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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Healthy Processed Foods Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #394594
Research Project: New Technologies and Methodologies for Increasing Quality, Marketability and Value of Food Products and Byproducts

Location: Healthy Processed Foods Research

Title: Effect of cross-linked alginate/oil nanoemulsion coating on cracking and quality parameters of sweet cherries

Author
item GUTIÉRREZ-JARA, CAMILO - University Of Bío-Bío
item Bilbao-Sainz, Cristina
item McHugh, Tara
item Chiou, Bor-Sen
item Williams, Tina
item VILLALOBOS-CARVAJAL, R - University Of Bío-Bío

Submitted to: Foods
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/9/2021
Publication Date: 2/18/2021
Citation: Gutiérrez-Jara, C., Bilbao-Sainz, C., McHugh, T.H., Chiou, B., Williams, T.G., Villalobos-Carvajal, R. 2021. Effect of cross-linked alginate/oil nanoemulsion coating on cracking and quality parameters of sweet cherries. Foods. 10(2). Article 449. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020449.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10020449

Interpretive Summary: The cracking of sweet cherries due to rain during the harvest period is the most important source of crop loss in the sweet cherry industry. One strategy to prevent cracking is the use of edible coatings. This approach could be used to decrease the cracking phenomena in sweet cherries and extend the postharvest shelf-life of these fruits. In this study, we used electro-spraying to apply a nano-emulsion on sweet cherries with additional ionic crosslinking to improve the water barrier properties of sweet cherry cuticle, reduce cracking and extend post-harvest quality. We found that cherries coated with a solution containing 1% alginate, 1% Tween 80, 0.5% soybean oil and 0.15% glycerol and further crosslinked with 3% calcium chloride solution reduced the number of cracked cherries by 53.3 %. However, the presence of an emulsifier in the coating formulation might have altered the cuticle waxes and caused an increase in weight loss. In future studies, it would be important to evaluate the possibility of reducing the amount of emulsifier in the nano-emulsion formulation to avoid modification of the cuticle waxes.

Technical Abstract: Cracking of sweet cherries generates significant crop loss. Sweet cherries (cv. Bing) were coated by electro-spraying with an edible nanoemulsion (NE) of alginate and soybean oil with or without CaCl2 crosslinker to reduce cracking. Coated sweet cherries were stored at 4°C for 28 days. The cracking index, changes in physico-chemical properties and nutritional values of the coated cherries were evaluated and compared with fresh sweet cherries. Coated sweet cherries with NE+CaCl2 had a 53% increase in cracking tolerance as well as an increase in firmness. However, the coated sweet cherries had a 10% increase in water loss after 28 days due to a decrease in their resistance to the transfer of water vapor. Coated sweet cherries showed higher soluble solid content, titratable acidity, antioxidant capacity and total soluble phenolics content compared to uncoated sweet cherries. Therefore, the use of NE+CaCl2 coating on sweet cherries could help to reduce cracking.