Evaluating the effects of chitosan incorporated with seabuckthorn leaf extract composite edible coatings on the shelf life of peach (Prunus persica L.) fruits

Abstract

Peaches are highly nutritious and delicious fruits with a limited shelf life. The present study was aimed to test the efficiency of chitosan (CHI) coatings incorporated with seabuckthorn leaf extract (ST) in extending the shelf life of peach fruits at refrigerated temperature. Peach fruits of ‘Elberta’ cultivar were coated with one of the following treatment combinations: distilled water (control), CHI (1.0%), CHI (1%) + ST (0.5%), CHI (1%) + ST (1.0%), CHI (1%) + ST (1.5%) and CHI (1%) + ST (2.0%) and then stored at 4 °C for 25 days. The combined treatment of CHI and ST showed a synergistic effect in significantly decreasing the skin browning and maintaining the firmness during the storage period, corroborated by the decline in the polyphenol oxidase, cellulase and pectinase enzyme activity. In particular, fruits treated with CHI (1%) + ST (1.5%) and CHI (1%) + ST (2.0%) showed maximum efficiency in retaining the physico-chemical attributes, increasing the antioxidant potential and controlling the browning during post harvest period upto 25 days under refrigerated temperature at 4 °C. Furthermore, besides maintaining the quality parameters, the treated fruits showed a significant reduction in microbial spoilage and maintaining the acceptable sensory attributes. Therefore, the study employing the incorporation of Seabuckthorn leaf extract into chitosan edible coating could be a valuable addition and promising approach to different existing preservation techniques towards extending the shelf life of peach fruits.