Strawberries are a treat to treasure, but if stashed in the fridge for a handful of days, they’re likely to grow an undesirable goatee of mold. Those days may be numbered, according to researchers who’ve shown that exposing the red fruit to low levels of ultraviolet light doubles their shelf life.

The proof-of-concept results stem from a challenge given by an undisclosed refrigerator manufacturer to the maker of new light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that emit ultraviolet (UV) light at wavelengths found in sunlight transmitted through the atmosphere.