Effect of water chestnut based edible coating on the physicochemical quality and shelf life of apples

AbstractPreservation of perishable fruits and vegetables through edible coatings having functional roles, has gained importance now a days. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of water chestnut powder-based edible coatings on the quality and shelf life of apples (Kala kullu). Two treatments, T1 and T2, were developed by utilizing two different concentrations of heated water chestnut powder (2% and 2.5%, respectively). Whereas, 2% guar gum (T0+) was accustomed as positive control, and uncoated apples as negative control (T0−). Before developing emulsions, water chestnut powder was subjected to chemical, functional and structural analysis, after that emulsions developed were used to coat apples, which were investigated for physicochemical and sensory parameters, during 80 days storage at 20 °C. The findings indicated that emulsion capacity, emulsion stability, foaming capacity and viscosity of the coatings was significantly high (p ≤ 0.05) for T2, as compared to T1. During the storage of apples, significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in the weight loss and decay percentage was observed in T2. Increased pH and decrease in titratable acidity were also noted in T2. Coated apples (both T2 and T1) maintained the firmness of apples during storage duration, as compared to the uncoated ones. Significantly high (p ≤ 0.05) total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity was shown by T2 as compared to other treatments, as during storage a comparatively lesser decrease in the values of these parameters was observed for T2. Sensory analysis results showed that T2 was given high scores for color, texture, taste, flavor and overall acceptability, as compared to other treatments. It was noted that T2 showed better outcomes in terms of sensory and physiochemical attributes, thus edible coatings having 2.5% water chestnut powder could be used to increase the shelf life of fruits. Graphical abstract