Articles
Effects of cactus pear mucilage and gum Arabic edible coatings on the postharvest quality of ‘Marsh’ grapefruit during retail storage
Article number
1466_43
Pages
355 – 362
Language
English
Abstract
Grapefruit is a commercially important citrus fruit valued for its nutritional and antioxidant properties; however, it is highly susceptible to postharvest deterioration during storage and retail display, resulting in rapid quality loss and reduced shelf life.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of cactus pear mucilage (CPM) and gum Arabic (GA)-based edible coatings in preserving the postharvest quality of ‘Marsh’ grapefruit under simulated retail conditions.
Fresh ‘Marsh’ grapefruits were coated with 3% CPM, 2% GA, or distilled water (control), and stored at 23±5°C and 65% relative humidity for four weeks.
Fruit quality parameters, including weight loss, citrus colour index (CI), total soluble solids (TSS), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ascorbic acid content, were assessed at seven-day intervals.
Both CPM and GA coatings significantly (P<0.01) reduced weight loss compared with the control.
After four weeks of storage, weight loss reached approximately 4.7% in the control fruit, whereas CPM- and GA-coated fruit recorded only 4.05 and 3.90%, respectively.
Storage period significantly (P<0.05) influenced the citrus colour index, whereas coating treatments had no significant effect, although coated fruit generally maintained slightly higher CI values than the control.
Similarly, no significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in TSS among coated and uncoated fruit.
Furthermore, coated fruit retained higher ascorbic acid content and DPPH radical scavenging activity than the control, although differences between CPM and GA were not significant.
Overall, both CPM and GA coatings effectively maintained grapefruit quality under simulated retail conditions for four weeks by reducing moisture loss and preserving antioxidant quality, demonstrating the potential of cactus pear mucilage as a sustainable, locally available alternative to conventional postharvest coating materials.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of cactus pear mucilage (CPM) and gum Arabic (GA)-based edible coatings in preserving the postharvest quality of ‘Marsh’ grapefruit under simulated retail conditions.
Fresh ‘Marsh’ grapefruits were coated with 3% CPM, 2% GA, or distilled water (control), and stored at 23±5°C and 65% relative humidity for four weeks.
Fruit quality parameters, including weight loss, citrus colour index (CI), total soluble solids (TSS), DPPH radical scavenging activity, and ascorbic acid content, were assessed at seven-day intervals.
Both CPM and GA coatings significantly (P<0.01) reduced weight loss compared with the control.
After four weeks of storage, weight loss reached approximately 4.7% in the control fruit, whereas CPM- and GA-coated fruit recorded only 4.05 and 3.90%, respectively.
Storage period significantly (P<0.05) influenced the citrus colour index, whereas coating treatments had no significant effect, although coated fruit generally maintained slightly higher CI values than the control.
Similarly, no significant differences (P>0.05) were observed in TSS among coated and uncoated fruit.
Furthermore, coated fruit retained higher ascorbic acid content and DPPH radical scavenging activity than the control, although differences between CPM and GA were not significant.
Overall, both CPM and GA coatings effectively maintained grapefruit quality under simulated retail conditions for four weeks by reducing moisture loss and preserving antioxidant quality, demonstrating the potential of cactus pear mucilage as a sustainable, locally available alternative to conventional postharvest coating materials.
Publication
Authors
P. Shabane, S. Mwelase, M.H. Shinga, B.L. Ngcobo, O.A. Fawole
Keywords
citrus, fresh produce, natural polysaccharides, packaging, prickly pear biocomposites, shelf life, valorisation
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