Quality evaluation of tomatoes coated by an advanced electrostatic spray coating system

Abstract

SummaryA critical assessment was carried out to investigate the impact of electrostatic spray coatings as compared to dip coatings on tomatoes which were conducted at 30 ± 2 °C and 60% RH for a period of 30 days. In this paper, the impact of developed polysaccharide‐based coatings (alginate and cellulose coatings with clove oil) and commercially available wax‐based coatings (VMW50+) was compared to that of uncoated tomatoes. The application of alginate‐ and cellulose‐based electrostatically charged sprays was found to significantly (P < 0.05) reduce the weight loss, firmness, colour and bioactive compound degradation and overall flavour loss as compared to uncoated and dip‐based coating during the storage period of 30 days. Moreover, alginate‐ and cellulose‐based electrostatically charged spray coating were more efficient in delaying the spoilage of tomatoes by 20 days as compared to the uncoated one. A significant level of charge‐to‐mass ratio has been achieved, which confirmed the chargeability of coating materials. These findings confirmed the capability of electrostatically charged sprays to extend the shelf life and preserve the overall quality of tomatoes during storage.