Agricultural product cleaning agent, method of making and use thereof

Abstract

This application discloses an agricultural product cleaning agent, its preparation method, and its application. The agricultural product cleaning agent comprises the following components in parts by weight: 17-28 parts cyclodextrin, 7-20 parts buffer, 12-26 parts water-soluble preservative, and 30-60 parts water. This agricultural product cleaning agent can effectively remove latex substances from the surface of agricultural products, improve the cleanliness of the agricultural product surface, thereby reducing the damage of latex substances to the agricultural product's surface and extending the shelf life of the agricultural product. Furthermore, the pH of the system can be maintained at a stable level during use, resulting in stable cleaning effect and maintaining the stability of the agricultural product's epidermal cell structure, thus extending the shelf life. The preparation method is simple and suitable for large-scale production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of agricultural product cleaning and preservation technology, and in particular to an agricultural product cleaning agent, its preparation method and application. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the logistics industry, agricultural products often need to be transported across regions to balance the supply of agricultural products. However, agricultural products are perishable goods, and if not properly preserved, some vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin B2, will be lost, thus reducing the nutritional value of the products. Furthermore, in the fresh produce industry, fruits and vegetables are generally washed and graded after harvesting. However, the skin of some fruits, such as mangoes, citrus fruits, bananas, peaches, and plums, contains a large amount of oily substances. These oily substances are difficult to remove through ordinary washing processes, affecting not only the cleanliness of the fruit and vegetable surface but also potentially damaging the skin, thereby shortening the shelf life of the agricultural products.

[0003] It is evident that existing technologies still need improvement and enhancement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this application is to provide an agricultural product cleaning agent, which aims to remove latex from the surface of agricultural products and improve the cleanliness and shelf life of agricultural products.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] This application discloses an agricultural product cleaning agent comprising the following components in parts by weight: 17-28 parts cyclodextrin, 7-20 parts buffer, 12-26 parts water-soluble preservative, and 30-60 parts water.

[0007] In some embodiments of this application, the preservative includes water-soluble magnesium salts and water-soluble calcium salts.

[0008] In some embodiments of this application, the water-soluble preservative solution includes 5 to 13 parts by weight of magnesium citrate and 7 to 13 parts by weight of calcium lactate.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, the buffer is sodium citrate.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, the particle size of the agricultural product cleaning agent is 50-100 nm.

[0011] This application also discloses a method for preparing an agricultural product cleaning agent, comprising the components as described in any of the preceding claims, the method comprising: adding cyclodextrin, buffer, water-soluble preservative and water in a reaction vessel in a mass ratio, and stirring until a homogeneous and transparent mixture is formed.

[0012] This application also discloses the application of agricultural product cleaning agents in the cleaning of agricultural products.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the application includes: diluting the agricultural product cleaning agent with water 300 to 500 times to obtain a diluted solution, and using the diluted solution to soak or rinse the agricultural products.

[0014] In some embodiments of this application, the cyclodextrin includes at least one of α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, the cyclodextrin is a mixture of 15-25 parts by weight of α-cyclodextrin, 45-55 parts by weight of β-cyclodextrin and 25-35 parts by weight of γ-cyclodextrin.

[0016] Beneficial effects:

[0017] The agricultural product cleaning agent provided in this application can encapsulate the oily substances in the latex on the surface of agricultural products in a homogeneous aqueous system, and dissolve in water, thereby separating the oily substances from the surface of the agricultural products. This not only improves the cleanliness of the agricultural product surface but also reduces the possibility of latex damage, thus extending the shelf life of the agricultural products. In addition, through the buffering effect of the buffering agent, the acidity and alkalinity of the system can be maintained in a stable state during use, ensuring the stability of its cleaning effect.

[0018] The method for preparing the agricultural product cleaning agent provided in this application is simple, easy to implement, and suitable for large-scale application.

