The Effect of Alginate-Based Edible Coating Enriched with Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid on Texture, Appearance and Eating Quality of Apple Fresh-Cut

Abstract

Incorporating antibrowning agents into the edible coating is a conventional processing technique for fresh-cut preparation. The main quality attributes of fresh-cuts, i.e., appearance color, taste and texture may be affected by coating formulation and its additives at different and sometime contradictory rates. In this study, the impacts of using alginate coating alone or in combination with citric acid and/or ascorbic acid were studied on browning index, microbial load, textural properties, and some taste and nutritional parameters of apple fresh-cut. Lowering weight loss, decline in browning index, increasing acidic taste and changes in some textural properties (hardness, chewiness, and springiness) in response to adding citric acid to the coating formula can be attributed to the competition of H + ions with calcium cations and therefore physical alteration of forming gel features. On the other side, adding ascorbic acid, as an active antioxidant compound, led to elevated antioxidant capacity, lowered browning index, and least rates of electrolyte leakage. Totally, after 7 days of storage at 4°C, lowest values of weight loss (0.33%), microbial load (2.95 log CFU/g), electrolyte leakage (35.5%) and highest rates of lightness (96.11) and antioxidant capacity (11.03 mmol Fe 2 + /Kg) were detected when the coating formulation was enriched with both citric acid and ascorbic acid compounds.

Maintaining physicochemical and sensory properties of guava var. Getas Merah using alginate and Cyclea barbata leaveas powder as edible coating

“…Similar results were obtained from freshcut mango coated with polysaccharidebased edible coatings: samples coated with alginate had the highest consumer acceptance due to their ability to prevent firmness loss (SalinasRoca et al, 2018). The maintenance of sensory quality by alginate based edible coating on fruits were also found on strawberry, water apples and apple freshcut (Guerreiro et al, 2015;Utama et al, 2020;Marghmaleki et al, 2020).…”

Recent Advancements of Polysaccharides to Enhance Quality and Delay Ripening of Fresh Produce: A Review

“…Alginate-polysaccharides-based coatings minimize weight loss, preserve apple quality, and extend shelf life [ 93 ]. Gum-based edible coatings reduce respiration and oxidation rates by functioning as a semi-permeable barrier to oxygen and carbon dioxide [ 9 ].…”

Nano Coating of Aloe-Gel Incorporation Additives to Maintain the Quality of Freshly Cut Fruits

“…Additionally, it can increase the nutritional value such as proteins, minerals, and vitamins but must not affect the texture, taste, and aroma of the final product (Galus et al, 2021;Ochoa-Velasco et al, 2021;Salgado-Cruz et al, 2021). One of the additives that have the potential to be incorporated with edible coatings is citric acid which is a crystalline or white powder-shaped organic compound with the chemical formula C 6 H 8 O 7 (2-hydroxy acid 1,2,3-tricarboxylate) (Marghmaleki et al, 2021). The properties include: being easily soluble in water, odorless, tasting very acidic, and tending to melt when decomposed.…”

“…Besides, it is a natural preservative that is safe to consume and the acid content serves to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi (Bhat T. A. et al, 2021;Galus et al, 2021;. Citric acid can also be used to regulate acidity or food preservatives, as well as to prevent tanning in fruits (Marghmaleki et al, 2021).…”

“…Meanwhile, ascorbic acid is one of the chemical compounds in the form of whitish-yellow crystal powder that is soluble in water and has antioxidant properties. Soaking apples in solution on ascorbates can reduce the activity of polyphenol oxidase (Marghmaleki et al, 2021). Manzoor et al (2021), reported that fresh-cut kiwi treated with an ascorbic acid solution effectively prevents browning during storage, while Liguori et al (2021) argued that it can maintain the quality of strawberries during cold storage.…”