Effects of carboxymethyl cellulose coating on physicochemical attributes, postharvest quality and softening enzymes of ber fruits

Résumé fourni par la source

Ber ( Ziziphus mauritiana L.) fruit exhibits a short storage life due to its rapid ripening, susceptibility to oxidative stress, enzymatic browning, and tissue softening. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) coating has a substantial role in inhibiting the maturation process, oxidative breakdown, and decay incidence in fruit during storage. It is widely recognized as an effective edible coating due to its excellent film-forming ability and semi-permeable barrier properties, which are superior to many other biopolymer and natural cellulose coatings in reducing moisture loss and maintaining postharvest quality. Therefore, the present study was executed to investigate the pre-storage influence of CMC in maintaining physiochemical characteristics and enhancing the defensive mechanism of ber fruit cultivars i.e., Umran and Pak White, during ambient storage. Fruits were subjected to different concentrations of CMC (control, 0.25 g/hg, 0.5 g/hg, and 1 g/hg) for 5 mins and stored at ambient storage for 12 days. Results exhibited that 1 g/hg CMC-treated fruit, at 12-day ambient storage, had lower weight loss (29.14%), decay incidence (25.50%) compared to Pak White fruit, which had lower weight loss (39.87%) and decay (36.72%). The treatment had a considerable effect on postponing the ripening process through keeping lower total soluble solids (26.72 °Brix) and ripening index (33.87%) in ‘Umran. Moreover, the CMC coating maintained greater levels of ascorbic acid and total phenolics, and lower levels of oxidative stress indices, such as electrolyte leakage (37.23%), hydrogen peroxide (10.16 μmol/g), and malondialdehyde (3.89 nmol/g). Moreover, the antioxidant enzyme activities (SOD, POD, CAT, APX) were stimulated, whilst softening enzymes like polygalacturonase (10.46 nkat/mg FW) and cellulase (16.00 nkat/mg FW) were notably inhibited. Overall, these findings indicate that CMC coating is an effective postharvest strategy to reduce decay incidence, delay ripening, and mitigate cellular disintegration and tissue softening by strengthening antioxidant defense mechanisms, thereby maintaining the quality of ber fruit under ambient storage conditions.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.