Impact of Menthol and Thymol in Combination with Modified Atmosphere Packaging for the Safety and Quality Retention of Apricot Fruits during Cold Storage

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Department of Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan, Kerman, Iran

2 Department of Food Technology, University Miguel Hernandez, Carretera de Beniel, km. 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain

Abstract

The efficiencies of menthol and thymol fumigation in combination with modified atmosphere packaging were studied to preserve apricot fruit quality. For this purpose, 0 (control), 20, and 30 μl of menthol or thymol were placed on a sterile gauze inside a package and sealed with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film. Following the treatments, all packages were stored at 1.5±1 °C and 85±5% relative humidity for 30 days. They were analyzed for quality parameters during cold storage. The application of menthol 30 µl, thymol 20 µl, and 30 µl reduced the microbial population of the packed fruits to at least 53, 57, and 69%, respectively. Other parameters related to fruit quality such as weight loss, softening, color changes, and malondialdehyde content, which were delayed in treated fruits, compared to the control. The treated fruits exhibited higher bioactive compounds in terms of b-carotene, ascorbic acid, and titratable acidity, respectively, compared to the control at the end of the storage period. The combination of MAP with the vapor phase of menthol and thymol at appropriate concentrations can maintain apricot fruit quality for consumers and growers to increase the possibility of extending apricot shelf life.

