Improvement of Postharvest Quality of Plum (Prunus domestica L.) Using Polysaccharide-Based Edible Coatings.

Sima Panahirad,Sara Bergin,Ramesh Katam,Rahim Naghshiband-Hassani,Nasser Mahna

doi:10.3390/plants9091148

Abstract

Polysaccharide-based edible coatings are served as an attractive preservation method for postharvest maintenance of most fruits. The current study examined the effect of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)- and pectin (Pec)-based edible coatings on titratable acidity (TA), firmness; vitamin C (vit C); total soluble solids (TSS); pH; total phenolics; anthocyanin and flavonoid contents; total antioxidant capacity (based on 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl hydrate (DPPH)); the activities of peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and polygalacturonase (PG) enzymes; and weight loss during cold storage. The results showed that each coating and their combinations caused positive effects in all measured parameters except weight loss. The applied coatings preserved firmness and improved total phenols, anthocyanin and flavonoid contents, antioxidant capacity and POD activity. In addition, TSS decreased and pH values remained more or less stable with the coating application. The coatings delayed TA and vitamin C loss, and decreased enzymatic activities such as PPO and PG. It could be stated that CMC at 1% and Pec at 1.5% separately demonstrated the best results for most of the measured parameters; and 0.5% Pec + 1.5% CMC could be considered as the best combination. In conclusion, application of CMC, Pec, or their combinations would be considered as an interesting approach to improve postharvest quality characteristics of plum fruit.

Highlights

Fruits and vegetables are a great source of antioxidants, anthocyanins, phenolics, some vitamins and nutritional elements [1] which are associated with reduced risk of chronic health disorders [2,3].Plums (Prunus domestica L.) are an important fruit, among the functional foods and nutraceuticals.Plums are a good source of antioxidants
Plums have short postharvest life that results in loss of valuable and nutritional elements [4]
Pec coating did not reduce titratable acidity (TA) content (Figure 1a), whereas CMC slightly increased TA values compared to the control (Figure 1b)

Summary

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are a great source of antioxidants, anthocyanins, phenolics, some vitamins and nutritional elements [1] which are associated with reduced risk of chronic health disorders [2,3].Plums (Prunus domestica L.) are an important fruit, among the functional foods and nutraceuticals.Plums are a good source of antioxidants. Fruits and vegetables are a great source of antioxidants, anthocyanins, phenolics, some vitamins and nutritional elements [1] which are associated with reduced risk of chronic health disorders [2,3]. Plums (Prunus domestica L.) are an important fruit, among the functional foods and nutraceuticals. Plums are a good source of antioxidants. They might help the human body to fight various diseases. Plums have short postharvest life that results in loss of valuable and nutritional elements [4]. Plums quality rapidly declines after harvesting due to their high respiration rate. After transportation and marketing process, they often do not reach consumers at their best status [5,6]

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Discussion

Conclusion