide levels on fruits<\/a> and vegetables are tightly regulated, trace residues often remain. For people who eat a lot of the same fruit or vegetables\u2014like kids scarfing down big bowls of berries\u2014the amount of residue can go over recommended limits. It was this concern, prompted by Dr. Yang\u2019s son\u2019s love of fresh blueberries, that sparked her search for a better way to clean fruit.<\/p>\n

The new wash uses tiny particles made from starch\u2014the same carbohydrate found in corn and potatoes\u2014capped in iron and tannic acid.\u00a0 Tannic acid is a plant compound that gives tea and wine their dry taste. When iron and tannic acid join together, they form sticky, sponge\u2011like clusters that can grab onto pesticides and lift them off the fruit\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n

The team tested the wash by applying three commonly used pesticides to apples at typical, real-world concentrations of about 10 milligrams per litre.<\/p>\n

In tests on apples, the wash removed between 86 and 96 per cent of these pesticides. Rinsing with tap water, baking soda or plain starch typically removes less than half.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image showing time-lapse capture of grapes and apples dipped in the UBC wash browning and losing less moisture compared to the controls. (Credit: Tianxi Yang\/UBC Media Relations)
\nA coating that keeps fruit fresher, longer<\/p>\n

After washing, the fruit is dipped in the solution once again to form a light edible, biodegradable layer. Fresh\u2011cut apples treated with the coating browned much more slowly and lost less water over two days in the fridge. Whole grapes stayed plump for 15 days at room temperature, compared with noticeable shriveling in untreated grapes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coating acts like a breathable second skin. Measures of food quality like acidity and soluble sugars also remained higher in coated fruit,\u201d said Dr. Yang.<\/p>\n

The coating also showed antimicrobial effects, meaning it can inhibit harmful bacteria.<\/p>\n

The study estimated that washing a medium apple in the solution would introduce a safe amount of iron, well below the daily upper limit for adults set by North American food authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond safety and shelf life, our formulation uses micronutrients like iron and phenolic compounds that offer additional health benefits,\u201d said Dr. Yang. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t just reduce risk\u2014it can also add nutritional value.\u201d<\/p>\n

From commercial processing to kitchen sinks<\/p>\n

Because the ingredients are inexpensive and are mixed using water, the researchers say the wash could be scaled easily for industry use. The team is now working on refining, scaling and testing the formula for use in commercial processing facilities, where fruit is cleaned before shipping.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur early cost estimates suggest it would add roughly three cents per apple\u2014comparable to current commercial coatings, but with the added benefit of pesticide removal and extending shelf life,\u201d said Dr. Yang.<\/p>\n

The team also sees potential for a home version. \u201cImagine a spray or tablet you could add to water right before washing your fruit,\u201d said Dr. Yang. The team notes that more testing is needed before household use, including regulatory review and real\u2011world studies with different fruits and washing habits.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hope,\u201d said Dr. Yang, \u201cis to help people feel confident about the produce they bring home\u2014knowing it\u2019s safer, lasts longer and creates less waste.\u201d<\/p>\n

This research was supported by the Faculty of Land and Food Systems Start Up Fund, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF.)<\/p>\n

\u2014University of British Columbia
via EurekAlert!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"VANCOUVER, Canada \u2014 University of British Columbia researchers have developed a natural, biodegradable wash that removed up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":391046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[24705,4505,85,46,1360,141,186178],"class_list":{"0":"post-391045","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-food-safety","9":"tag-fruit","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-research","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-specialty-crops"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/391046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}