Novel postharvest intervention using rice bran wax edible coating for shelf-life enhancement of Solanum lycopersicum fruit

摘要

The edible coating is considered as one of the most-effective and safer ways to prolongthe shelf-stability of the horticultural crops. Utilization of rice bran wax (RBW)as a coating substrate can be an excellent shelf-life extension strategy by transformingsecondary by-product from rice processing into a useful coating substrate. Thisresearch was an attempt to use RBW as an edible coating and its effects on the shelflifeextension of Marutham CO3 variety tomatoes. Crude RBW refined in laboratoryscalewas undergone for free fatty acid profile analysis and found that contains 18health-beneficial free fatty acids. RBW was made into an emulsion with differentconcentrations used for coating the tomatoes. Physiological loss weight, lycopenecontent, TSS, firmness, respiration rate, SEM structure, and thickness of the coatingswere analyzed and observed that 10% emulsion coated tomatoes had shown a shelflifeof 27 days, compared to 18 days of the control samples.Practical applicationsThe concept of edible coating is one of the current global research trends that involvein the formulation of primary packaging material for food products that can beingested safely along with the food. It is a cost-effective and sustainable solution toreduce the environmental pollution caused by conventional polymer packaging solutions.Rice bran wax is a secondary by-product separated from the rice bran oil duringrefining. It has good applicability in the formation of lipid-based edible coatings,after refining and removal of crude resinous matter. It is a hydrophobic substance andavoids moisture loss from the product during storage. Due to its water repellency, italso avoids microbial infestation. It can be beneficially used for horticultural crops,owing to their low shelf life due to high moisture content and metabolic activity. Therice bran wax-based coating can also delay the ripening process by modifying theimmediate environment of the product. This coating can be used for high valued horticulturalproduce that tends to ripen or shrivel sooner. It can also be used as an obstructionagainst enzymatic browning in cut fruits and vegetables and for minimallyprocessed and packaged foods. Rice bran wax-based edible coating can be used forshelf-life extension of horticultural produce and also for milk (e.g., Cheese) and meat(e.g., Cut meat) products.