Development and Analysis of Silver Nitroprusside Nanoparticle-Incorporated Sodium Alginate Films for Banana Browning Prevention

Abstract

Banana (Musa acuminate) has been popular among consumers worldwide due to its rich nutrients and minerals. However, bananas are highly susceptible to the physical and biological factors that lead to postharvest loss during transportation and storage. In this work, novel sodium alginate (SA) films incorporated with silver nitroprusside nanoparticles (AgNNPs) were prepared to extend the shelf life of bananas through antibacterial and antioxidant coating. The results exhibited that AgNNPs were cubical and that their size was <500 nm, with metal composition being Ag and Fe. Additionally, the incorporation of AgNNPs in the SA film was seen in FE-SEM and zeta analysis, with an average size of about 365.6 nm. Furthermore, the functional and crystalline properties of AgNNPs were assessed through FTIR and XRD. Transmittance testing of the SA-AgNNPs films confirmed they have good UV barrier properties. SA-AgNNPs films exhibited excellent high antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens including L. monocytogenes, S. enterica, and E. coli at the concentration of 500 µg/mL. Moreover, during the storage of bananas, SA-AgNNPs nanocomposite coatings act as a barrier to microbial contamination and slow down the ripening of bananas. As a result, compared with SA-coated and uncoated bananas, SA-AgNNPs-coated bananas exhibited the lowest weight loss and lowest total bacterial colonies, thus greatly extending their shelf life. Particularly when coated with SA-AgNNPs films, total bacterial colonies (TBC) in the banana peel and pulp were as low as 1.13 × 103 and 51 CUF/g on the ninth day of storage, respectively. Our work offers an efficient strategy to improve the quality of bananas during the postharvest period, with extensive applications in fruit preservation and food packing.