Keywords

References

Abdolahi A, Hassani A, Ghosta Y, Bernoust I, Meshkatalsadat M. 2010. Study on the potential use of essential oils for decay control and quality preservation of Tabarzeh table grape. Journal of Plant Protection and Research 50, 45-52.
Alajil O, Sagar V, Kaur C, Rudra S, Sharma R, Kaushik R, Verma M, Tomar M, Kumar M, Mekhemar M. 2021. Nutritional and phytochemical traits of apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) for application in nutraceutical and health industry. Foods 10, 1344.
Aminifard M, Mohammadi S. 2013. Essential oils to control Botrytis cinerea in vitro and in vivo on plum fruits. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 93, 348-353.
Aminifard M, Mohammadi S. 2012. Effect of essential oils on postharvest decay and quality factors of tomato in vitro and in vivo conditions. Archive of Phytopathology and Plant Protection 45, 1280-1285.
Cardarelli M, Botondi R, Vizovitis K, Mencarelli F. 2002. Effects of exogenous propylene on softening, glycosidase, and pectin methylesterase activity during postharvest ripening of apricots. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50, 1441-1446.
Chen C, Cai N, Chen J, Wan C. 2019. Clove essential oil as an alternative approach to control postharvest blue mold caused by Penicillium italicum in citrus fruit. Biomolecules 9, 197.
Chu C, Liu W, Zhou T, Tsao R. 1999. Control of postharvest grey mold rot of modified atmospherepackaged sweet cherries by fumigation with thymol and acetic acid. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 79, 686-689.
Dorostkar M, Moradinezhad F, Ansarifar E. 2022. Influence of active modified atmosphere packaging pre-treatment on shelf life and quality attributes of cold stored apricot fruit. International Journal of Fruit Science 22, 402-413.
Espitia P, Soares N, Botti L, Melo N, Pereira O, Silva W. 2012. Assessment of the efficiency of essential oils in the preservation of postharvest papaya in an antimicrobial packaging system. Brazilian Journal of Food Technology 15, 333-342.
Hajilou J, Fakhimrezaei S. 2013. Effects of post-harvest calcium chloride or salicylic acid treatments on the shelf-life and quality of apricot fruit. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 88, 600-604.
Hassani A, Fathi Z, Ghosta Y, Abdolahi A, Jalili Marandi R. 2011. Evaluation of plant essential oil for control of postharvest brown and gray mold rots of apricot. Journal of Food Safety 32, 94-101.
Jahani M, Pira M, Aminifard M. 2020. Antifungal effects of essential oils against Aspergillus niger in vitro and in vivo on pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruits. Scientia Horticulturae 264, 109188.
Juglal S, Govinden R, Odhav B. 2002. Spice oils for the control of co-occurring mycotoxin-producing fungi. Journal of Food Protection 65, 683-687.
Knobloch K, Pauli A, Iberl B, Weis N, Weigand H. 1989. Antibacterial activity and antifungal properties of essential oil components. Journal of Essential Oil Research 1, 119-128.
Larkindale J, Huang B. 2004. Changes of lipid composition and saturation level in leaves and roots for heat-stressed and heat-acclimated creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). Environmental and Experimental Botany 51, 57-67.
Liu W, Chu C, Zhou T. 2002. Thymol and acetic acid vapors reduce postharvest brown rot of apricots and plums. HortScience 37, 151-156.
Mpho M, Sivakumar D, Sellamuthu P, Bautista‐Banos S. 2013. Use of lemongrass oil and modified atmosphere packaging on control of anthracnose and quality maintenance in avocado cultivars. Journal of Food Quality 36, 198-208.
Nagata M, Yamashita I. 1992. Simple method for simultaneous determination of chlorophyll and carotenoids in tomato fruit. The Japanese Society for Food Science and Technology 39, 925-928.
Palou L, Crisosto C, Garner D, Basinal L. 2003. Effect of continuous exposure to exogenous ethylene during cold storage on postharvest decay development and quality attributes of stone fruits and table grapes. Postharvest Biology and Technology 27, 243-254.
Rashid I, Abdel-Rahman F. 2019. Combination of essential oil postharvest vaporization and modified atmosphere storage to control postharvest rots of nectarine and maintain fruit quality. Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology 10, 459-469.
Rathore H, Masud T, Shehla X, Soomro A. 2007. Effect of storage on physico-chemical composition and sensory properties of Mango (Mangnifera indica L.) variety ‘Dosehari’. Pakistan Journal of Nutrition 6, 143-148.
Santoro K, Maghenzani M, Chiabrando V, Bosio P, Gullino ML, Spadaro D, Giacalone G. 2018. Thyme and savory essential oil vapor treatments control brown rot and improve the storage quality of peaches and nectarines, but could favor gray mold. Foods 7, 7.
Sass-Kiss A, Kiss J, Milotay P, Kerek M, Toth-Markus M. 2005. Differences in anthocyanin and carotenoid content of fruits and vegetables. Food Research International 38, 1023-1029.
Serrano M, Martinez-Romero D, Castillo S, Guillen F, Valero D. 2005. The use of antifungal compounds improves the beneficial effect of MAP in sweet cherry storage. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 6, 115-123.
Talano A, Agostini E, Oller W, Medina I, Forchetti M. 2008. Modulator role of ascorbic acid on coniferyl alcohol oxidation by a basic peroxidase from tomato hairy roots. Plant Science 175, 724-730.
Tyagi A, and Malik A. 2011. Antimicrobial potential and chemical composition of Eucalyptus globulus oil in liquid and vapor phase against food spoiling microorganisms. Food Chemistry 126, 228-235.
Tzortzakis N. 2007. Maintaining postharvest quality of fresh produce with volatile compounds. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 8, 111-116.
Ultee A, Kets E, Smid E. 1999. Mechanisms of action of carvacrol on the food-borne pathogen Bacillus cereus. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 65, 4606- 4610.
Ulukanli Z, Oz A. 2015. The effect of oleum myrtle on the fruit quality of strawberries during MAP storage. Journal of Food Science and Technology 52, 2860-2868.
Valverde J, Guillen F, Martinez-Romero D, Castillo S, Serrano M, Valero D. 2005. Improvement of table grapes quality and safety by the combination of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and eugenol, menthol, or thymol. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53, 7458-7464.
Xing Y, Lin H, Cao D, Xu Q, Han W, Wang R, Li X. 2015. Effect of chitosan coating with cinnamon oil on the quality and physiological attributes of China jujube fruits. BioMed Research International, 1-10.
Ziaolhagh S, Kanani S. 2021. Extending the shelf life of apricots by using gum tragacanth-chitosan edible coating. Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology 23, 319-331.
International Journal of Horticultural Science and Technology
Volume 10, Issue 4
October 2023
Pages 513-522

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 16 August 2022
  • Revise Date: 10 December 2022
  • Accept Date: 01 May 2023

Share

How to cite

Statistics