Development of aloevera gel tamarind starch whey protein based coating for extension of shelf life of fruits

Abstract

The research was conducted on ber and plum fruits in which three different edible coatings were prepared that comprised of aloe vera gel (AVG EC), Aloe vera gel/tamarind starch/whey protein concentrate (Edible Coating Solution 1) and Aloe vera gel/tamarind starch/whey protein concentrate/lemon essential oil (Edible Coating Solution 2), applied on fruits by dipping method, and packed in polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) to evaluate the effectiveness of the edible coating on the physiochemical, microbial, sensory attributes, and shelf life. A comparative study between uncoated and coated samples at three different temperatures, i.e., 4±1°C, 25±2°C, and 40±2°C was done. Characterization of edible coatings showed that they exhibit barrier properties in terms of moisture transfer marking Edible Coating Solution 2 the most effective. The antibacterial and antifungal activity was also observed in the prepared edible coatings. The edible coatings were able to lower the physiochemical loss and were able to enhance the shelf life of the fruits. The best results were achieved when the fruits coated with Edible Coating Solution 2 were stored at 4±1°C in Polypropylene (PP) packaging. At this specific temperature and packaging combination, an increase in the shelf life of coated fruits was observed which was extended up to 35 days for ber fruit and 32 days for plum fruit. Compared to other temperature and packaging options, fruits stored at 4±1°Cin PP exhibited reduced rates of physiochemical changes including color, firmness, and microbial load. newline