# Effect of Magnetic and Electrical Fields on Yield, Shelf Life and Quality of Fruits
## 2 Effect of Magnetic Fields and Electrical Fields on the Growth, Development, and Yield of Fruit
### Effect of Magnetic Fields and Electrical Fields on the Ripening and Shelf Life of Fruits
Treatment with a strong electrical field has been, in theory, used as a method of foodstuff preservation because of its skill to sterilise microbes, as well as inhibit the activity of enzymes engaged in the loss of food property [109; 110; 111; 22]. Literature reports that high voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) treatments affect both the physical and biochemical properties of food. [PERSON] (1963) proved that field action connected with the polarisation of organic radicals in the flora biosystems and molecular fatigue can affect the reactions of plants [112]. This results in the maintenance of the postharvest quality of some fruits and the extension of the shelf life of the product [103; 104; 105; 106; 113; 114; 115; 116]. Studies indicate that electric fields cause gas ionisation in room conditions, which then moved towards the opposite electrode at a high velocity. It is a nonthermal treatment useful in extending the shelf life of fruits [23], which impacts the cell membrane permeability and influences enzyme activity and the inhibition of microbial action [117; 113; 109; 110]. A corona electrical field might help reduce decay and spore production in stored mate \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Variety** & **Method** & **MF Parameter** & **Effect** & **References** \\ \hline Tomato & Fruit treatment & & Lower production rate of O\({}_{2}\)—and & \\ _Chaoyan-219_ & with 2 stainless steel plates & EF +/\(-\)2 kV/cm for 2 h & the content of H\({}_{2}\)O\({}_{2}\), efficient in hold up ripening, as well as the & [103] \\ Mini-tomato & Fruit & EF & & \\ _(Lyopersicon esculentum)_ & treatment using needles or an & 1, 2, 3, 4 kV/cm & Decrease in respiration rate and & \\ _Chika_ & _needles or an_ & 2 h per day within & increase in moisture loss using & 2005 \\ _Chia_ & aluminium plate as the cathode & storage temperature & needle cathode & [104] \\  & Fruit treatment & EF & Decrease in mass losses in fruit & \\ Strawberries & using multiple pin-to- & 3.61, 4.56, and 5.13 & and extended cold storage and & 2021 \\  & plate electrodes & kV/cm for 1 h & preventing growth of & [105] \\  & & & _Botrylis cinerea_ & \\  & & & Increase in shelf life of fruits & \\  & Fruit treatment & 0.71–4.3 kV/cm & without affecting major chemical & \\  & with glass plate and & for 0.5–1.5 h & constituents. In the 6 days of & 1996 \\  & Cu wire or Cu plate & and continuous & storage, reduction of fruit rotting & [106] \\  & & by about 80\% & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 2: _Cont._rials [105]. [PERSON] and [PERSON] (1996) applied an external electrical field to observe a reduction in the decay rate of strawberries [106]. HVEF treatment of cranberries enhanced the fruit's shelf life [114]. A study by [PERSON] et al. (2021) showed that HVEF at 4.56 kV\(\cdot\)cm\({}^{-1}\) was capable of controlling fungal infections, preventing the growth of _B. cinerea_ in treated strawberries, conserving the fruit's moisture content and freshness, and extending the strawberries' storage time [105]. [PERSON] et al. (1995) found that electron beam irradiation suppressed fungal growth on fresh strawberries, with an extension of their shelf life [118]. [PERSON] et al. (2005) applied different methods relating to high-voltage treatment to examine their effect on tomato storage [104]. They noted that weight loss in fruit depended on the electrode configuration used. Using needle electrodes as the cathode in the high-voltage treatment (10 kV, 20 kV, and 30 kV) resulted in greater moisture loss than in the untreated samples [104]. Another study compared the use of different methods with electric field direction on the postharvest treatment of apples [97]. Using parallel plates, the arrangement in the \"reversed\" electric field treatment gave higher weight loss than in the \"forward\" electric field treatment (apples on an anode plate). However, in corona discharge this process was reversed [97].