Effect of cassava-starch coatings with ascorbic acidic and N-acetylcysteine on the quality of harton plantain (<i>Musa paradisiaca</i>)

• Main Authors: Carlos Julio Márquez Cardozo, José Roberto Palacín Beltrán, Lorenzo Fuentes Berrio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Medellín 2015-06-01
• Series: Revista Facultad Nacional de Agronomía Medellín
• Subjects: Browning; polyphenol oxidase; fruit; vegetables
• Online Access: http://www.revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/refame/article/view/50985
• ISSN: 0304-2847; 2248-7026

<p>The effect of coatings was evaluated on the quality of<br />harton plantain fruits (<em>Musa paradisiaca</em>) in the postharvest stage.<br />Solutions for three treatments were prepared from 50 g L-1 cassava<br />starch (<em>Manihot esculenta</em>) with 30 g L-1 glycerol as the plasticizer<br />and 6 g L-1 polyethylene glycol-600®; for anti-browning agents, 6<br />g L-1 ascorbic acid (AA) and 8 g L-1 N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC) were<br />added. The fruits were coated by immersion, stored at 18 ± 4°C<br />and 85% RH. Physicochemical properties were determined at 32<br />days postharvest. The applied coatings decreased the physiological<br />weight loss (%WL) and resulted in a higher pulp firmness (PF); no<br />significant difference was seen with a confidence level of 95% in<br />the concentration of total soluble solids (TSS), acidity or maturity<br />index. The skin color was measured by the CIE L*a*b* method, with<br />an average L value of 70 for the fruits coated with the 6 g L-1 AA<br />and 8 g L-1 NAC mixture, while the control fruits had a value of 57.<br />Also, lower a* coordinate values and browning indices were found<br />for the epidermis of the coated fruits. The enzymatic activity of the<br />polyphenol oxidase decreased with the number of postharvest days<br />for all of the treatments, being lower for the fruits with the mixture<br />of anti-browning agents by 27%, as compared to the control. It was<br />concluded that the coating mixture containing the anti-browning<br />agents ascorbic acid, 6 g L-1, and N-acetyl-cysteine, 8 g L-1, showed<br />a better effect as an alternative for storing fruits and prolonging<br />the shelf-life of harton plantain.</p>