Effect of pectin coatings containing trans-cinnamaldehyde on the postharvest quality of rambutan

Authors: Sun, Xiuxiu; Wall, Marisa; Follett, Peter; Liang, Peishih; XU, SAI - Guangdong Academy Of Agricultural Sciences; ZHONG, TIAN - Macau University Of Science And Technology

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/27/2022
Publication Date: 12/9/2022
Citation: Sun, X.N., Wall, M.M., Follett, P.A., Liang, P., Xu, S., Zhong, T. 2022. Effect of pectin coatings containing trans-cinnamaldehyde on the postharvest quality of rambutan. HortScience. 58(1):11-15. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI16923-22.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI16923-22

Interpretive Summary: Rambutan (Nephellium lappaceum) is endemic in the humid tropical regions of Southeast Asia, as well as Hawaii. The demand for rambutan in the United States grew after its vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant-rich properties were discovered. However, the fruit have a high decay rate, and readily lose their water weight, firmness, and color, limiting their shelf appeal and thus their shelf-life. In this research, pectin coatings with and without trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCIN) were applied for the preservation of rambutans.The research results showed that a pectin coating incorporated with 0.1% TCIN could be used for the postharvest preservation of rambutan.

Technical Abstract: Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), a nutritional staple of Hawaii, have poor water retention, suffer degraded texture in a matter of days, and decay relatively quickly, resulting in a short shelf life. In this study, fruit treated with pectin coatings with or without trans-cinnamaldehyde (TCIN), were tested for weight loss, firmness, decay rate, sugar, acid, and taste. To find the best formulation of the coatings, three concentrations of TCIN were incorporated into a pectin solution to get 0.05% TCIN, 0.1% TCIN, and 0.2% TCIN coatings. Rambutan fruit were stored at room temperature (about 20 ') for up to 6 days. The results showed that the 0.1% TCIN coating exhibited significantly lower weight loss than both control and the 0.2% TCIN coating through the entire storage time at 20 '. The 0.1% TCIN coating treated fruit were significantly firmer than control after 4 days storage at 20 '. The 0.1% TCIN coating also significantly reduced the decay incidence over control. Therefore, we selected 0.1% TCIN coating for fruit storage at 10 ' for up to 15 days. The control fruit showed significantly higher decay rate than all TCIN-containing coating treated fruit. The 0.1% TCIN coating treated fruit showed a significantly higher overall quality value than control. The results revealed that rambutans treated with the 0.1% TCIN coating may help extend the commercial shelf life of rambutans and other perishable fruits, as well as expand fruit exportation from Hawaii. Additionally, the use of these coatings could improve food security in Hawaii.