Synergistic effect of zinc and denak (Oliveria decumbens) essential oil to extend the storage life of pomegranate arils

Abstract

Abstract Background Semi-processed pomegranates are increasingly being used around the world. Due to their perishability, however, arils currently have a limited supply and distribution. The treatment of arils with zinc and denak essential oil (DEO) can assist in reducing the growth of pathogens and can contribute to an increase in storage life. Since zinc is nutritionally valuable, the experiment involved immersing arils in 0.8% zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) and packaging them in polypropylene (PP) containers. Then, labels were supercritically impregnated with DEO (25 and 50 μL L−1) in the packages. Sampling was performed regularly at 10-day intervals for 60 days of storage. Results Zinc and DEO had a synergistic impact on all indices. The treatment of arils with 0.8% ZnSO4 and 50 µL L−1 DEO caused the maximum total soluble solids (TSS), firmness, titratable acidity (TA), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and anthocyanin content, as well as the lowest weight loss (WL) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Conclusions In general, the effect of 0.8% ZnSO4 + 50 µL L−1 DEO was most efficient for the increase in storage life and maintained the qualitative characteristics of arils. Also, it caused the zinc content of arils to increase 36-fold. This may be an excellent strategy to meet the body’s nutritional demand for zinc. Graphical Abstract