Physiological, qualitative, and microbiological changes of minimally processed Brussels sprouts in response to coating with carboxymethyl cellulose/candelilla wax emulsion

Abstract

Minimally processed Brussels sprouts were coated which carboxymethyl cellulose/candelilla wax emulsion, packed in boxes with perforated wrap, and stored at 8°C. It was found that the emulsion not only was deposited on the surface but also penetrated into the inside of the heads through vascular system in stems and leaves. The coating did not affect weight loss, moisture content, and texture of the vegetables. In turn, reduced respiration rate, accelerated chlorophyll degradation, and increased activity of polyphenol oxidase was noticed in the coated Brussels sprouts. Consequently, the coating decreased the sensory quality of the vegetables. Furthermore, the coating favored fungal growth in the artificially contaminated Brussels sprouts. The changes in the vegetables were likely due to excessively decreased gas exchange performance, including ethylene accumulation. Practical applications Edible coatings are a particular form of packaging directly applied to the surface of perishables. It is widely believed that coating treatment enhances the quality of fruits and vegetables, protecting them from postharvest decay. Nevertheless, not all coatings will work well on a specific horticultural crops nor will all horticultural crops have the same needs. Consequently, when the coating material is not adequately selected, edible coatings can cause anaerobic respiration by acting as a barrier for the gas exchange between fresh produce and the surroundings. Since the coatings can be produced from various edible biomolecules, selecting a proper coating is quite problematic. In this context, the presented work shows that carboxymethyl cellulose/candelilla wax‐based coating is not suitable for the minimally processed Brussels sprouts. The results reported here could help other scientists adjust their research plans and increase their chances of success in extending postharvest shelf‐life of Brussels sprouts.

Short-Term Pre-Harvest UV-B Supplement Enhances the Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Capacity of Ocimum basilicum Leaves during Storage

“…Here, we observed that storage similarly increased the L values in leaves from both light treatments, indicating the lightening of them. Higher values in the L parameter have already been described for other green vegetables submitted to storage, such as green tomatoes, broccoli, rocket, Brussels sprouts, spinach, and lettuce [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. Comparing the UV-B and control leaves, the treatment with radiation resulted in lower values of L , indicating a darker color of the UV-B leaves compared to the controls ( Table 4 ).…”

Synthesis, Characterization, and Application of Carboxymethyl Cellulose from Asparagus Stalk End

“…Thus, CMC can be versatile applied in various field such as drug delivery carrier [ 20 ], wound healing application [ 21 ], active corrosion protection [ 22 ], binder in ceramics [ 23 ], composited in hydrogel film [ 24 ] and hydrogel food packaging [ 25 ], fresh fruit and vegetable coatings [ 26 , 27 ] and hydrocolloid in noodles, bakery products and other foods [ 28 , 29 ] and it can produce composite films. CMC films exhibit many worthwhile attributes than many other biopolymers such as biodegradability, ease of production, forming a stable cross-linked matrix for packaging, etc.…”

Edible Coating and Pulsed Light to Increase the Shelf Life of Food Products

“…As a recent trend, it must be remarked that natural coating materials are increasingly attracting the interest of researchers, as shown by the wide use of Aloe vera gel [138][139][140][141] and other natural polysaccharides, such as chitosan [9, 12, 25, 39, 74, 142, 147, 152, 164-166, 168-170, 172, 174, 179, 180, 186, 190, 193, 201], or seaweed extracts [148], which exhibit an intrinsic antimicrobial activity, significantly contributing to extending the product shelf life. The tendency toward natural products is also confirmed by the wide use of natural gums [47,181], starches [20, 188,195], cellulose, and its derivatives [32,167,173,175,194], and other compounds recovered from agri-food residues [144,183,203]. Glycerol is frequently used as a plasticizer, at concentrations ranging from less than 1 to 20%.…”