The effect of chitosan coating combined with cold plasma on the quality and safety of pistachio during storage

Abstract

Pistachios are one of the most important agricultural and export products of Iran. Fresh pistachio fruit has soft skin, is highly perishable, and therefore has a short life after harvesting, which has made traders and consumers have a great desire to increase the shelf life of this product. For this purpose, in this study, the effect of different concentrations of chitosan as an edible coating (0.5 and 1.5% w/v) and the duration of cold plasma treatment (60 and 120 s) were investigated during 180 days of pistachio storage. The effect of treatments on the shelf life of pistachio fruit was evaluated by determining moisture content, color components, peroxide value, total mold and yeast, hardness, aflatoxin content, and sensory evaluations. The results showed that the treatment with 1.5% chitosan coating and 120 s of cold plasma treatment preserved the hardness of the pistachio and the color indices in the best way (p < .05). Also, this treatment had the minimum number of peroxide, aflatoxin, and mold and yeast counts during the storage time. The treatments with chitosan coating and under plasma application did not cause any unpleasant odor or taste during the storage time. In conclusion, according to the results of this research, it was determined that the simultaneous use of chitosan coating and cold plasma treatment can potentially be used as a new approach for commercial applications and the export of fresh pistachios.

Cold Plasma Technology Based Eco-Friendly Food Packaging Biomaterials

“…As shown in the table, majority of the studies were carried out using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) cold plasma treatment, where researchers like Rashvand et al [ 65 ], Goiana et al [ 72 ], Wu et al [ 77 ] and Chen et al [ 47 , 79 ] reported improvements in tensile strength, elasticity and barrier properties like water vapour and oxygen transmission rates. Enhanced stability and shelf life of packaging films and substrates were observed by Glicerina et al [ 67 ] and Akhavan-Mahdavi et al [ 68 ], and modified surface properties of composite materials were reported by Goiana et al [ 72 ] and Chen et al [ 79 ], where they noted changes in surface morphology and hydrophobicity depending on the type of film and plasma treatment frequency, with improved wettability, roughness, and surface free energy after coating or plasma treatment. Additionally, changes in film structure were observed by Wu et al [ 77 ] and Chen et al [ 47 ], while observing rearrangement of protein chains, slight changes in crystal structure, and improved packing density within the film structure.…”

“…Effect of different chitosan concentrations and plasma treatment durations on fresh pistachios was studied by Akhavan-Mahdavi and co-workers [ 68 ], and the radar chart depicted below provides an in-depth understanding on the sensory analysis results after 180 days of storage of pistachios after the treatments ( Figure 3 ). In their study, the influence of varying amounts of chitosan (0.5 and 1.5% w / v ) and cold plasma treatment duration (60 and 120 s) were observed and reported for 180 days of pistachio storage.…”

“…Nutr. 2023, 11, 4296 [ 68 ], under the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.…”

Production of an Edible Food Packaging Film Using Hibiscus Sabdarifa Sepal Mucilage and Carboxymethyl Cellulose

“…Additionally, edible biodegradable films offer desired surface features in addition to excellent mechanical capabilities, barrier properties against gases, water vapor, and moisture [5,6].…”