Quality of pears with permeability of Bio-FreshTM edible coatings

Abstract

Bio-Fresh tm edible coatings in four concentrations (0.5, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2%) were investigated on quality characteristics of conference pears (Pyrus communis L. cv. Conference) with regards to its permeability. The Bio-Fresh TM was applied on pears by dipping. It was found that the effect of Bio-Fresh TM on pears was significantly effective in maintaining the skin color of green and only coating 1.2% Bio-Fresh TM delayed the changes of firmness, soluble solid content and retardation of shriveling and weight loss. Coating of 1.2% Bio-Fresh TM showed low permeability to respiratory gases (O 2 and CO 2) and created modified atmosphere, reduced decay and improved the quality of pears. Increasing concentration of coating on the surface skin of pears blocked the pores and lenticels, providing a dropdown in O 2 partial pressure. As a consequence, coating of 1.2% showed low permeability with good quality of pears. The results of this study suggest that coating of 1.2% Bio-Fresh TM increased shelf life of pears after 30 days without significant losses in quality.