A coating made from carboxymethyl cellulose derived from commercial nata de coco reduces postharvest changes in ‘Hom Thong’ banana fruit during ambient storage

Abstract

The raw ingredient nata de coco has been utilized in the production of food. The primary goal of this study was to assess the quality of bananas coated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) derived from nata de coco in comparison to fruit coated with commercial CMC (C-CMC) and uncoated fruit. Commercial nata de coco was carboxymethylated to create nata de coco-based carboxymethyl cellulose (N-CMC). The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of N-CMC demonstrated that the cellulose molecules exhibited the same structural carboxymethyl substitution. Subsequently, the application of coating treatments was conducted on banana fruits in order to evaluate the impact of the coatings on physicochemical characteristics. The results revealed that both N-CMC and C-CMC coatings minimized fruit weight losses as well as changes in color attributes and ripening score, whereas the control was previously entirely ripe less than 9 d of storage. A notable disparity in outcomes was observed across the N-CMC, C-CMC, and control treatments. Furthermore, N-CMC coating treatments executed to delay pigment changes, promote firmness retention and membrane integrity, as well as preserve pectin and sugar contents. The investigation finally led to the conclusion that nata de coco has the potential to function as a viable renewable resource, which may afterwards be employed as a coating material for the purpose of preserving the quality of bananas.