Effect of pre‐storage ascorbic acid andAloe veragel coating application on enzymatic browning and quality of lotus root slices

Abstract

The effect of ascorbic acid [AA (1%)] and Aloe vera gel [AVG (50%)] coating alone and in combination was investigated on enzymatic browning and quality of lotus root slices during storage at 20 ± 1°C. The combined application of AA and AVG coating delayed surface browning, reduced increase in relative electrolyte leakage (REL) and showed higher overall visual quality (OVQ). Similarly, AA and AVG combined treatment reduced superoxide anion (O2-·) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and suppressed peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities. In addition, AA and AVG treatment conserved higher AA content, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes activities along with higher total phenolics and radical scavenging activity. In conclusion, the combined application of AA and AVG coating could be an appropriate treatment to delay surface browning and quality loss of lotus root slices. Practical applications Lotus root is an aquatic rhizome vegetable. The fresh‐cut slices of lotus roots are prone to post‐cut enzymatic browning and quality deterioration during postharvest storage. Browning induced loss of visual quality and microbial infestations are the leading constraints in extending storage and/or shelf life of lotus root slices. Surface browning results in loss of characteristic color eventually leading to significant reduction in market potential and visual quality. However, quality deterioration and development of browning could be delayed with some suitable postharvest treatments. So, the effect of AA and Aloe vera gel based coating was investigated for quality conservation of lotus root slices. The findings of the current work are of global importance in reducing browning and conserving visual quality of lotus root slices in particular and fresh‐cut produce in general.

Postharvest Shelf-life Extension of Button Mushroom (<i>Agaricus bisporus</i> L.) by <i>Aloe vera</i> Gel Coating Enriched with Basil Essential Oil

“…The minimum values of REL and MDA content of AVBO1 and AVBO2 samples could be related to the higher efficacy of treatments to protect cell membrane structure. In this regard, the results of REL and MDA are in a line with studies ofAli et al (2019c) on lotus root by application of ascorbic acid and A. vera gel andHuang et al (2019) on mushroom by chitosan and guar gum coating. In current research we found considerable correlation (0.860 ** ), between REL and MDA.…”

Potential of Aloe vera gel coating for storage life extension and quality conservation of fruits and vegetables: An overview

“…It has been found in the literature that exogenous application of ALV combined with natural edible coatings such as guar gum (Ebrahimi & Rastegar, 2020), basil seed mucilage (Nourozi & Sayyari, 2020), banana starch (Pinzon et al, 2020), gum arabic (Anjum et al, 2020), chitosan (Khatri et al, 2020;Vieira et al, 2016), Fagonia indica plant extract ), rosehip oil (Martínez-Romero et al, 2017, shellac (Chauhan et al, 2015), xanthan gum (Abraham & Banerjee, 2018), tragacanth gum (Mohebbi et al, 2012), wheat grass juice (Ratra et al, 2016), neem extract (Jaiswal et al, 2017), and garlic oil upregulated its expression on end quality. Likewise, synthetic coatings including ascorbic acid (Ali, Anjum, Nawaz, Naz, et al, 2019;Sogvar et al, 2016), cystine (Song et al, 2013), salicylic acid (Peyro et al, 2017;Rasouli et al, 2019), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (Farina, Passafiume, Tinebra, Scuderi, et al, 2020) gave promising results for maintaining the fruit quality (Table 1). Although, it must not be conceived that combination always goes better while ALV application can alone be proved as promising technique to improve the postharvest shelf and storage life with good eating quality.…”

“…During postharvest handling, susceptibility of fruits and vegetables to enzymatic browning is considered as most undesirable disorder which limits their marketability, consumer acceptance, and cause huge economic loss (Sivakumar & Korsten, 2010). Browning has been associated with several factors including water loss, mechanical injuries, infection (pathogenic), oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, mixing of phenolic compound with peroxidase and polyphenol oxidase enzymes, and loss of cellular compartmentalization (Ali et al, 2019;Ali et al, 2019a;Jiang et al, 2004;Zhang et al, 2018). Most recently, anti-browning property of ALV coating has been reported during storage and shelf life studies.…”

Novel alternative for controlling enzymatic browning: Catalase and its application in fresh‐cut potatoes

“…ROS accumulation generally accompanies the browning process after wounding ( Ali et al, 2020). Ali et al (2020) reported that decreases in H 2 O 2 and O 2 ⋅contents were accompanied by less browning in lotus root slices treated with ascorbic acid and an aloe vera gel coating than in control slices.…”