Abstract
In this work, an innovative coating strategy that is able to prolong the shelf-life of fresh-cut kiwifruit was proposed, and the effectiveness of the procedure was evaluated for a period of ten days under cold storage (4 °C). Alginate (2% m/v) functionalized with green extracts from hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cones (HE; 0.5 and 1%, v/v) was used as a coating material in order to assess the best performing strategy, leading to the most stable product. At the concentrations used to formulate the edible coatings, no contribution related to hop bitterness on the final product was recorded. The results were compared to control samples (without edible coating and coated only with alginate at 2% m/v). The plant extract was characterized by its main chemical traits and by 1H NMR profiling, revealing the presence of antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive compounds (i.e., alpha and beta hop acids, xanthohumol). Furthermore, the characteristics of the samples during cold storage were evaluated by physico-chemical (i.e., weight loss, soluble solid content, titratable acidity, pH, color attributes) and nutraceutical (i.e., total polyphenol, ascorbic acid content, total carotenoids, chlorophylls) traits. The results showed that the incorporation of hop extracts into the edible coatings tested was able to preserve the quality and nutraceutical traits of fresh-cut kiwifruit during cold storage, thus prolonging their shelf life and marketability.
Highlights
The sector of fruit and vegetables is of absolute importance in Europe, where, with only 3% of the area under cultivation, it produces almost 21% of the value of total agricultural production in the European Union
This behavior may be justified by the lack of correspondence between the quality desired by the consumer and the one that is perceived by the latter, by the price target, and, above all, by the reduced convenience associated with the consumption of fresh fruit, especially in industrialized countries where prepared foods are increasingly used [2]
Sodium alginate (2% m/m) nanoemulsion coatings incorporated with ascorbic acid (0.5% m/m) and vanillin showed the capacity to extend the shelf life of fresh-cut kiwifruit [19]. In light of these considerations, the aim of this study was to develop different ECs for ready-to-eat kiwifruit based on alginate functionalized with green extracts obtained from hop cones, investigating their effectiveness on the physico-chemical and sensory traits of kiwifruit slices, as well as their influence on the fruit nutritional quality by monitoring the changes in the total phenol, pigment, and ascorbic acid content during cold storage
Summary
The sector of fruit and vegetables is of absolute importance in Europe, where, with only 3% of the area under cultivation, it produces almost 21% of the value of total agricultural production in the European Union Leading countries in this sector are Spain and Italy, which produce more than 45% of the European fresh fruit and vegetables [1]. This behavior may be justified by the lack of correspondence between the quality desired by the consumer and the one that is perceived by the latter, by the price target, and, above all, by the reduced convenience associated with the consumption of fresh fruit, especially in industrialized countries where prepared foods are increasingly used [2]. The IV range fruit and vegetable sector in Italy has a turnover of about EUR 750 million, involving about 200 processing companies and more than 2000 farms, with a growth rate of 5.9%
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