Individual and Combined Coatings of Chitosan and Carnauba Wax with Oregano Essential Oil to Avoid Water Loss and Microbial Decay of Fresh Cucumber

Abstract

<jats:p>The objective of the present study is to evaluate the effect of individual and combined coatings of chitosan (0.008 g·mL−1) and carnauba wax (0.1 g·mL−1) with oregano essential oil (OEO, 0.08 g·mL−1) to reduce dehydration and microbial decay of fresh cucumbers stored at 10 °C. Chitosan-OEO-wax films showed the lowest water vapor transmission rate (0.141 g·m−2·h−1), compared to single chitosan films (0.257 g·m−2·h−1). While chitosan-OEO films completely inhibited the in vitro growth of Alternaria alternata and reduced the growth of Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, mesophilic bacteria, and fungi isolated from decayed cucumbers. Besides, the infrared analysis of chitosan-OEO-wax films showed shifts in O–H and N–H absorption bands, indicating possible hydrogen bonding between the components. Wax and wax-OEO were the most effective coatings to prevent weight loss in cucumbers during 15 days of storage at 10 °C, while the most effective antimicrobial treatments were chitosan and chitosan-OEO. Therefore, these results showed that carnauba wax and carnauba wax-OEO coatings were the most effective in weight loss, whereas chitosan and chitosan-OEO were the most effective to reduce the microbial load of the treated fresh cucumber.</jats:p>

Composite Coatings of Chitosan and Alginate Emulsions with Olive Oil to Enhance Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life of Fresh Figs (Ficus carica L. cv. ‘Pingo De Mel’)

“…Many researchers have developed composite emulsion-based films and coatings in recent years. These studies involved the use of sodium alginate, gelatin and canola oil [ 20 ], monolayer chitosan and carrageenan with sunflower oil to coat longan fruits [ 21 ], sodium alginate with sunflower oil to coat cantaloupe and strawberries [ 17 ], chitosan based film with clove and melaleuca essential oils [ 22 ], sodium alginate with soybean oil to coat fresh cucumber [ 23 ], gelatin with frog skin oil to coat persimmon fruits [ 24 ] and composite chitosan with carnauba wax and oregano essential oil [ 25 ]. In addition, coatings based on chitosan, sodium alginate, and olive oil, applied to coat fresh whole figs have shown to be a useful postharvest technology in preserving not only the organoleptic and sensory attributes but also bioactive components of these fruits during storage at low temperature [ 3 , 26 ].…”

Characterization of Chitosan Films Incorporated with Different Substances of Konjac Glucomannan, Cassava Starch, Maltodextrin and Gelatin, and Application in Mongolian Cheese Packaging

“…Therefore, edible packaging (edible films and coatings) has been attracting much attention for replacing traditional plastic packages in food packaging applications, due to its advantages of non-toxicity, health and safety and pollution-free [3]. Polysaccharides, proteins and lipids are the frequent components of edible films and coatings [4][5][6]. Chitosan could be used to create such films due to its excellent properties (e.g., film-forming properties, antibacterial property, nontoxicity, biodegradability and biocompatibility) [7].…”

Evaluation of novel Prosopis juliflora water soluble leaf ethanolic extract as preservation coating material of cucumber

“…Water content results showed higher water content in Qatari samples. This can explain why chitosan coating caused fast water loss and therefore shrinking of the fruits which limits its usefulness as a local coating material (Gutiérrez‐Pacheco et al., 2020).…”