Ethylene causes faster deterioration of perishable crops during postharvest transportation and storage. The present study aimed to develop TiO₂-coated nanofibers with efficient photocatalytic activities to enhance the degradation of fruit-emitted ethylene. The consecutive electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and TiO₂ deposition was successfully performed to produce PAN@TiO₂ nanofibers. The scanning electron microscopy results indicate the uniform distribution of TiO₂ nanoparticles on the surface of the PAN nanofiber. The PAN@TiO₂ composite nanofibers exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity for ethylene degradation under low-intensity UV light irradiation. Furthermore, a tomato fruit-ripening test confirmed the effectiveness of the PAN@TiO₂ nanofibers. The PAN@TiO₂ nanofibers exhibited effective ethylene degradation and slowed the color shift and softening of the tomatoes during storage. The results suggest great potential for use of the PAN@TiO₂ composite nanofibers as ethylene scavenging packaging material for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Keywords: TiO2; electrospun nanofiber; ethylene degradation; photocatalytic activity; tomato ripening.