Combination of alginate coating and repetitive pulsed light for shelf life extension of fresh-cut cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. reticulatus cv. Glamour)

Abstract

This study was to optimise the alginate coating formulations for shelf life extension of fresh-cut cantaloupe treated with repetitive pulsed light (RPL). The optimised coating formulation was 1.86% alginate and 1.47% glycerol. The fresh-cut cantaloupe was coated with the optimised coating followed by RPL using 0.9 J cm−2 at every 48 hr for the first 26 days during 40 days of storage at 4 ± 1 °C. The combined treatment prolonged the shelf life of fresh-cut cantaloupe in term of microbiological quality with extended 28 and 24 days compared to the untreated and alginate-coated samples, respectively. The coating reduced fluid loss of cantaloupe while maintaining its physicochemical quality, that is, headspace gas composition, firmness, colour, pH, titratable acidity and nutritional quality such as total phenolic, ascorbic acid and total carotenoid contents. Overall, the combined treatment was more effective to preserve fresh-cut cantaloupes compared to RPL or coating alone. Practical applications Fresh-cut cantaloupes are receiving great interest due to the benefits of convenience and fresh-like quality provided. However, fresh-cut cantaloupes are susceptible to microbial contamination and deterioration as a result of tissue injury caused by fresh-cut processes. Pulsed light treatment is a nonthermal technique that can preserve fresh-cut fruits by inactivating microorganisms. However, PL treatment alone is insufficient to preserve quality of fresh-cut fruits. Hurdle technology by combining repetitive PL treatment and edible coating is an efficient approach for extending shelf life of fresh-cut fruits in terms of microbiological and physicochemical properties. The results from this study contribute to the knowledge regarding the feasibility of combining RPL treatment and edible coating to further extend shelf life of fresh-cut cantaloupes compared to the individual treatment. The knowledge can be utilised by food producers for commercialising fresh-cut products.