Application of atomic force microscopy in the characterization of fruits and vegetables and associated substances toward improvement in quality, preservation, and processing: nanoscale structure and mechanics perspectives

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables are essential horticultural crops for humans. The quality of fruits and vegetables is critical in determining their nutritional value and edibility, which are decisive to their commercial value. Besides, it is also important to understand the changes in key substances involved in the preservation and processing of fruits and vegetables. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), a powerful technique for investigating biological surfaces, has been widely used to characterize the quality of fruits and vegetables and the substances involved in their preservation and processing from the perspective of nanoscale structure and mechanics. This review summarizes the applications of AFM to investigate the texture, appearance, and nutrients of fruits and vegetables based on structural imaging and force measurements. Additionally, the review highlights the application of AFM in characterizing the morphological and mechanical properties of nanomaterials involved in preserving and processing fruits and vegetables, including films and coatings for preservation, bioactive compounds for processing purposes, nanofiltration membrane for concentration, and nanoencapsulation for delivery of bioactive compounds. Furthermore, the strengths and weaknesses of AFM for characterizing the quality of fruits and vegetables and the substances involved in their preservation and processing are examined, followed by a discussion on the prospects of AFM in this field.

Keywords:

• AFM
• force measurement
• morphology characterization
• nanotechnology
• fruit
• vegetable

Authors’ contributions

Di Wu and Xiaonan Lu conceived and planed the study; Weinan Huang collected the published literature, constructed figures and tables, and drafted the manuscript; Di Wu and Xiaonan Lu gave constructive suggestions and comments; Weinan Huang, Marti Z. Hua, and Shenmiao revised the manuscript; Kunsong Chen supervised the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China [2022YFD2100100], National Natural Science Foundation of China [31972117], Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China [LR22C200004], and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [NSERC RGPIN-2019-03960 and PGPAS-2019-00024].