Extending the Shelf Life of Persimmon Diospyros kaki by Edible Coating

Persimmon (Diospyros kaki J.) is a subtropical fruit with short postharvest life. The effect of pectin and guar gum based edible coatings was studied under certain conditions of plasticizer, antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Two concentrations of pectin (1 and 2%) and guar gum coatings (0.5and1%) were applied. Fruits were dipped in coating solutions for 1 minute, followed by air drying at room temperature and stored at 4±1˚C and 70 - 75 % RH for 30 days. Changes in shelf life, weight loss, firmness, TSS, pH, TTA, V.C, total phenol contents, PPO, BI, microbial growth and sensory properties were evaluated. The results showed that shelf life of fruit was significantly increased by edible coating treatments. Application of pectin and guar gum decreased weight loss, physical changes and retained more firmness, total antioxidant activity and total phenolic compounds compared to the control (non-coated). All the treatments effectively reduced the populations of microbial growth. Significant differences were recorded in fruit between the two concentrations of pectin and guar gum coating. These results demonstrated that the coatings used in application extended the shelf life and maintain quality of harvested persimmon fruit. The sensory evaluation of coated persimmon fruit for colour, odour, taste, texture and overall acceptability confirmed the prementioned findings.