Post-harvest changes in functional and sensory properties of guava (Psidium guajava L. cv. Pant Prabhat) fruits as influenced by different edible coating treatments

Abstract

The main aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of different edible coating treatments like calcium chloride (1.0, 1.5, 2.0%), chitosan (0.5, 1.0, 1.5%), sodium alginate (0.5, 1.0, 1.5%) and Aloe vera gel (1:1, 1:2, 1:3) at varying concentrations on the post-harvest quality attributes of fruits of guava cultivar ‘Pant Prabhat’. After treatment, fruits were kept at ambient temperature of 27-29°C till 12 days and analyzed for various functional and sensory parameters while the uncoated fruits serve as control. In all treatments, chitosan (1.5%) coating was effective in maintaining superoxide dismutase activity (69.48 units/g fruit weight), total phenolics content (333.35 mg GAE/100 g fresh weight), fruit appearance (8.32), fruit flavour (8.21) and fruit texture (8.28). Aloe vera 1:1 gel coating was effective in maintaining total flavonoids content (89.64 mg/100 g fresh weight), total antioxidants capacity (684.27 µmol. TE/100 g fresh weight), fruit colour (8.22), fruit taste (8.19) and overall acceptability (8.18). Hence, it was concluded that coating treatment of 1.5% chitosan followed by Aloe vera 1:1 gel coating can be used for enhancing the shelf life and maintaining postharvest quality in fruits of guava cultivar ‘Pant Prabhat’.