EFFECT OF SOME EDIBLE COATING MATERIALS ON QUALITY AND STORABILITY OF CHERRY TOMATO FRUITS DURING COLD STORAGE AND SHELF LIFE PERIODS

Abstract

This research was conducted in the Post-Harvest Laboratory of the Horticulture Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Egypt, during two seasons of 2019 and 2020 to study the effect of dipping cherry tomatoes fruits in solutions of edible materials on fruits quality and storability during storage at 7±2°C and 90 ± 3% relative humidity for 28 days. Where the fruits were dipped in chitosan nano particles (ChNPs) solution at 0.5 and 1 %, Arabic gum solution at 5 and 10%, bottle gourd seed oil at 0.2 and 0.4 % and distilled water (control). The results showed that, fresh weight losses, fruit decay, total soluble solids (TSS) content, fruit red color value a*and fruit red color value a*/b* increased progressive as the storage duration was extended from zero to 28 days. On the other hand, increasing the cold storage time reduced the fruit firmness, titratable acidity, vitamin C content and fruit red color value b*. Dipping in solution of bottle gourd seed oil at 0.4% gave the highest fruit firmness, vitamin C and the lowest values of weight loss percentage, Also, dipping in bottle gourd seed oil solution at 0.2 and 0.4 % did not show any decayed fruits and gave the highest values of a*/b*ratio, in addition, it is increased TSS in fruits at 28 days of storage. In general, ChNPs solution at 1 and Arabic gum solution at 10% % gave the highest values of titratable acidity.