Abstract
Blueberries are a rich source of health-promoting compounds such as vitamins and anthocyanins and show a high antioxidant capacity. Thus, considerable commercial and scientific interest exists in prolonging its postharvest life to meet the year-round demand for this fruit. In this investigation, the effect of a chitosan-based edible coating, as well as a chitosan-based edible coating containing nanosized titanium dioxide particles (CTS-TiO2), on the postharvest quality of blueberry fruit quality was evaluated during storage at 0 °C. The blueberries were treated with a chitosan coating (CTS) and a CTS-TiO2 composite, respectively. The most suitable chitosan and nano-TiO2 fraction concentrations to be incorporated in the coating formulation were prepared based on the wettability of the corresponding coating solutions. Changes in firmness, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid (VC), malondialdehyde (MDA), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and peroxidase (POD) activities, anthocyanins, flavonoids, total phenolic content, and microbiological analysis were measured and compared. This combined treatment prevented product corruption. Compared with CTS, the CTS-TiO2 composite coating application effectively slowed down the decrease in firmness, TSS, VC, and TA in the blueberries. Additionally, changes in the total polyphenol, anthocyanin, and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant capacity of CTS-TiO2 composite coating blueberry fruits were delayed. Therefore, these results indicated that the chitosan/nano-TiO2 composite coating could maintain the nutrient composition of blueberries while playing a significant role in preserving the quality of fruit at 0 °C.
Highlights
Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are popular among consumers due to their rich nutritional composition and distinctive flavor and are praised as “the king of berries.” They are currently considered among the most valuable fruits worldwide due to their organoleptic and nutritional properties, and their composition in ascorbic acid (VC), flavonoids, phenolics, and anthocyanins
Texture loss is the most noticeable change occurring in fruits during prolonged storage, and it is related to metabolic changes and water content [30,31,32]
The firmness decreased throughout the cold storage period in chitosan-coated and uncoated blueberry fruit with significant (p < 0.01) differences among and within the strawberry cultivars
Summary
Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are popular among consumers due to their rich nutritional composition and distinctive flavor and are praised as “the king of berries.” They are currently considered among the most valuable fruits worldwide due to their organoleptic and nutritional properties, and their composition in ascorbic acid (VC), flavonoids, phenolics, and anthocyanins. Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are popular among consumers due to their rich nutritional composition and distinctive flavor and are praised as “the king of berries.”. They are currently considered among the most valuable fruits worldwide due to their organoleptic and nutritional properties, and their composition in ascorbic acid (VC), flavonoids, phenolics, and anthocyanins. Many studies have indicated that blueberries can inhibit the cell proliferation of cancer, diabetes, and obesity [1,2]. They are exceedingly sensitive to storage conditions and last only 2–5 days without preservatives or cold storage, depending on the cultivar, but blueberry fruit can be stored for 28 days at 0 ◦ C. Postharvest blueberries are highly perishable and have a short storage life, which may be attributed to their high moisture content, high metabolism, and a lack of
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