Application of chitosan coatings to control quality of strawberries
2018
Jovanović, Gordana | Krsmanović, Aleksandra
The purpose of this work was to evaluate ability of edible coating based on chitosan and gelatin in order to find environmentally friendly, healthy treatments which can be used for better preserve fresh fruit quality and safety during storage. Chitosan gelatin edible coating was applied on fresh strawberries which was stored on temperatures of 4 and 20°C. The antifungal activity of 1% chitosan coating against Penicillium sp. was studied during the five days of storage, compared to untreated samples. Furthermore, influence of chitosan coating on weight loss, total content of soluble solids, pH values and sensory characteristic of fresh strawberries, were investigated. Applied coating had a significant effect on the development of quality characteristic in contrast to untreated samples. The pH values and total soluble solids did not show significant changes during storage, although there were differences among the samples. Chitosan coating applied on temperature of 4°C, was more efficient in inhibiting of fungi growth, than coating at room temperatures. Results of sensory analysis revealed that edible chitosan coating did not significantly affected on taste and odor of fresh strawberries but can be a promising method for enhancing appearance of fresh fruit. In order to identify if these novel materials can be used by the food packaging industry, further research is demanded to evaluate the behavior of these biopolymers when in contact with food. Low storage temperature and edible coating obtained from chitosan and gelatin are a good alternative to preserve the quality of fresh strawberries.
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