Influence of Cactus Pear Mucilage-Based Edible Coating on Marketability and Edibility Parameters of Minimally Processed Loquat Fruits

9Citations
Citations of this article
19Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Loquat fruit, popular all over the world for its mild, subacid, and sweet taste, has been classified as a non-climacteric fruit with a very short postharvest life. The fruit decays quickly after harvest, and losses in titratable acidity, taste, and juiciness, and internal browning occurs rapidly during shelf life. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of cactus pear mucilage-based coating on quality, nutraceutical value, microbiological growth, and sensorial parameters of minimally processed white-flesh Martorana and orange-red-flesh Gigante Rossa loquat fruits during cold storage. The effect of mucilage edible coating on the postharvest life, qualitative attributes, and nutraceutical value of fruit were evaluated by coloring, firmness, total soluble solids content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, antioxidant activity, total phenols, and total carotenoids content. Our data showed a significant effect of mucilage coating on preserving quality, nutraceutical value, sensorial parameters, and improving postharvest life of minimally processed loquat fruits. Furthermore, coated fruits showed a significantly lower microbiological growth than uncoated loquat fruits during the cold storage period. Our study suggests that minimally processing coated loquat fruit could allow producers to also sell to the market loquat fruits that present large spotted areas in the epicarp, which are usually considered unmarketable.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Liguori, G., Greco, G., Gaglio, R., Settanni, L., Inglese, P., & Allegra, A. (2022). Influence of Cactus Pear Mucilage-Based Edible Coating on Marketability and Edibility Parameters of Minimally Processed Loquat Fruits. Agronomy, 12(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092120

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free