Semidey Castro, Fransheska Marie

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    Effect of edible coatings on the physicochemical properties and fungal control of the Carica papaya
    (2021-12-09) Semidey Castro, Fransheska Marie; Plaza, María del L.; College of Agricultural Sciences; Simsek, Senay; Orellana Feliciano, Lynette E.; Zamora Echevarria, José; Department of Food Science and Technology; Soto, Sandra I.
    Papaya, a fruit cultivated in most of the tropical areas of the world, has shown an increase in its production and harvest area in Puerto Rico over the last years, positioning itself as an agro-economic contribution product. Due to its perishable nature and microbiological susceptibility, papaya is vulnerable to losing its quality standards, and, therefore, having high post-harvest losses. Anthracnose has been identified as the fungal disease with the greatest incidence and severity affecting fruits, which represented one of the main factors of papayas deterioration. In the present study, the effect of the application of two coatings on the physicochemical properties and microbiological activity of Carica papaya (Tainung variety) was compared. The coatings formulation consists of Nipro Fresh Natural TMW 40® (10% w/v) with the antimicrobial agents: chitosan (1% w/v) and potassium sorbate (2% w/v) respectively. The papayas were coated using the immersion technique and storage to room temperature (24± 3℃) for 12 days. The chitosan coating showed a statistical difference (P<0.05) on the peel color, weight loss, texture and pH variables, while the potassium sorbate and the control have similar behaviors. Neither coating delayed yeast or fungus growth on the papaya peels, and according to the percentage disease index, the chitosan-coated papayas were susceptible to anthracnose, while the potassium sorbate were highly susceptible. Data revealed that there was an effect on the physicochemical properties of the papaya by the chitosan coating, although, despite this, the quality of the papayas was affected.