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Effect of Antimicrobial Starch Edible Coating on Shelf‐Life of Fresh Strawberries
Author(s) -
Garcia Lorena Costa,
Pereira Leila Mendes,
Luca Sarantópoulos Claire I. G.,
Hubinger Miriam Dupas
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
packaging technology and science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.365
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1099-1522
pISSN - 0894-3214
DOI - 10.1002/pts.987
Subject(s) - potassium sorbate , shelf life , food spoilage , starch , food science , respiration rate , chemistry , bacterial growth , respiration , botany , bacteria , biology , sugar , genetics
Strawberry is a very sensitive fruit and presents a short post‐harvest shelf‐life. Among the factors responsible for strawberries' quality loss are high metabolic activities and mold decay. To increase product shelf‐life, cassava starch–based edible coatings (3%), added or not with potassium sorbate (0.05%), were applied on minimally processed strawberries. Uncoated minimally processed strawberries were used as control samples. Physical and chemical properties, respiration rate and sensorial acceptance of uncoated and coated strawberries stored up to 15 days at 5°C were monitored. The results showed that coatings had no significant effect on soluble solids, titrable acidity, pH and colour of strawberries. Besides reducing the respiration rate of samples, cassava starch edible coatings were efficient in delaying weight and firmness loss of strawberries during storage. In the studied conditions, potassium sorbate was not efficient in controlling microbial growth. Strawberries coated with cassava starch without the antimicrobial agent showed good conditions for consumption and good sensorial acceptance up to 12 days of storage, whereas the control samples and the samples treated with the coating containing potassium sorbate achieved a shelf‐life of 9 days because of microbial spoilage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.