CBD has been shown to help with a dizzying array of human wellness issues—but now you can add fruit preservation to that list, according to a recent study.
Yes, the non-intoxicating cannabinoid apparently helps strawberries stay fresh, researchers at the University of South Florida found.
Extract Labs proudly supplied CBD Isolate to USF in Tampa for this research. The study—set to be published in the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology—tested the effects of CBD by dousing strawberries in CBD oil after they’d been harvested. Researchers wanted to know if doing so would “reduce growth and extend the shelf life.”
“Strawberries were evaluated for visual quality and microbial load before and during storage,” the paper’s abstract states. “Results from this study showed that CBD oil was effective at maintaining the visual appearance of strawberries…compared to the fruit that was not treated.”
There was also a significant reduction in the microbial load that the fruits carried if they were treated with CBD, versus those that were not. That resulted in less mold and yeast production, too.
While the study focused on strawberries, the findings indicate that “CBD oil has promising potential as a treatment to fresh produce” in general, the authors concluded.
To achieve the extended freshness, researchers stored the cannabinoid-treated fruit at at 1 degree Celsius for 8 days and 10 degrees Celsius for to 8 days. The results show that “CBD oil has the potential to be used by consumers at home as a potential treatment and to extend strawberry shelf life,” they wrote.
The new strawberry study states that because of the current lack of federal regulations for the cannabis compound “there are still many uncertainties surrounding the use of CBD as a food additive and the science and benefits behind using CBD in food formulations.”
If you would like to read more about this study, you can read the completed paper here.
