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ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4949-3689
Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
thesis
Degree Program
Food Science
Degree Type
Master of Science (M.S.)
Year Degree Awarded
2020
Month Degree Awarded
May
Abstract
The increasing market demand for fresh produce promotes a keen interest in developing a rapid, sensitive and reliable method for monitoring plant health and determining the shelf-life of postharvest produce. The objective of this study is to explore the capability of Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in these applications. SERS integrates Raman spectroscopy which measures molecular vibrations and nanotechnology which enhances the weak Raman signals. Herein, we developed two SERS methods based on a surface detection approach using nanoparticles solution and a headspace detection approach using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) fibers, to detect biochemical changes during postharvest storage of arugula leaves. Compared with surface detection, the headspace detection revealed significant spectral changes during the storage, particularly in the shifts around 500, 950 and 1030 cm-1. These changes analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) to establish a prediction model for shelf-life determination. Through analyzing reference standard compounds, we identified the dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), 1-propanethiol and methanethiol (MT) were most likely to account for the signature spectra of headspace arugula at the late storage period due to the activities of spoilage bacteria. The headspace detection method was also applied to monitor the stress responses of living basil to abiotic stresses (pesticide/salinity). However, the volatile analysis of the basil plants response to abiotic stresses (pesticide/salinity) showed indistinctive results. In conclusion, the headspace detection based on SERS provides a new strategy for quality monitoring of fresh produce in the food industry.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/17626152
First Advisor
Lili He
Recommended Citation
Du, Xinyi, "DEVELOPMENT OF HEADSPACE ANALYSIS OF LIVING AND POSTHARVEST FRESH PRODUCE USING SURFACE-ENHANCED RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY (SERS)" (2020). Masters Theses. 931.
https://doi.org/10.7275/17626152
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/931