Micro-nano bubble water technology: Sustainable solution for the postharvest quality and safety management of fresh fruits and vegetables – A review

Public health concern on carcinogenic residue from chlorine-based disinfectant-by-product on ready-to-eat fresh/fresh-cut produce, and the increase in microbial resistance to chlorine disinfection, has heightened the need for alternative water-based microbial decontaminant. Activated water systems are emerging as alternatives to chlorine-based disinfectants in the fresh/fresh-cut produce industry for the cleaning and decontamination. This review provides a comprehensive description of the micro-nano bubble (MNBs) technology. This includes discussion on variety of existing generation methods of MNBs and the physico-chemical properties of MNBs. The factors affecting MNBs efficacy and stability in solution (such as gas source/type and bubble sizes) were discussed. In addition, recent postharvest applications of MNBs in fruits and vegetables (FVs) and the impact on overall quality attributes were summarized. The need for more MNBs investigations for postharvest management of FFVs quality and safety was highlighted to encourage the scale up and commercial application of the technology in the fresh/fresh-cut produce industry.