Caseinate–Carboxymethyl Chitosan Composite Edible Coating with Soybean Oil for Extending the Shelf Life of Blueberry Fruit

作者：Amal M. A. Mohamed, Hosahalli S. Ramaswamy · 发表于：Foods · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.3390/foods14152598 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management、Nanocomposite Films for Food Packaging、Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies

Utilizing edible films/coatings promises to extend the shelf life of fruits by controlling various physiological parameters (e.g., respiration and transpiration rates), maintaining firmness, and delaying fruit senescence. The influence of composite-based edible coatings made from sodium or calcium caseinate: carboxymethyl chitosan (75:25) on the postharvest quality of fresh blueberries was assessed over a 28-day storage period, on the basis of weight loss and changes in pH, firmness, color, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, mold and yeast count, and respiration rate. The pH of the blueberries increased over the period of storage, with significant differences observed between uncoated and coated (e.g., pH was 3.89, 3.17, and 3.62 at the end of the storage time for uncoated, Ca 75-1% SO, and Na 75-1% SO, respectively. Desirable lower pH values at the end of storage were obtained with the calcium caseinate formulations. Over the duration of storage, other quality parameters (e.g., firmness) were better retained in coated fruits compared to the uncoated (control) one. At the last storage day, the firmness of the uncoated sample was 0.67 N·mm−1 while the sodium and calcium caseinate was 0.63 and 0.81 N.mm−1, respectively. Moreover, the microbial growth was reduced in coated fruits, indicating the effectiveness of coatings in preserving fruit quality. The mold /yeast count was 1.4 and 2.3 log CFU/g for CaCa 75-1% SO and NaCa 75-1% SO compared with uncoated with 4.2 log CF...