A critical review of selenium biogeochemical behavior in soil-plant system with an inference to human health.

Induced resistance to control postharvest decay of fruit and vegetables

Alternative management technologies for postharvest disease control: The journey from simplicity to complexity

Environmental problems, such as global warming and plastic pollution have forced researchers to investigate alternatives for conventional plastics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), one of the well-known eco-friendly biodegradables and biobased polyesters, has been studied extensively and is considered to be a promising substitute to petroleum-based polymers. This review gives an inclusive overview of the current research of lactic acid and lactide dimer techniques along with the production of PLA from its monomers. Melt polycondensation as well as ring opening polymerization techniques are discussed, and the effect of various catalysts and polymerization conditions is thoroughly presented. Reaction mechanisms are also reviewed. However, due to the competitive decomposition reactions, in the most cases low or medium molecular weight (MW) of PLA, not exceeding 20,000-50,000 g/mol, are prepared. For this reason, additional procedures such as solid state polycondensation (SSP) and chain extension (CE) reaching MW ranging from 80,000 up to 250,000 g/mol are extensively investigated here. Lastly, numerous practical applications of PLA in various fields of industry, technical challenges and limitations of PLA use as well as its future perspectives are also reported in this review.

Poly(lactic Acid): A Versatile Biobased Polymer for the Future with Multifunctional Properties-From Monomer Synthesis, Polymerization Techniques and Molecular Weight Increase to PLA Applications.

Electrospinning is an effective and versatile method to prepare continuous polymer nanofibers and nonwovens that exhibit excellent properties such as high molecular orientation, high porosity and large specific surface area. Benefitting from these outstanding and intriguing features, electrospun nanofibers have been employed as a promising candidate for the fabrication of food packaging materials. Actually, the electrospun nanofibers used in food packaging must possess biocompatibility and low toxicity. In addition, in order to maintain the quality of food and extend its shelf life, food packaging materials also need to have certain functionality. Herein, in this timely review, functional materials produced from electrospinning toward food packaging are highlighted. At first, various strategies for the preparation of polymer electrospun fiber are introduced, then the characteristics of different packaging films and their successful applications in food packaging are summarized, including degradable materials, superhydrophobic materials, edible materials, antibacterial materials and high barrier materials. Finally, the future perspective and key challenges of polymer electrospun nanofibers for food packaging are also discussed. Hopefully, this review would provide a fundamental insight into the development of electrospun functional materials with high performance for food packaging.

Electrospun Functional Materials toward Food Packaging Applications: A Review.

Selenium delays tomato fruit ripening by inhibiting ethylene biosynthesis and enhancing the antioxidant defense system

Highly efficient antifogging and antibacterial food packaging film fabricated by novel quaternary ammonium chitosan composite.

The application of the nanofiber film in the field of food preservation was an emerging research direction in recent years. With the functionalization of nanofibers, the quality and safety of food can be better guaranteed. In the present work, thymol as an antibacterial agent was encapsulated into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) to form core–shell nanofibers by coaxial electrospinning. With such a core–shell nanofiber film, thymol can be slowly released to headspace between food and the nanofiber film, inhibiting the growth of bacteria on the surface of food. The morphology and core–shell structure of nanofibers were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The antibacterial and fruit preservation abilities of the nanofiber film were tested on strawberries. Studies have shown that it can effectively inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and yeast and extend the shelf life of fruit. This novel antibacterial packaging material with excellent biocompatibility, biodegradabil...

Encapsulation of Thymol in Biodegradable Nanofiber via Coaxial Eletrospinning and Applications in Fruit Preservation

The objective of this work is to explore a new pathway to develop active packaging materials. Currently, controlled release materials have attracted considerable attention in food packaging applications. In this study, the thyme essential oil (TEO) was loaded in electrospinning porous poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanofibers and coated with poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PVA/PEG) blends for humidity-controlled TEO release. The images of scanning electron microscope displayed uniform pores distributed on the surface of PLA nanofibers. Water contact angle measurement indicated that PVA/PEG coating provided the packaging film with excellent hydrophilicity. ATR-FTIR spectral analysis supported the chemical composition of the films. The antibacterial activities of PLA/TEO/PVA/PEG films against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reached ＞99%. Furthermore, the weight loss and firmness of strawberries packaged with this novel film were evaluated. Finally, the in vitro release behaviors of TEO were evaluated and the results demonstrated that the release rate could be controlled by adjusting the humidity (20% RH to 80% RH).

Novel antimicrobial packaging film based on porous poly(lactic acid) nanofiber and polymeric coating for humidity-controlled release of thyme essential oil

Zhu Zhu

Papers

Selenium delays tomato fruit ripening by inhibiting ethylene biosynthesis and enhancing the antioxidant defense system

Highly efficient antifogging and antibacterial food packaging film fabricated by novel quaternary ammonium chitosan composite.

Encapsulation of Thymol in Biodegradable Nanofiber via Coaxial Eletrospinning and Applications in Fruit Preservation

Novel antimicrobial packaging film based on porous poly(lactic acid) nanofiber and polymeric coating for humidity-controlled release of thyme essential oil

Exploring the effects of selenium treatment on the nutritional quality of tomato fruit.