Effect of the Biodegradable Coatings the Base on Microalgae and Oil of the Seed of the Pomegranate in the Conservation Powder-Crop of the Papaya ‘Golden’

Abstract

It is very challenging to the quality of the papaya culture’s fruits (Carica papaya L.) after the crop, especially due to their significance to the international market, that is, their elevated exportation demands. The purpose of this work was the application of biodegradable coatings composed of Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp. associated or not with pomegranate seed oil in ‘Golden’ papaya and to evaluate their effect in the conservation powder-crop. The installation of the experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with a 6 x 6 factorial outline, that is, six concentrations (C: control; SO: 0.5% of Scenedesmus sp. + 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil; S: 0.5% of Scenedesmus sp.; CO: 0.5% of Chlorella sp. + 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil; CH: 0.5% of Chlorella sp.; O: 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil) and six evaluation periods (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 days), stored at a temperature of 18±2 °C with 60±5% RH with three repetitions of two fruits per portion. The use of coverings composed of Scenedesmus sp. and Chlorella sp. in association or not with pomegranate seed oil was proven efficient in the reduction of the breathing tax of ‘Golden’ papaya, delaying the ripening process, and therefore representing a promising alternative for these fruits’ powder-crop conservation. The coating composed of 0.5% of Chlorella sp. + 0.3% of pomegranate seed oil (CO) provided a better powder-crop conservation of ‘Golden’ papaya during 15 days of storage.

Agar and pomegranate seed oil used in a biodegradable coating composition for Formosa papaya

“…This suggests that the fruits remained with the same intensity of color and with a brightness in the range of 50, gray in the luminosity scale. Teodosio et al (2018) observed values between 55 and 59 for luminosity and 43 and 45 for chromaticity in papayas of the "Golden" variety, being these values similar to those of this study.…”

“…The other treatments presented averages in the order of 90°, characterized by a more yellowish color, without the presence of green. At 9 days of storage, Teodosio et al (2018) found values close to 90° for the same variable, in "Golden" papayas.…”

“…For the variable C* (chromaticity), the treatments that allowed a better color intensity were T1, T2, T3 and T6, and there was no significant difference between these treatments according to the Tukey test. Teodosio et al (2018) observed values between 38 and 48 for chromaticity in "Golden" papayas subjected to microalgae and pomegranate seed oil coating.…”

“…The mean pH was 5.34, a value close to that found by Nunes et al (2017), which obtained a mean pH of 5.3 for papaya fruits of the same cultivar (Formosa -'Tainung 01'). Already Teodosio et al (2018), when covering "Golden" papayas with microalgae and pomegranate seed oil, found average pH values between 4.8 and 5.2.…”

“…Another fruit that has attracted the attention of food and pharmaceutical companies is the pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), because it has high levels of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and other compounds with antioxidant properties (Moreira et al, 2015). Although Brazil is a highlight in world food production, the country also stands out among the countries with the highest food waste in the world -about 30% of production will end up in the garbage (Teodosio et al, 2018).…”