Quality of fresh cut lemon during different temperature as affected by chitosan coating with clove oil

Abstract

In this study, chitosan (CTS) anti-browning coating film was applied to fresh cut lemon slices. The effects of freshly cut lemon slices on peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), phenolic acid and storage quality were investigated at different storage temperatures (0°C, 4°C, 7°C and 10°C). Results demonstrated that 0°C had an excellent inhibitory effect on the activity of POD, and PPO, as well as a slight impact on the seven primary phenolic acids, the content of which decreased from 0.94 mg/g and 10.01 mg/g to 0.65 mg/g and 8.87 mg/g after a storage period of 10 d. Moreover, the malonaldehyde content (MDA), relative conductivity, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH, free radical) radical scavenging capacity were 0.35 μmol/g, 64.16%, and 91.4%, respectively, while the titratable acidity (TA) and vitamin C (VC) content in the juice were 11.6 g/kg and 33.97 mg/g, respectively. The aroma components denoted by D-limonene, β-pinene, and hydrophyllene also presented a high percentage after 10 d, indicating that combining the treatment of CTS coating with clove oil as a treatment at low temperatures effectively maintained the qualitative properties of freshly cut lemons.

Keywords

• chitosan coating
• lemon
• clove oil
• low temperature