[0019] The agricultural product cleaning agent provided in this application is easy to use and suitable for the cleaning and grading of agricultural products in industrialized, standardized, automated, and large-scale production, thereby improving the shelf life of agricultural products. Detailed Implementation

[0020] This application provides an agricultural product cleaning agent, its preparation method, and its application. To make the purpose, technical solution, and effects of this application clearer and more explicit, the following embodiments are provided for further detailed explanation. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for explaining this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0021] After harvesting, some agricultural products develop a large amount of latex on their surface. This latex generally consists of oily components and protein-polysaccharide components. The oily components can damage the surface of the agricultural product, thus affecting its appearance and shelf life. However, the oily substances in agricultural latex have a relatively large molecular weight and a complex structure, making them difficult to remove completely by water washing or general detergents, and may even damage the surface of the agricultural product. This application provides an agricultural product cleaning agent that can dissolve in an aqueous system and effectively remove the oily components from the latex.

[0022] The above-mentioned agricultural product cleaning agent comprises the following components in parts by weight: 17-28 parts cyclodextrin, 7-20 parts buffer, 12-26 parts water-soluble preservative, and 30-70 parts water.

[0023] Cyclodextrin (CD) is a collective term for a series of cyclic oligosaccharides formed from amylose by cyclodextrin glucosyltransferase produced by Bacillus. Each glucose unit is linked by a 1,4-glycosidic bond to form a ring, typically containing 6–12 D-glucanose units. Cyclodextrin has a hydrophilic outer edge and a hydrophobic inner lumen, thus providing a hydrophobic binding site, similar to an enzyme, to encapsulate various suitable guests, such as organic molecules, inorganic ions, and gas molecules. Its hydrophobic inner lumen and hydrophilic outer surface allow it to form inclusion complexes and molecular assemblies with many organic and inorganic molecules based on van der Waals forces, hydrophobic interactions, and host-guest molecular pairing. Based on the aforementioned structural characteristics of cyclodextrin, the hydrophobic structure inside the cyclodextrin-based material carrier can encapsulate the latex material formed on the surface of agricultural products in a homogeneous aqueous system, while the external structure of the cyclodextrin dissolves in the aqueous phase. This allows the cyclodextrin, after encapsulating the latex material, to dissolve in large quantities in water, thereby improving the cleaning effect of latex-like substances on the surface of agricultural products.

[0024] The cyclodextrin of the present invention includes at least one of α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin. α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin have different numbers of glucose unit molecules and different relative molecular masses, enabling them to remove latexes with different molecular weights.

[0025] Through extensive experimentation, the inventors concluded that a mixture of 15–25 parts by weight of α-cyclodextrin, 45–55 parts by weight of β-cyclodextrin, and 25–35 parts by weight of γ-cyclodextrin provides the best cleaning effect on latex-like substances on the surface of agricultural products. The reasons are as follows: α-cyclodextrin has 6 glucose unit molecules, β-cyclodextrin has 7, and γ-cyclodextrin has 8; α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin have different molecular weights, allowing them to encapsulate substances of varying molecular weights. Latex substances have complex compositions and a wide molecular weight distribution; for example, the latex-like substances on mangoes have a relative molecular mass of approximately 16,000–400,000. The cyclodextrin in this application, composed of a mixture of α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin with different relative molecular masses, is suitable for removing latex with a wider range of relative molecular masses, thereby improving its cleaning ability.

[0026] Preferably, the mass ratio of α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin is 2:5:3. The price of α-cyclodextrin is about 7 times that of β-cyclodextrin, and the price of γ-cyclodextrin is about 20 times that of β-cyclodextrin. The cyclodextrins in the above composition not only adapt to the size distribution range of latex molecules and have good cleaning ability for latex, but also control the cost to avoid being too high.

[0027] Latex-like substances are generally acidic, while the buffer is a weakly alkaline compound. During the interaction between the agricultural product cleaning agent and the latex-like substances, the buffer can act as an acid-base buffer, ensuring that the reaction process is in an acid-base balance state. This prevents the cleaning agent system from being too acidic and damaging the surface of the agricultural product, thus affecting the preservation effect of the agricultural product.

