Abstract
Films and coatings based on natural polymers are used to conserve nutritional quality of fruits, vegetables and also delay their ripening. The purpose of this study was to develop films with starch extracted from Dioscorea altissima Lam. (dunguey) incorporated with silver nanoparticles for coating and preserving fruits. The films obtained by cast were characterized visually, by Scanning Electron Microscope, by Atomic Force Microscopy, by X-Ray Diffraction and by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity and technological properties were also evaluated. The coating of camu-camu fruits [Myrciaria dubia (Kunth) McVaugh] was carried out by immersing them in the filmogenic solution, followed by their physicochemical and microbiological analysis. The films with silver nanoparticles showed transparency, flexibility, spherical clusters and a higher average roughness. A reduction in thickness, solubility and water vapor permeability was also observed. Antimicrobial action against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was proved as well. The fruits coated with films exhibited delay in ripening, with maintenance of quality and longevity. Uncoated fruits showed greater wilting and wrinkling. The starch film incorporated with silver nanoparticles was effective for preserving camu-camu fruit.
Highlights
In response to the growing of demanding consumers for fresh foods, with guaranteed safety and a ready-to-eat concept, a lot of research work is being carried out to maintain quality, and improve post-harvest viability
The objective of this research was to prepare coating films formulated with the starch of D. altissima, incorporated with AgNPs from actinomycetes mediated synthesis, as a new technological option for the conservation of fresh camu-camu
The AgNPs that the synthesis was mediated by Streptomyces parvulum DPUA 1549 were ceded by the Nanoparticle Bank of the DPUA Cultures Collection/University of Amazonas (UFAM)
Summary
In response to the growing of demanding consumers for fresh foods, with guaranteed safety and a ready-to-eat concept, a lot of research work is being carried out to maintain quality, and improve post-harvest viability. Biodegradable coating films Ag nanoparticle-based are an eco-friendly, simple, and efficient technological alternative for reducing microbial contamination and increasing the storage time for products of plant origin (Pilon et al, 2015). Biodegradable polymers such as starch predominate in the production of coating films, due to the availability of different sources such as tubers, leaves, rhizomes, seeds and fruits, which are easy to process and have a low production cost (Mateescu, Dimov, Grumezescu, Gestal & Chifiriuc, 2015). In D. altissima, the content of available starch and resistant starch corresponds to approximately 70.0% and 10.0%, respectively These characteristics boost the biotechnological and commercial exploitation of this vegetal as raw material (Silva et al, 2019)
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