Ready-to-eat products are damaged by various factors, including exposure to O 2 and CO 2 , extreme temperatures, and rapid decay, due to trauma during processing. e use of natural antimicrobial agents and antioxidants might extend the shelf-life of the fruits. e aim of this work is to investigate the effects of four different antibrowning and gelling agents added into the Aloe vera gelbased edible coatings and applied to fresh-cut papaya. EC1 treatment consists of Aloe vera gel (30% v/v), EC2 contains CaCl 2 (5% v/v), EC3 contains K carrageenan (0.5% v/v), and EC4 contains sodium alginate (1.5% v/v) and K carrageenan (0.5% v/v). e fruits treated with EC2 showed the best results while maintaining high values in terms of firmness (that differ from the control of 42.5%), soluble solid content (that differ from the control of 14.6%), and titratable acidity (that differ from the control of 49%). Hence, the addition of CaCl 2 also reduces the ripening rate and loss of color without altering the product's sensory qualities. EC3 and EC4 treatments have provided an oxygen barrier and reduced respiratory rate, increasing the firmness retention and keeping a high C * value thanks to K carrageenan and sodium alginate.

The maintenance of high-quality standards for prolonging the shelf life of fruit and preserving sensory and nutritional quality is a priority for horticultural products. The aim of this work is to test the effectiveness of a single treatment of edible coating based on Aloe arborescens (EC) and a combined treatment of 1-methylcycyclopropene (1-MCP) and edible coating to prolong the shelf life of “Settembrina” white flesh peach fruit. White flesh peach fruit were harvested at the commercial ripening stage, treated with an edible coating (EC) or 1-MCP + EC or 1-MCP, and stored for 28 days at 1 °C. After 7, 14, 21, and 28 days, fruits were removed from cold storage, transferred at 20 °C and then analyzed immediately (cold out) and after 6 days (shelf life) to evaluate the combined effect of cold storage and room temperature. The fruits were tested for carotenoids content, phenolic content, reducing activity (ABTS). The physicochemical traits were measured in terms of the titratable acidity, total soluble content, weight loss, and vitamin C content. Moreover, their sensory profile was analyzed by a semi-trained panel. Fruit treated with EC and 1-MCP + EC kept their marketing values better than control after 14 days of storage and 6 days of simulated shelf life in terms of flesh firmness, total soluble solids and titratable acidity, as well as sensory parameters. After 21 days of storage, all treatments showed a deterioration of all the quality parameters. The single and combined application of Aloe-based coating (with 1-MCP) slowed down the maturation processes of the fruit, limited the weight loss, and preserved its organoleptic characteristics.

Two pomegranate cultivars, Mollar de Elche, native to Spain, and Wonderful, the most widely cultivated pomegranate variety in the world, were studied in a commercial orchard in Sicily, and their phenological behavior was compared. During the development of the fruit, their dimensional growth was monitored, and after harvest, physicochemical and sensory analyses were carried out to highlight the differences between fruit of the two cultivars. Results showed that Mollar de Elche fruit require less time from flowering to fruit maturity, resulting in an earlier harvest, which was due also to a higher relative growth rate of the fruit’s diameters. On the other hand, physicochemical analyses confirmed that Wonderful is the variety that is most appealing for fresh produce consumers due to its intense coloring. However, Mollar de Elche showed economically desirable characteristics such as a good softness of the seed. Moreover, sensory analysis showed that fruit of the cv. Mollar de Elche was found to have a sweeter taste of both arils and juice.

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