[0028] Water-soluble preservatives can enhance the stability of the molecular structure of agricultural product skins to a certain extent, reduce the loss of active ions in agricultural product skin cells, and thus extend the shelf life of agricultural products.

[0029] Water not only provides an aqueous system to dissolve cyclodextrin encapsulating latex substances, but it is also non-toxic and harmless. After processing agricultural products, water will not remain on the surface and cause secondary pollution, thus improving the safety of agricultural products for consumption. Distilled water is preferred because it has low mineral content, which reduces the impact of mineral elements in the water on the cleaning agent.

[0030] The above-mentioned agricultural product cleaning agents can remove a large amount of latex from the surface of agricultural products, reduce the impact of latex on the surface of agricultural products, improve the cleanliness of the surface of agricultural products, maintain the stability of the cell structure of the agricultural product surface, and extend the shelf life of agricultural products.

[0031] Furthermore, the cyclodextrin, buffers, and water-soluble preservatives are all food-grade, with high purity, reducing the impact of impurities and further improving food safety.

[0032] Furthermore, water-soluble preservatives include water-soluble magnesium salts and water-soluble calcium salts. Most agricultural products contain chlorophyll, a magnesium porphyrin compound whose active center is the magnesium ion at the molecular center. Chlorophyll is very unstable; under acidic conditions, chlorophyll molecules easily lose magnesium from the porphyrin ring, becoming pheophytin, thus affecting the freshness of agricultural products. The magnesium ions in water-soluble magnesium salts can replenish the magnesium in the chloroplasts of agricultural products, maintaining the stability of the chlorophyll structure within the chloroplasts of the product's epidermis, extending the time before yellowing and rotting, thereby improving the storage freshness of agricultural products. The calcium ions in water-soluble calcium salts can form pectin calcium with pectin in agricultural product cells, forming a cross-linked structure between the cell wall and the middle lamella. This maintains the firmness of the agricultural product and the stability of the cell wall structure, thus preventing the peel from wrinkling and collapsing, and the flesh from turning black and rotting. Specifically, the water-soluble magnesium salt includes, but is not limited to, one or a mixture of magnesium citrate, magnesium acetate, magnesium lactate, etc.; the soluble calcium salt includes, but is not limited to, one or a mixture of calcium lactate, calcium citrate, calcium acetate, etc.

[0033] Preferably, the water-soluble preservative includes 5-13 parts by weight of magnesium citrate and 7-13 parts by weight of calcium lactate.

[0034] When this agricultural product cleaning agent is diluted with water, magnesium citrate reacts with hydrogen ions in the water to form citrate ions, releasing heat during the reaction. Furthermore, the citrate ions combine with magnesium ions in the water to form magnesium citrate, also releasing heat during this process, further increasing the system temperature and thus increasing the reaction rate. This, in turn, enhances the removal efficiency of cyclodextrin on latex substances. In addition, magnesium citrate is non-toxic and harmless, has high solubility in water, and can quickly disperse into the aqueous system. It also buffers and balances the acidity and alkalinity of the cleaning agent system, ensuring a stable cleaning effect.

[0035] Calcium lactate is readily soluble in water and can disperse rapidly in aqueous systems, ensuring the homogeneity of the reaction system. Furthermore, calcium lactate is odorless, easily absorbed by the human body, and is a food fortifier; even if it adheres to the surface of agricultural products, it will not pose a harm to the human body. In addition, calcium lactate also has functions such as moisture retention, acidity regulation, and antioxidant properties, providing excellent preservative effects for agricultural products.

[0036] The buffer selected in this invention is sodium citrate. Sodium citrate exhibits good stability in air at room temperature, is safe and non-toxic, and has excellent solubility in water. Furthermore, the solubility of sodium citrate increases with increasing water temperature, and it also possesses good pH adjustment and buffering properties. In this cleaning agent system, it can effectively buffer the acidity and alkalinity of the system, ensuring the stability of the cleaning agent system's performance during use.

