Postharvest quality of fig fruits using different edible coatings

Abstract

The Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a fruit produced worldwide for in in natura consumption and processing. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of edible coatings on the post-harvest qualities of fig fruit. The experiment was conducted at the Instituto Federal Goiano – Urutaí Campus, using figs from a orchard in the municipality of Silvania-GO. The fruits, after washing and sanitization, received edible coatings (polysaccharide, protein and lipid), constituting the treatments together with the control treatment (without cover). The fruits were stored for six days at a temperature of 25 ± 2 º C, in a completely randomized design with 5 replications. Sensory parameters (appearance, aroma and flavor) and physicochemical (weight loss, titratable acidity, soluble solids, ratio, pH and diameter) were analyzed at 0, 3 and 6 days of storage. The data obtained were submitted to MANOVA analysis and the treatments were compared using ellipses of 95% of confidence. The fig fruits, of all treatments, showed no variation of soluble solids over time (10 º Brix), and did not present aroma and alcoholic flavor. For the other variables analyzed there were variations, highlighting the lipid coatings, which maintained better fruit qualities over time, differentiating from the other treatments. The polysaccharide and proteic coatings presented identical behavior, this, intermediate to the lipid coatings and to the control treatment. In the conditions that the study was carried out, there was a rapid loss of fruit quality and, among the covers, the lipid minimized these losses.