Effect of Chitosan Coating on Preserving Character of Post-Harvest Fruit and Vegetable - A Review (Yu Youwei and Ren Yinzhe)

Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrate, and so on, and have good flavor including sweet, sour, or particular odor. In addition, many fruits, such as golden pear and red apple, are crisp and juicy as well as colorful. 

Post-harvest fruits and vegetables are living organism, still undertaking metabolism ceaselessly [1]. They shrink and lose luster because of water transpiration, and the nutrients are also consumed owing to respiration during the storage time. Meanwhile, post-harvest fruit and vegetable easily rot owing to the activity of spoilage microorganism [2]. Now, many methods including low temperature, controlled atmosphere storage and edible coating are applied to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of post-harvest fruit and vegetable [3-5].

Chitosan, a linear polysaccharide consisting of (1, 4)-linked 2-amino-deoxy-β-D-glucan, is a deacetylated derivative of chitin, which is the second most abundant polysaccharide found in nature after cellulose. Chitosan has been found to be non-toxic, biodegradable, biofunctional, and biocompatible, and is reported by several researchers to have strong antimicrobial and antifungal activities [6]. It can form a film on fruit and vegetable surfaces and reduces respiration rate by adjusting the permeability of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The 3 -NH+group of chitosan may also restrain the propagation of harmful germs, thus effectively controlling fruit decay. Considering these superior properties of chitosan, it has been successfully used in many postharvested fruits, vegetables or their fresh-cut samples [7] (Figure 1).

Nowadays many reports involving chitosan coating mostly focus on the varieties of fruit and vegetable or compound coating based on chitosan [8,9]. However, as for the preserving characteristics, such as physiological quality, biochemical parameters, microbial indicators and nutrient status of post-harvest fruit and vegetable, there is no detailed report at present. This review attempts to summarize the effect of chitosan coatings on preserving character of post-harvest fruit and vegetable. We expect that this review will provide insights for researchers working on post-harvest preservation.

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Introduction

Fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, such as minerals, vitamins, amino acids, carbohydrate, and so on, and have good flavor including sweet, sour, or particular odor. In addition, many fruits, such as golden pear and red apple, are crisp and juicy as well as colorful. 

Post-harvest fruits and vegetables are living organism, still undertaking metabolism ceaselessly [1]. They shrink and lose luster because of water transpiration, and the nutrients are also consumed owing to respiration during the storage time. Meanwhile, post-harvest fruit and vegetable easily rot owing to the activity of spoilage microorganism [2]. Now, many methods including low temperature, controlled atmosphere storage and edible coating are applied to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of post-harvest fruit and vegetable [3-5].

Chitosan, a linear polysaccharide consisting of (1, 4)-linked 2-amino-deoxy-β-D-glucan, is a deacetylated derivative of chitin, which is the second most abundant polysaccharide found in nature after cellulose. Chitosan has been found to be non-toxic, biodegradable, biofunctional, and biocompatible, and is reported by several researchers to have strong antimicrobial and antifungal activities [6]. It can form a film on fruit and vegetable surfaces and reduces respiration rate by adjusting the permeability of carbon dioxide and oxygen. The 3 -NH+group of chitosan may also restrain the propagation of harmful germs, thus effectively controlling fruit decay. Considering these superior properties of chitosan, it has been successfully used in many postharvested fruits, vegetables or their fresh-cut samples [7] (Figure 1).

Nowadays many reports involving chitosan coating mostly focus on the varieties of fruit and vegetable or compound coating based on chitosan [8,9]. However, as for the preserving characteristics, such as physiological quality, biochemical parameters, microbial indicators and nutrient status of post-harvest fruit and vegetable, there is no detailed report at present. This review attempts to summarize the effect of chitosan coatings on preserving character of post-harvest fruit and vegetable. We expect that this review will provide insights for researchers working on post-harvest preservation.

LINK DOWNLOAD

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