engleski

Application of edible coatings on Satsuma mandarin fruits from Neretva Valley

Edible coatings can be made from a variety of polysaccharides such as chitosan, alginate, gums, cellulose, etc. Polysaccharide-based coatings have many advantages: they are low- cost, biodegradable, and water-soluble ; hence they do not require organic solvents before or during application (Debeaufort et al., 1998). Besides, polysaccharides have well-defined chemical structures that allow for the tuning of their coating properties. Citrus fruits enjoy great popularity all over the world, due to their taste, beneficial nutrients, and widespread availability (Liu et al., 2012). Postharvest treatments with conventional synthetic waxes and/or chemical fungicides such as imazalil (IMZ), thiabendazole (TBZ), sodium ortho-phenil phenate (SOPP) or other active ingredients have been used for many years and are still currently used in citrus packing houses to preserve fresh fruit, control postharvest decay, and extend fruit shelf life (Gonzalez- Aguilar et al., 2010). Satsuma mandarins are the most commonly produced fruit in Croatia and annual production is 52 060 tonnes for 2019 (FAO, 2020). In this preliminary research, we performed a set of experiments on polysaccharide-based coatings such as hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and arabic gum applied for the first time on Satsuma mandarins from Croatia. The aim of this research was to study the effects of different coatings on the preservation of physicochemical properties of mandarin fruits at room temperature. We have tested different coatings on mandarin fruits quality with special emphasis on bioactive components such as total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity at room temperature for 10 days.

edible coatings, Satsuma mandarins, bioactive compounds, polysaccharides

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