SHELF-LIFE AND FREE RADICAL SCAVENGING ACTIVITY OF HARVESTED EGGPLANT (SOLANUM MELONGENA L.) COATED WITH PHYTOCHEMICAL EXTRACTS

The study was conducted to evaluate the shelf-life of harvested eggplant coated with phytochemical extracts and to assess the free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) of the coated fruits upon storage. ‘Morena’ hybrid eggplant fruits were coated with phytochemical extracts derived from cat’s whisker (Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) L), hagimit (Ficus minahasse Miq.), and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.). The extraction of phytochemicals was accomplished using distilled water, ethanol, and acetic acid solvents.
The concentration of the phytochemical extracts as coating solutions was set at 1% and the fruits were coated for a dipping time of 1 minute only.
FRSA was determined using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay with Trolox as the standard.
The results showed that the shelf-life of eggplant was significantly enhanced by the phytochemical coatings.
The acetic acid turmeric and ethanolic cat’s whisker extracts best enhanced the shelf-life of eggplant fruits for eight and 7.7 days, respectively.
The untreated eggplants and those treated by the extracting solvents showed a shelf-life of about four days only.
This significant difference in the shelf-life of coated fruits can spell a big leap on the profitability of the said vegetable.
The freshly harvested mature fruit of eggplant has an average free radical scavenging activity of 338.2 µmol TE/100 g sample.

II Southeast Asia Symposium on Quality Management in Postharvest Systems

R.A. Salas, V. Pole, F.M. Salas, M.A. Quevedo

cat’s whisker extract, DPPH assay, hagimit extract, turmeric extract, phytochemical coatings, trolox, vegetables

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2015.1088.40