Effect of cold atmospheric plasma on the gray mold rot of postharvest mulberry fruit

Mulberries are a kind of berries with high nutritional value and delicious taste; however, their shelf life is extremely short, and are perishable and difficult to preserve. Recently, cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) holds a great potential as an efficient, economical and ecofriendly method for food sterilization. Herein, this study investigated the effects of CAP treatment with different time (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3min) and different strength (0, 2 and 3 V) on mulberries. The results showed that Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea) is the primary post-harvest rot-causing fungus of mulberries, and CAP can effectively reduce the rot rate of mulberries during storage and inhibit the growth of B. cinerea. In addition, this study explored the sterilization mechanism of CAP on B. cinerea, and found that CAP can destroy the structure of B. cinerea, affected its metabolism. It inhibited the growth of spores and hyphae of B. cinerea, and caused intracellular ROS accumulation in large quantities, caused a redox imbalance in B. cinerea. Meanwhile, CAP didn't adversely affect the quality of mulberries. These findings can be used to promote the development of CAP as an emerging means of disinfection and preservation of fresh berries.