Multilayered Edible Coatings to Enhance Some Quality Attributes of Ready-to-Eat Cherimoya (Annona cherimola)

Abstract

Multilayer coating can be applied on fresh fruit to protect and enhance its shelf life. This study evaluated the application of a multilayer protein and chitosan coating on fresh cherimoya. To determinate the effect of the multilayer coating on the shelf life on the fruit, total phenolic content, pH, degrees Brix, weight loss, and hardness values were tested. The ripening process is associated with an increase of soluble solids, and results showed that the presence of the multilayered coating maintains the total phenolic content, pH, and degrees Brix values over time while reducing the water loss. This effect is probably due to the presence of the coating that creates a barrier on the food surface that reduces the respiration rate and affects the ripening process, demonstrating the method's feasibility to be used to enhance the shelf life of fresh-cut cherimoya.