The Combination of Cold Plasma and Nanocomposite Packaging for Saffron Preservation

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a major and most expensive spice globally with diverse applications in food science, cosmetic formulations, medicine, and pharmaceutical areas. Unfortunately, the stigmata harvesting technology is not developed yet and the traditional harvesting process causes a high contamination rate with different microorganisms. Accordingly, we attempt to incorporate nanocomposites and cold plasma (CP) modalities to acquire novel contamination-free and high shelf-life extended packaging for saffron preservation. Hence, based on nano clay, a combination of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as matrices were utilized for the preparation of cellulose nanocomposites (CNCs) film. Also, the ability of CP in different exposure times and voltages was examined on saffron content and contamination. The antimicrobial activity of CNCs film and CP technology alone and in conjunction with together was evaluated against E. coli pathogen. Further, crocin, safranal, and picrocrocin concentrations were studied during the storage period through the above-mentioned methods. Herein, the high potential of combined CNCs and CP leads to saffron safety, complete decontamination, and extended shelf-life in saffron preservation. In summary, failing to cope with contamination and content change in saffron disable CP and CNCs procedure separately application for saffron preservation, the synergistic of plasma and nanocomposite outperforms current methods based on their multimodal natures. Collectively, our evidence indicates that the presence of both CNCs and CP in the saffron preservation process can revolutionize the decontamination and quality maintenance performance of saffron packaging.