Impact of edible coatings based on cassava starch and chitosan on the post-harvest shelf life of mango (Mangifera indica) ‘Tommy Atkins’ fruits

• Main Authors: Fabiana Oliveira dos Santos CAMATARI, Luciana Cristina Lins de Aquino SANTANA, Marcelo Augusto Gutierrez CARNELOSSI, Allana Patrícia Santos ALEXANDRE, Maria Lucia NUNES, Marília Oliveira Fonseca GOULART, Narendra NARAIN, Maria Aparecida Azevedo Pereira da SILVA
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos 2017-10-01
• Series: Food Science and Technology
• Subjects: Mangifera indica; edible coatings; modified atmosphere; chitosan; cassava starch; physico-chemical characteristics
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0101-20612017005026113&lng=en&tlng=en

Abstract The mango has short postharvest shelf life which varies from 6 to 10 days at room temperature in its fresh form. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of usage of edible coatings based of cassava starch and chitosan on post-harvest shelf life of mango. Mangoes of Tommy Atkins variety were covered with nine different formulations of coatings in a factorial block experimental design. The fruits were stored at 25 °C and evaluated during storage for the weight loss (%), color parameters, sensory attributes evaluated by trained panel, the rate of CO2 production and microbiological contamination on the peels. Results analysed by linear regressions and ANOVA, demonstrated that chitosan showed significant effect on weight loss (%) and on values of L*, a*, b*, chroma, ºhue, peel color, texture, aroma and time which correlated well for suitability of fruit consumption. The formulation containing 0.25% of chitosan and 0.5% of cassava starch showed most favorable results as it presented a post-harvest shelf life of 3 days more than the control fruits and lower rates of CO2 production, showing that this coating actually decreased the rate of the respiratory processes of mango, without compromising the proper ripening of the fruit.