[0037] The particle size of the agricultural product cleaning agent is 50–100 nm. This particle size range is easily achievable and allows the cleaning agent to form a stable and homogeneous system, maintaining its storage stability. If the particle size is too small, the requirements for equipment and processes are high, making it difficult to achieve and significantly increasing product costs, resulting in low economic efficiency. If the particle size is too large, it reduces the homogeneity of the cleaning agent system and also leads to poor dilution uniformity, thus affecting the cleaning effect on latex-like substances on the surface of agricultural products. Furthermore, agricultural product cleaning agents within the above-mentioned particle size range have appropriate viscosity and good flowability, enabling rapid and uniform dispersion during dilution, facilitating use, and ensuring the stability of their cleaning effect.

[0038] This application also discloses a method for preparing an agricultural product cleaning agent, comprising the components as described in any of the preceding claims. The preparation method includes adding cyclodextrin, a buffer, a water-soluble preservative, and water to a reaction vessel and stirring until a homogeneous and transparent mixture is formed. This preparation method is simple, requires less equipment, and is suitable for industrial applications.

[0039] This application also discloses the application of agricultural product cleaning agents in the cleaning of agricultural products, mainly used for cleaning and preservation in the grading of agricultural products, so as to extend the shelf life of agricultural products.

[0040] When using the above-mentioned agricultural product cleaning agent for cleaning and preserving agricultural products, first dilute the cleaning agent with water 300-500 times to obtain a diluted solution. Then, soak or rinse the agricultural products with the diluted solution. Some of the cleaning agent will adhere to the surface of the agricultural products, forming a preservative film. Finally, air shower is used to dry the surface moisture of the agricultural products. The dilution ratio of the cleaning agent has a significant impact on its cleaning effect. If the dilution ratio is too small, the concentration and viscosity of the diluted solution will be too high, and the cyclodextrin component that has the cleaning effect cannot be fully utilized, resulting in waste. If the dilution ratio is too high, the density of the effective components in the diluted solution will be too low, and its cleaning effect will be correspondingly reduced, leaving a large amount of latex-like substances remaining on the surface of the agricultural products, failing to achieve the target cleaning effect.

[0041] The following specific embodiments will further illustrate the solution of this application.

[0042] Cleaning agents were prepared according to the components and proportions of each embodiment in Table 1, and the prepared cleaning agents were diluted by 200 times, 300 times, 400 times, 500 times and 600 times respectively.

[0043] Take 3000 fresh mangoes of uniform size and randomly divide them into 30 groups of 100 each. Remove the stems. Pectin will flow out from the part of the mango connected to the stem. Place the above samples in a cool and ventilated place for 24 hours to allow the pectin to fully adhere to the peel.

[0044] After 24 hours, the samples were soaked in the cleaning agent for 30 minutes. Each group of samples was treated with the dilution solution at each dilution factor in Examples 1 to 4, Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The pectin on the surface of the fruit peel was observed to be completely removed. The cleaning effect of each example is shown in the table below.

[0045] Table 1

[0046]

[0047]

[0048] As shown in the table above, the cleaning solutions prepared in Examples 1 to 4, after being diluted 300, 400, and 500 times, were able to clean more than 80% of the samples. However, in Comparative Example 1, the cyclodextrin content was lower than the range disclosed in this application; after a 300-fold dilution, only 66% of the sample was cleaned; after a 400-fold dilution, only 60% was cleaned; and after a 500-fold dilution, only 56% was cleaned, significantly lower than the cleaning effects of Examples 1 to 4. Furthermore, the cleaning effect of the diluted solution obtained by diluting the cleaning solution by 200 times was similar to that obtained by diluting it by 300 times, while the cleaning effect of the diluted solution obtained by diluting it by 600 times was significantly lower than that obtained by diluting it by 500 times. Considering the cost control of the cleaning agent, a dilution ratio of 300 to 500 times is most suitable.

