A new study released by University of South Florida researchers has found that a small amount of CBD oil applied to strawberries extends their shelf life, inhibits yeast and mold growth, and reduces microbial load.
The study was conducted to see whether CBD might be an effective home treatment that consumers could use to extend the shelf life of strawberries. However, it also reveals the potential for new commercial uses as well.
[Researchers] first evaluated some fresh strawberries for their visual appearance, and tested their microbial load. Then they treated some of the same fresh strawberries with CBD oil, and left other strawberries from the batch untreated. Afterwards they refrigerated the strawberries for 8 days, some at 1 °C (33.8 °F) and others at 10 °C (50 °F).
After the 8 days were up, the strawberries were once again evaluated for their visual appearance of quality and their microbial load was tested. When compared to the fruit that hadn’t been treated with CBD, the strawberries with CBD oil scored higher on visual appearance of quality, even exceeding the minimum threshold rating score of 3. The CBD treated strawberries also had a lower microbial load, and did not grow mold or yeast. The researchers on the project explained that “this research shows that CBD oil has the potential to be used by consumers at home as an effective antimicrobial treatment and to extend strawberry shelf life.”
Read the full article at forbes.com