Effects of chitosan-based coatings containing peppermint essential oil on the quality of post-harvest papaya fruit
by Isabelle Picard; Robert G. Hollingsworth; Marisa Wall; Kate Nishijima; Stéphane Salmieri; Khanh Dang Vu; Monique Lacroix
International Journal of Postharvest Technology and Innovation (IJPTI), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2013

Abstract: Edible coatings comprised of antimicrobial polymers based on chitosan are promising technologies to preserve post-harvest fruit quality. In this study, we investigated the potential utility of a coating made from chitosan modified by N-acylation with fatty acid to preserve post-harvest papaya quality. Peppermint essential oil (EO) was added to the chitosan-based coatings as an antifungal agent. A formulation which contained a high concentration of peppermint EO (1.0%) without chitosan apparently damaged the peel, resulting in higher peel discolouration, less colour development and lower marketability. The most promising treatment was unmodified chitosan (1%) in combination with peppermint EO (0.2%). The fruits treated with this formulation showed less peel discolouration than the experimental control and 100% of the fruits were marketable. The modified chitosan apparently increased the hydrophobicity of the coating resulting in a loss of firmness and delayed colour development of coated fruits during ripening.

Online publication date: Sat, 05-Jul-2014

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