Edible Film Coatings to Extend the Shelf-Life of Fresh-Cut Pineapple

Abstract

This study proposes an innovative coating material and procedure to extend the shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapple classified as “minimally processed foods”. The novelty of this work consists of the using of biodegradable cases for the storage of fruits during the experiments under refrigerated conditions. In addition, the application of the coating process was evaluated over a period of 15 days and a complete characterization of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) was performed by gaschromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to assess the effect of the coating material on the flavor, the appearance and the quality of the fruits. Results demonstrated that the application of carboxymethyl cellulose and ascorbic acid on pretreated fresh-cut pineapple is able to reduce the aging process and prolonge the shelf-life of pineapple without requiring conventional PVC cases for storage.