Novel postharvest intervention using rice bran wax edible coating for shelf‐life enhancement of Solanum lycopersicum fruit

Abstract

The edible coating is considered as one of the most-effective and safer ways to prolong the shelf-stability of the horticultural crops. Utilization of rice bran wax (RBW) as a coating substrate can be an excellent shelf-life extension strategy by transforming secondary by-product from rice processing into a useful coating substrate. This research was an attempt to use RBW as an edible coating and its effects on the shelflife extension of Marutham CO3 variety tomatoes. Crude RBW refined in laboratoryscale was undergone for free fatty acid profile analysis and found that contains 18 health-beneficial free fatty acids. RBW was made into an emulsion with different concentrations used for coating the tomatoes. Physiological loss weight, lycopene content, TSS, firmness, respiration rate, SEM structure, and thickness of the coatings were analyzed and observed that 10% emulsion coated tomatoes had shown a shelflife of 27 days, compared to 18 days of the control samples. Practical applications The concept of edible coating is one of the current global research trends that involve in the formulation of primary packaging material for food products that can be ingested safely along with the food. It is a cost-effective and sustainable solution to reduce the environmental pollution caused by conventional polymer packaging solutions. Rice bran wax is a secondary by-product separated from the rice bran oil during refining. It has good applicability in the formation of lipid-based edible coatings, after refining and removal of crude resinous matter. It is a hydrophobic substance and avoids moisture loss from the product during storage. Due to its water repellency, it also avoids microbial infestation. It can be beneficially used for horticultural crops, owing to their low shelf life due to high moisture content and metabolic activity. The rice bran wax-based coating can also delay the ripening process by modifying the immediate environment of the product. This coating can be used for high valued horticultural produce that tends to ripen or shrivel sooner. It can also be used as an obstruction against enzymatic browning in cut fruits and vegetables and for minimally processed and packaged foods. Rice bran wax-based edible coating can be used for shelf-life extension of horticultural produce and also for milk (e.g., Cheese) and meat (e.g., Cut meat) products.

Edible coating as postharvest management strategy for shelf‐life extension of fresh tomato (Solanum lycopersicumL.): An overview

“…Respiration involves a series of biochemical changes, including enzymatic, oxidative, and reductive reactions, which are responsible for conversion of complex organic matter inside the cells into simpler substances in the presence of external oxygen giving out carbon dioxide and water along with production of heat (Mangraj and Goswami, 2011). The research have shown that continuing of respiration alone with the biosynthesis of ethylene inside the cells of tomato has a direct impact on the shelf‐life of tomato (Abhirami et al., 2020; Fitch‐Verges et al., 2019). During the climacteric phase, there is sudden increase in the cellular respiration along with outburst of ethylene production in a short interval of time, as shown in Figure 1, resulting in the dismantling of cell wall that leads to migration of moisture from inside of fruit to the outer environment and allowing the entry of oxygen inside, causing rapid senescence of the fruit.…”

Potential applications and limitations of edible coatings for maintaining tomato quality and shelf life

“…Rice bran wax‐coated tomatoes exhibited a decline of O 2 concentrations, but uncoated tomatoes showed a drastic reduction in O 2 . This might be due to high respiration rate in uncoated tomatoes, and rice bran wax coating slowed down the gas exchange (Abhirami et al ., 2020). The respiration rate of tomatoes coated with chitosan‐incorporated grape seed extract and stored at ambient temperature (25 °C) for 15 days was decreased compared with uncoated tomatoes (Won et al ., 2018).…”

“…Edible coating from gum is one of biodegradable coating material which is highly available, simple to apply and less expensive compared to other means of preservation (Ruelas‐Chacon et al ., 2017; Thombare et al ., 2017) and it can be used to enhance shelf life of tomato. Edible coatings are considered as one of the most‐effective and safer ways to extend the shelf‐stability of the horticultural crops (Abhirami et al ., 2020). Edible coatings are non‐toxic, chemical free, residue free and chemically stable and sustainable substitute for conventional packaging materials (Ghadermazi et al ., 2019; Mohamed et al ., 2020).…”

“…These biochemical processes involve the direct suppression of the activities of pectin polygalacturonase and esterase enzymes causing either postharvest softening of fruit structure or blockage of the synthesis of ethylene. The firmness evaluation of tomatoes reported by Abhirami et al (2020) indicated that, the samples coated with 10% rice bran wax maintained the firmness for 27 days of storage, however the uncoated tomato lost firmness and deteriorated on the 18th day after storage. According to Kibar & Sabir (2018), the greatest loss of firmness was recorded on the 20th day of storage with the lowest value of 6.3 N for control, while the highest value 12.6 N was recorded from 1.0% chitosan-coated tomatoes.…”

“…Respiration is a process whereby living tissues use O 2 to carry out biochemical reaction and liberate CO 2 (Abhirami et al ., 2020). Various research findings confirmed that edible coatings have a significant effect in reducing the respiration rate of tomato fruits.…”