Silk may have found a second use outside the textiles industry with scientists discovering it can help persevere fruits.
Published in the May 6 issue of Scientific Reports, scientists from Tufts University in the US found bananas and berries can stay fresh for more than a week if coated in an odourless, biocompatible silk solution. The solution is so thin it is barely visible to the human eye.
According to the scientists, the silk preserves the fruit as it contains fibroin, an insoluble protein which can stabilise and protect other materials whilst being fully biocompatible and biodegradable.
Silk’s unique crystalline structure makes it one of nature’s toughest materials.
How the study worked
Scientists dipped freshly picked strawberries in a solution of one per cent silk fibroin protein and repeated this process up to four times. The berries were then treated with a water vapour to help strengthen the silk coating.
These berries were then left at room temperature alongside other berries not treated with the silk solution. At the end of the week the berries treated with silk were still juicy and firm whilst the others were dehydrated and discoloured.
The scientists hope this breakthrough will offer an alternative to refrigeration and that it could go some way in solving global food spoilage issues.
According to the United Nations, half of the world’s fruit and vegetable crops are lost during the food supply chain, largely due to perishable foods spoiling before they can make it to consumers.
The scientists did not test whether the process had any impact on taste.
