Chitosan Coating to Preserve the Qualitative Traits and Improve Antioxidant System in Fresh Figs (Ficus carica L.)

Abstract

Chitosan-based coatings are used as a postharvest treatment to extend the shelf-life of several fruits. In this study, the effectiveness of chitosan-based coating to preserve the physico-chemical (weight loss, soluble solid content, and titratable acidity) and nutraceutical traits (total polyphenol, anthocyanin, flavonoid, ascorbic acid content, antioxidant capacity) in fresh fig “Troiano” has been evaluated. Furthermore, antioxidant enzyme activities, such as catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), were evaluated as well as the enzymes activities involved in fruit browning (polyphenol oxidase (PPO), guaiacol peroxidase (GPX)). Fruits were treated with 1% chitosan and 1% ascorbic acid coating, stored at 4 °C for nine days, and sampled every three days. Chitosan-based coating significantly reduced the weight loss and the qualitative changes, improving the total polyphenol, anthocyanin, and flavonoid contents and the antioxidant activity in stored figs. The higher activity of antioxidant enzymes allowed to reduce oxidative stress and prevent the browning reactions in chitosan-coated figs. The principal component analysis allowed to distinguish different behaviors among uncoated and chitosan-coated figs, indicating that the combined effects of chitosan-based treatment and storage time influenced the physico-chemical, nutraceutical and antioxidant system of figs during storage.

Influence of Cold Storage on Pear Physico-Chemical Traits and Antioxidant Systems in Relation to Superficial Scald Development

“…This multivariate analysis allowed us to highlight the physico-chemical, nutraceutical, and enzymatic changes in seven pear cultivars/selections with different superficial scald susceptibilities, during CS. PCA is a valid tool that has been applied in other studies to evaluate the effectiveness of post-harvest treatments on qualitative decay and oxidative damages in pomegranates, sweet cherries, figs, and loquats [ 14 , 37 , 56 , 57 ].…”

Changes in Metabolisms of Antioxidant and Cell Wall in Three Pummelo Cultivars during Postharvest Storage

“…It is quite well documented that the improvement of antioxidant status could inhibit the softening rate of guava [2], sweet cherry [3], pear [4] and carambola [5]. In addition, the antioxidant metabolism was found closely associated with quality deterioration of postharvest longan [6], lichi [7,8], peach [9], pineapple [10], loquat [11] and fig [12]. Pummelo fruit has been widely recognized for its role in antioxidant potential by scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) [13,14,15].…”

Evaluation of Antioxidant Systems and Ascorbate-Glutathione Cycle in Feijoa Edible Flowers at Different Flowering Stages

“…GR increased up to F3 and subsequently maintained a constant level with an average activity of 1.90 µmol per·s −1 kg of FW ( Figure 4). PPO is involved in the browning reactions of flowers during their development [21]. PPO activity showed an increase when all stages reached a value at F5 of 0.15 µmol/g of FW, and a negative correlation has been found with polyphenol content (r 2 = −0.693 p ≤ 0.01) ( Figure 4G).…”

“…The homogenized was centrifuged at 10,000× g for 10 at 15 • C. The hydroalcoholic extract was used to evaluate antioxidant activity. The free radical scavenging activity was measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazil (DPPH) according to Adiletta et al [21], with some modifications. The assay reaction contained 50 µL of extract and 6.25 × 10 −5 M solution of DPPH dissolved in methanol (1.450 mL), and the decrease of absorbance was evaluated at 515 nm after 10 min of incubation.…”