Study on Effect of Polysaccharide Based Edible Coating on the Shelf Life of Sapota Fruits Stored in Room Temperature

Background: The marketability of food products mainly depends upon appearance, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value and microbial safety. These can be maintained by using suitable biodegradable packaging such as edible films and coatings. In the present work the effect of polysaccharide based edible coating was studied on the shelf life of sapota fruits. Objective: The main objective of this project was to increase the shelf life of sapota fruits at ambient condition using the edible coating made up of easily available polysaccharide components. Methods: The edible coating containing sodium alginate (2%), pectin (2%) along with glycerol plasticizer (2.5%) was prepared. Coating of the fruits was done using dipping method with two dipping times (2 and 4 minutes). The both coated and control sapota fruits were stored at ambient condition (25±2ºC, 75-85% humidity). Results: The coated fruits with 2 minutes dipping time showed reduced rate of changes in the physicochemical properties and showed shelf life extension upto 12 days. The coated fruits with 4 minutes dipping time were spoilt on 11th day and control fruits were in the edible state upto 6th day of storage at room temperature. Conclusion: The edible coating containing pectin and sodium alginate polysaccharides was found to be effective in delaying the changes in physicochemical properties and hence ripeness of the sapota fruits at room temperature storage. From the sensory evaluation it was found that, there was no adverse effect of the edible coating on the organoleptic properties of coated sapota fruits.