Shelf Life Of Blueberries Research Articles

Chitosan/gelatin coating loaded with ginger essential oil/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex on quality and shelf life of blueberries

Blueberries are highly susceptible to fungal pathogens and oxidative deterioration due to their thin epidermal layer, which can be mitigated by applying a natural polymer-based antimicrobial coating to their surface. This study aimed to develop a chitosan/gelatin-based antimicrobial coating utilizing ginger essential oil (GEO) to extend the postharvest quality of blueberries. To ensure GEO's stability within the coating, it was initially encapsulated with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) using the inclusion complexation technique. The GEO/β-CD inclusion complex (IC) formed rhomboidal shapes with high encapsulation efficiency and small particle sizes. When the optimized GEO/β-CD IC was incorporated into the chitosan/gelatin polymer solution, it significantly increased surface hydrophobicity and free radical scavenging activity, and suppressed the growth of three selected fungi, namely Botrytis cinerea, Penicillium italicum and Alternaria alternaria. The results of postharvest storage quality revealed that blueberry samples coated with CH/Gel-GEO/β-CD IC-5 effectively maintained the quality of blueberries by decreasing weight loss and decay incidence, and regulating anthocyanin and other oxidation-related enzyme activities compared to the control group during 16 days at 25 °C and 40 days at 4 °C storages. In conclusion, it can be stated that CH/Gel-GEO/β-CD composite coating can be a promising technology to address the drawbacks of blueberry preservation.

Polyvinyl alcohol-based multifunctional hydrogel film: a novel strategy for food preservation packaging

Food spoilage leads to the annual huge wastage of food. There is a pressing need for safe, multifunctional food preservation packaging to curb this wastage and prevent contamination. In this study, we present a novel, cross-linked P-GL hydrogel film with a smooth surface microstructure, derived from polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), gallic acid (GA), and lysozyme (L). This hydrogel film serves as an exceptional packaging material for food preservation, displaying an ability to completely block UV light and efficiently impede the penetration of water vapor and O2. Remarkably, the P-GL hydrogel film exhibits a fracture strength of approximately 37.9 MPa, demonstrating superior water solubility, thermal stability, and mechanical properties. Also, this P-GL hydrogel film can effectively eliminate E. coli and S. aureus. The P-GL hydrogel film has proven to be successful in mitigating the spoilage of blueberries through coating and covering treatments, outperforming commercial plastic wrap. As a result, the shelf life of blueberries can be extended to 20 days. Our work provides innovative insights that could potentially drive the use of safe and multifunctional hydrogel films in the food preservation packaging industry.

Practices for increasing calcium content and improving fruit quality and shelf life of blueberries

Practices for increasing calcium content and improving fruit quality and shelf life of blueberries

Clove essential oil loaded chitosan nanocapsules on quality and shelf-life of blueberries

In this study, the formation of clove essential oil loaded chitosan nanocapsules (CEO/CS-NCs) was achieved by the ionotropic gelation technology. The spherical shape and core-shell structure of CEO/CS-NCs were characterized by SEM, TEM, and FT-IR. CEO/CS-NCs have a reasonable encapsulation efficiency rate of 39 % and an average size of 253.63 nm. The simulated release of CEO/CS-NCs in a citric acid buffer solution shows that the nano-encapsulation technology could control the sustained release of clove essential oil (CEO). The shelf life of untreated blueberries at room temperature is only about 3 days, while CEO/CS-NCs combined with low-temperature storage can extend the shelf life to about 12 days. The quality characteristic of blueberries, including fruit firmness and moisture content, were effectively maintained, and the rotting rate of blueberries was significantly reduced with CEO/CS-NCs. As a natural preservative, CEO/CS-NCs have a good antioxidant activity close to the commercial antioxidant butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and a high antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria (PB) isolated from naturally occurring blueberries. Therefore, this study not only gives a theoretical basis for the development of CEO as a commercial preservative but also provides a practical solution to solve the protection challenge of preserving blueberries.

Blueberry supply chain: Critical steps impacting fruit quality and application of a boosted regression tree model to predict weight loss

Blueberries have increased in popularity in recent years due to their nutritional benefits and sensory characteristics. However, to preserve quality and extend shelf-life, they need to be maintained at refrigerated temperatures and high relative humidity, conditions that are not routinely met along the supply chain. Poor temperature management leads to quality deterioration, increasing waste/losses along the supply chain. This study examined the impact of each step along the supply chain on the physichochemical quality and shelf-life of blueberries, identifying the most critical steps from field to consumption. The following steps were identified as critical in the blueberry supply chain: shipping to distribution centre (DC) (72 h at 5 °C), store display (48 h at 15 °C), and consumer (48 h at 20 °C). Given the economic importance of weight loss and its link to fruit quality and shelf-life, a boosted regression tree (BRT) model was built to predict weight loss using the post-harvest environmental conditions of a simulated supply chain applying different temperature-time scenarios. The model explained 84 % of the variance on the test set and highlighted the interactions of supply chain conditions on weight loss.

Development of fruit quality traits and comparison of the fruit structure of two Vaccinium corymbosum (L.) cultivars

Given their flavour values and high antioxidant content, highbush blueberry fruits are increasingly appreciated by consumers, and the area of cultivation of the species is constantly growing. Mature fruits of various cultivars differ in many quantitative morphological and sensory traits. The structure of the fruits of two Vaccinium corymbosum cultivars ‘Earliblue’ and ‘Patriot’ was compared in three developmental stages using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Special attention was paid to the initiation and rate of development of the most important traits associated with the fruit quality, in particular those that have an impact on fruit firmness and shelf life. It was found that the analysed cultivars were characterised by a varied rate of fruit development, and initiation of many quality traits in fruit micromorphology and anatomy took place in an early stage of development (hypanthium stage). The mature fruits of ‘Patriot’ exhibited a smaller size of the picking scar and higher firmness; they were also larger and heavier than ‘Earliblue’. In turn, the ‘Earliblue’ fruits had a thicker skin and a greater number of stone cells. Moreover, the fruits of both cultivars were characterised by presence of a small number of stomata and shallow microcracks as well as waxy bloom, which had a similar form in both cultivars, and by similar distribution of various forms of tannin and anthocyanin deposits. Cellular structure of fruits has an impact on the firmness and shelf life of blueberries.