Abstract
Edible coatings have attracted significant interest in maintaining quality and improving the shelf life of fresh fruit and vegetables. This study aimed to improve tomato storability by using edible coatings, based on alginate cross-linked with calcium chloride, and containing an oregano essential oil (OEO) nanoemulsion as a natural antimicrobial. The coating formulations were preliminary optimized in terms of alginate and calcium chloride concentrations, using response surface methodology, to obtain a thin (~5 µm) and uniform layer on the tomatoes surface. The optimized coating (prepared using sequential dipping in a 0.5% w/w sodium alginate solution and in a 2.0% w/w calcium chloride solution) was enriched by incorporating an OEO nanoemulsion, formulated with lecithin as a natural emulsifier, at an OEO concentration of 0.17% w/w in the alginate solution. The nanoemulsion did not significantly affect the coating thickness and uniformity but improved the wettability of the tomato skin. More specifically, the alginate-based edible coatings exhibited a strong interaction with the hydrophobic tomato skin surface (higher than water), promoting surface adhesion. The addition of OEO nanoemulsion in the coating, by providing more hydrophobic sites, further improved the wetting capability and adhesion of the coating solution on the tomato surface. The developed edible coatings successfully contributed to prolonging the tomato shelf life, by reducing the growth of the endogenous microbial flora (total microbial load, yeasts, and molds) over 14 days at room temperature in comparison with the control, with significantly better performances for the edible coating containing the OEO nanoemulsion.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
Optimized coatings formed a thin uniform layer on tomatoes.
- Taxon
- tomatoes
Solanum lycopersicume0 - Outcome
- uniform layere0
- Value
- ~5 µme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“to obtain a thin (~5 µm) and uniform layer on the tomatoes surface.”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanoemulsion did not significantly affect coating thickness or uniformity.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- nanoemulsione0
- Outcome
- coating thickness and uniformitye0
- Direction
- did not significantly affecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The nanoemulsion did not significantly affect the coating thickness and uniformity but improved the wettability of the tomato skin.”
Claim · model-written summary
Nanoemulsion improved wettability of tomato skin.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- nanoemulsione0
- Outcome
- wettability of the tomato skine0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The nanoemulsion did not significantly affect the coating thickness and uniformity but improved the wettability of the tomato skin.”
Claim · model-written summary
Alginate coating adhered to tomato skin better than water.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- alginate-based edible coatingse0
- Outcome
- surface adhesione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- watere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“alginate-based edible coatings exhibited a strong interaction with the hydrophobic tomato skin surface (higher than water), promoting surface adhesion.”
Claim · model-written summary
OEO nanoemulsion further improved coating wetting and adhesion.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- OEO nanoemulsione0
- Outcome
- wetting capability and adhesione0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The addition of OEO nanoemulsion in the coating, by providing more hydrophobic sites, further improved the wetting capability and adhesion of the coating solution on the tomato surface.”
Claim · model-written summary
Coatings reduced microbial flora growth over 14 days relative to control.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicume0
- Treatment
- edible coatingse0
- Outcome
- growth of the endogenous microbial florae0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Qualifier
- over 14 days at room temperaturee0
- Comparator
- controle0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The developed edible coatings successfully contributed to prolonging the tomato shelf life, by reducing the growth of the endogenous microbial flora (total microbial load, yeasts, and molds) over 14 days at room temperature in comparison with the control”
Claim · model-written summary
OEO coating performed significantly better than other coatings.
- Taxon
- tomatoSolanum lycopersicumt0
- Treatment
- edible coating containing the OEO nanoemulsione0
- Outcome
- better performancese0
- Direction
- bettere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“with significantly better performances for the edible coating containing the OEO nanoemulsion.”
t0“Tomatoes”
The same questions in other papers
nanoparticle · organism · Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)Positive and negative results
4 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.