Effect of nitric oxide fumigation on microorganisms and quality of dried apricots during storage

The effect of nitric oxide (NO) on microorganisms and quality of dried apricots during storage was investigated. The results showed that NO fumigation at various concentrations could effectively reduce natural disease and moth pest incidence, as well as decrease the total number of microorganisms on dried apricots during storage. Compared with the control (CK), NO fumigation maintained higher levels of total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, and reducing sugar in dried apricots. Additionally, the fumigated apricots displayed lower levels of total color change, degree of browning, and decline of nutrients compared with control. Furthermore, although the concentrations of nitrate and nitrite ions in dried apricots after NO fumigation were higher than those of the CK group, their levels were in line with the standard limits. Among the different concentrations of NO, 1,500 mu l/L showed the best results regarding natural diseases, moth pests, and microbial inhibition, while 900 mu l/L maintained the best quality of dried apricots during storage. These findings demonstrated that NO fumigation has potential to be a safe and effective treatment method to control microbial contamination and preserve the storage quality of dried apricots. Practical applications Nitric oxide (NO) fumigation can be used as a safe and effective storage method for dried fruits. This is the theoretical and technical foundation for the industrial application of NO fumigation technology, which provides new ideas and directions for the storage of dried fruits.