Abstract
The efficacy of an edible chitosan coating (CHI; 4 mg/mL) and Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OVEO; 1.25 μL/mL) for maintaining the quality of cherry tomato fruit during storage at room (25°C; 12 days) and cold (12°C; 24 days) temperatures was assessed. CHI and OVEO in combination showed in vitro fungicidal effects against R. stolonifer and Aspergillus niger. CHI-OVEO coating reduced the incidence of black mold and soft rot caused by these fungi in artificially contaminated cherry tomato fruit during storage at both temperatures. CHI-OVEO coating delayed the appearance of the first visible signs of black mold and soft rot in artificially contaminated cherry tomato fruit stored at room temperature by 6 days and by more than 9 days in those stored at cold temperature. At the end of storage at room and cold temperature fruit coated with CHI-OVEO showed higher firmness (>2 N/mm) and lower weight loss (>2%) compared to uncoated tomato fruit. CHI-OVEO coating delayed the decrease of lycopene, ascorbic citric acid, glucose and fructose during the storage time assessed at room or cold temperatures. The increase of catechin, myricetin, caffeic and syringic acids was higher (1–9 mg/g) in cherry tomato fruit coated with CHI-OVEO compared to uncoated fruit during the storage at both temperatures studied. CHI-OVEO coating is a feasible treatment for maintaining the storage quality of cherry tomato fruit.
Highlights
Cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) fruits have increased in popularity due to their high content of sugars and health promoting compounds as well as their convenience of use; they are consumed either as an ingredient or alone (D’Aquino et al, 2016; Wu et al, 2016).A Coating to Retain Tomato Fruit QualityThe infection of cherry tomato fruit with the pathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer is associated with most postharvest losses and decreased storage quality in these fruit (Fagundes et al, 2015a)
R. stolonifer is the etiological agent of the soft rot in cherry tomato fruit, a disease recognized by watery areas covered by coarse, gray hairy mycelium that forms a mass of black sporangia at its tips (Bautista-Baños et al, 2008)
The incorporation of CHI at 4 mg/mL combined with Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OVEO) at 5, 2.5, or 1.25 μL/mL, or OVEO at 10 μL/mL in growth media resulted in a fungicidal effect toward R. stolonifer and A. niger with the complete inhibition of fungal mycelial growth throughout the 48 h-incubation time
Summary
Cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) fruits have increased in popularity due to their high content of sugars and health promoting compounds as well as their convenience of use; they are consumed either as an ingredient (such as in salads) or alone (D’Aquino et al, 2016; Wu et al, 2016).A Coating to Retain Tomato Fruit QualityThe infection of cherry tomato fruit with the pathogenic fungi Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus stolonifer is associated with most postharvest losses and decreased storage quality in these fruit (Fagundes et al, 2015a). Postharvest decay caused by fungal contamination of cherry tomato fruit has been primarily controlled by the application of synthetic fungicidal agents in the field and during the postharvest period (Fagundes et al, 2015b; Guerra et al, 2015). These agents do not adversely affect the appearance or quality of the treated fruit (de Amiri et al, 2008), but their indiscriminate and excessive use on crops has been a major cause of the development of resistant fungal pathogen populations (de Oliveira et al, 2014). There is an increased awareness of the potentially harmful nature of these chemical compounds on human health and the (Aquino et al, 2015; FAO, 2016)
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