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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406461
Research Project: Postharvest Protection of Tropical Commodities for Improved Market Access and Quarantine Security

Location: Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research

Title: Chitosan coating incorporated with carvacrol improves postharvest guava (Psidium guajava) quality

Author
item SHU, CHANG - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item KIM-LEE, BEATRICE - Waiakea High School
item Sun, Xiuxiu

Submitted to: Horticulturae
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2024
Publication Date: 1/14/2024
Citation: Shu, C., Kim-Lee, B., Sun, X.N. 2024. Chitosan coating incorporated with carvacrol improves postharvest guava (Psidium guajava) quality. Horticulturae. 10(1). Article 80. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10010080.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10010080

Interpretive Summary: Chitosan coating incorporated with carvacrol improves postharvest quality of guava fruit. It can be applied as an effective strategy in the food industries.

Technical Abstract: Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is an important economic crop grown widely in tropical and subtropical regions. Guava exhibits fast ripening and senescence as a climacteric fruit, causing short shelf life and quality deterioration. Chitosan-essential oil nano-emulsions can be an edible coating to improve postharvest quality attributes. In this study, chitosan was mixed with carvacrol to generate a nano-emulsoid solution containing 0.1 and 0.2 % (v/v) carvacrol, using a sonic dismembrator. Guava fruit were coated with the above emulsion and postharvest quality parameters were measured during storage at 20 ± 1 °C and RH = 80 ± 5% for 8 days. The result illustrated that the particle size of the chitosan-carvacrol emulsions was nanoscale, and their high stability was demonstrated by zeta potential and polydispersity index. Chitosan coating (2%, w/v, 310-375 kDa) containing 0.2% (v/v) carvacrol maintained postharvest quality compared to the chitosan alone, with higher firmness, soluble solid content, total acid, and total phenol content and lower weight loss, and pericarp browning. The collective data were further verified by principal component analysis. Chitosan coating containing carvacrol can reduce postharvest losses. It can be applied as an effective strategy to preserve postharvest fruit and vegetables.