Influence of guar gum and chitosan enriched with lemon peel essential oil coatings on the quality of pears

Abstract

Pear is a typically climacteric fruit and highly perishable with a low shelf life owing to extreme metabolic activity after harvesting. The present study aimed to reduce weight loss and improve the firmness of pear during storage. The lemon peel essential oil (LPEO) has gained considerable attention due to being the richest source of bioactive compounds that behaved as a natural antioxidant agent, being cost‐effective, and being generally recognized as safe. Edible coatings equipped with a natural antioxidant agent and renewable biopolymers have gained more research fame owing to their involvement in the direction of biodegradability and food safety. In this work, edible skin coating materials (ESCMs) embedded by chitosan (1%) and guar gum (2%) were fabricated, and afterward, five concentrations of LPEO (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3.0%) were incorporated individually into the ESCMs. Findings revealed that LPEO–ESCMs significantly reduced the weight loss and improved the firmness of pear up to 45 days of storage at 4 ± 2°C. Furthermore, the LPEO–ESCMs have enhanced the antioxidant capacity, antibacterial efficiency, and malondialdehyde level of pear during storage time. It was concluded that 3% of LPEO–ESCMs improved the overall acceptability of pear fruits. Taken together, the novel insights of guar gum and chitosan‐based ESCMs entrapped with LPEO will remain a subject of research interest for researchers in the future.

Development of biodegradable coatings by the incorporation of essential oils derived from food waste: A new sustainable packaging approach

“…60 demonstrated that chitosan coatings enhanced with LPEO exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity in comparison to the control group without EOs. Iftikhar et al 61 confirmed the positive impact on the antioxidant activity of pear when treated with LPEO as compared to untreated pear over the storage period.…”

“…demonstrated that chitosan coatings enhanced with LPEO exhibited significantly higher antioxidant activity in comparison to the control group without EOs. Iftikhar et al 61 confirmed the positive impact on the antioxidant activity of pear when treated with LPEO as compared to untreated pear over the storage period. The results indicated that in treatments involving LPEO in the coating, the antioxidant capacity of the coated pear remained more stable throughout the storage period.…”

“…Gums are polysaccharides that form thick solutions when dissolved in water. These viscous gums solutions have excellent barrier and adhesive capabilities, which can be used in the formation of edible coatings for the preservation of food products 61,76 It clarified that carrageenan-based edible coating prevented microbiological growth and lipid oxidation to preserved fresh fillets. In another study, Riyad et al 78 examined the impact of an edible coating made from 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6% of tangerine peel essential oil (TPEO), and 1.5% of carrageenan on the shelf life of edible mushrooms.…”

“…Gums are polysaccharides that form thick solutions when dissolved in water. These viscous gums solutions have excellent barrier and adhesive capabilities, which can be used in the formation of edible coatings for the preservation of food products 61,76 . These days, coatings made of gums are employed to increase the shelf life and other aspects of fruit and fish quality.…”

Starch-based environment friendly, edible and antimicrobial films reinforced with medicinal plants

“…However, these films possess certain limitations such as toxicological effects, costly environmental issues, poor mechanical attributes, high water affinity, and others ( 21 , 22 ). On the other hand, using antimicrobial materials from natural sources is among emerging research topics in preserving food from microbial contaminations and developing anti-microbial food packaging with numerous advantages ( 23 , 24 ). For example, reinforcement of SBFs with natural fillers having biocompatible and biodegradable valuable nature in medicine, drug release, packaging, and agricultural research ( 25 , 26 ).…”