[0049] Thirty mango samples were taken from each of the above-described examples and the comparative examples after being completely depectinized with a 300-fold dilution. These samples were stored in an environment with a temperature of 14–16°C and a humidity of 85%–90%. The storage conditions of the samples were observed after 1, 5, 7, 15, and 30 days, as shown in Table 2.

[0050] Table 2

[0051]

[0052]

[0053] As shown in Table 2, Examples 1 to 4 did not show any signs of rotting or spoilage after 30 days of storage. In Comparative Example 2, the content of magnesium citrate and calcium lactate was less than the range disclosed in this application; after 5 days of storage, the peel showed signs of dehydration, and after 7 days, black spots appeared, indicating gradual spoilage. Therefore, the magnesium citrate and calcium lactate content disclosed in this scheme can significantly extend the shelf life of mangoes.

[0054] Fifty mango samples with residual latex after the above cleaning were placed in an environment with a temperature of 14-16℃ and a humidity of 85%-90%. After 5 days, the areas with residual latex on the peel gradually turned black, and after 7 days, they began to rot.

[0055] Take 500 uniformly sized mango samples and randomly divide them into 5 groups of 100 each; remove the stems and place them in a cool, ventilated place for 24 hours.

[0056] According to the proportions in Implementation 4 above, adjust the proportions of α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin and γ-cyclodextrin in the cyclodextrin according to the table below, and dilute the prepared preservation solution by 300 times.

[0057] After 24 hours, the samples were immersed in each group of cleaning agents for 30 minutes, and the removal of pectin on the surface of the fruit peel was observed. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0058] Table 3

[0059]

[0060] In Comparative Example 3 above, the content of α-cyclodextrin was lower than the range disclosed in this application, and the content of β-cyclodextrin in Comparative Example 4 was lower than the range disclosed in this application, resulting in poor cleaning effect and shortened shelf life of agricultural products.

[0061] In summary, this application, by mixing α-cyclodextrin, β-cyclodextrin, and γ-cyclodextrin in a certain proportion, enables the agricultural product cleaning agent to maximally coat oily substances of different molecular weights on the surface of agricultural products when applied. This improves the cleaning ability of the preservative solution, reduces the damage of oily substances on the surface of agricultural products to the skin, and thus extends the shelf life of the agricultural products. Furthermore, by adding soluble magnesium salts to improve the stability of chlorophyll in the chloroplasts of agricultural product epidermis and adding soluble calcium salts to maintain the stability of the cell structure of agricultural product epidermis, the shelf life of agricultural products is further extended.

[0062] It is understood that those skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or changes based on the technical solution and concept of this application, and all such substitutions or changes should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An agricultural produce cleaning agent, characterized by comprising: The cleaning agent is used to remove latex-like substances from the surface of agricultural products. It consists of the following components in parts by weight: 17-28 parts cyclodextrin, 7-20 parts buffer, 12-26 parts water-soluble preservative, and 30-60 parts water. The cyclodextrin is composed of 15-25 parts by weight of α-cyclodextrin, 45-55 parts by weight of β-cyclodextrin and 25-35 parts by weight of γ-cyclodextrin. The water-soluble preservative includes 5-13 parts by weight of magnesium citrate and 7-13 parts by weight of calcium lactate; the buffer is sodium citrate.

2. The produce wash of claim 1, wherein, The particle size of the agricultural product cleaning agent is 50-100 nm.

3. A method for preparing an agricultural product cleaning agent as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, include: Cyclodextrin, buffer, water-soluble preservative and water are added to the reactor in the mass ratio and stirred until a homogeneous and transparent mixture is formed.

4. The application of the agricultural product cleaning agent as described in any one of claims 1 to 2 in the cleaning of agricultural products.

5. The application according to claim 4, characterized in that, Dilute the agricultural product cleaning agent with water 300 to 500 times to obtain a diluted solution, and use the diluted solution to soak or rinse the agricultural products.

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