Innovative Gelatin-Based Edible Coatings for Preserving Postharvest Quality of Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Fruit

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

2 Department of Horticultural Science, College of Agriculture, University of Hormozgan, Bandarabbas, Iran.

Abstract

Guava (Psidium guajava L.) is a climacteric fruit with a short shelf life due to rapid ripening and postharvest decay. This study explores the efficacy of gelatin-based coatings (0.1% and 0.2%), enriched with pomegranate seed oil (0.05%), in extending the shelf life of guava fruits stored at 5 ± 1℃ (plus 5 days shelf life). The fruit quality parameters were evaluated after 7-, 14- and 21-days storage period. The results demonstrated that treatments with gelatin and pomegranate seed oil significantly reduced weight loss (4.5%) although the minimum weight loss was observed in the oil treatment (2.5%). All treatments effectively maintained the firmness of the samples and preserved high levels of total phenolic content and titratable acidity compared to the control group. Additionally, these treatments effectively lowered the respiration rate (0.4 ml/kg.h), thereby enhancing the overall quality and extending the shelf life of guava fruits. This study underscores the potential of gelatin-pomegranate seed oil coatings as a novel postharvest treatment for guava fruits.

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