Tatenda Kawhena Ph.D. | University of Stellenbosch (original) (raw)

Papers by Tatenda Kawhena Ph.D.

Agriculture, 2021

The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and... more The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and dynamic controlled atmosphere-chlorophyll fluorescence (DCA-CF) to control superficial scald development on ‘Granny Smith’ apples during long-term storage was studied. Fruit were stored for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 months at 0 °C in DCA-CF (0.6% O2 and 0.8% CO2), regular atmosphere (RA)(≈21% O2 and 90–95% RH), and RLOS treatments: (1) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by ultra-low oxygen (ULO) (0.9% O2 and 0.8% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d or (2) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by controlled atmosphere (CA) (1.5% O2 and 1% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d. Development of superficial scald was inhibited for up to 10 months and 7 d shelf life (20 °C) under RLOS + ULO and DCA-CF treatments. Apples stored in RLOS + ULO, RLOS + CA, and DCA-CF had significantly (p < 0.05) higher flesh firmness and total soluble solids. The RLOS phases applied with CA or ULO and DCA-CF storage reduced the development of ...

Coatings, 2021

The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5–1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5–1.5%),... more The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5–1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5–1.5%), lemongrass oil (LO) (2–4%), and glycerol (GC) (0.5–1%) developed using response surface methodology (RSM) on “Wonderful” pomegranate fruit were studied. After 42 days of storage (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) and 5 days at ambient temperature (20 ± 0.2 °C and 60 ± 10% RH), whole fruit were evaluated for weight loss (%) and pomegranate juice (PJ) for total soluble solids (°Brix), titratable acidity (% Citric acid), and antioxidant capacity. The optimization procedure was done using RSM and the response variables were mainly influenced by the concentrations of MS and GA. The optimized coating consisted of GA (0.5%), MS (0.5%), LO (3%), and GC (1.5%) with desirability of 0.614 (0—minimum and 1—maximum). The predicted values of response variables, for the coating were weight loss (%) = 5.51, TSS (°Brix) = 16.45, TA (% Citric acid) = 1.50, and antioxidant capacity (RSA = 58.13 mM AAE/mL PJ and FRAP ...

Plants, 2020

The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oi... more The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oil (TO; 0.25 and 0.5% v/v) on the quality of “Acco” pomegranate arils were studied. Coating treatments, namely, MC, MC + TO0.5%, MC + TO0.25%, GA, GA + TO0.5% and GA + TO0.25% were applied on arils by dipping, and evaluations were made on physicochemical and microbiological quality, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of arils stored (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) for 16 days. Dipping arils in GA or MC, both containing TO (0.5% v/v) significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced weight loss and enhanced antioxidant activity (FRAP) (p = 0.0014). However, dipping arils in GA combined with TO (0.25% v/v) had the highest influence on reducing aril respiration rate compared with other treatments. Overall, results showed that application of coatings (GA + TO0.5% and GA + TO0.25%) reduced total yeast and mould and total plate counts and maintained quality up to 8 days of storage. These findings suggest that ...

Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, 2019

Foods, 2022

The effects of gum arabic coatings combined with lemongrass oil and/or pomegranate peel extract o... more The effects of gum arabic coatings combined with lemongrass oil and/or pomegranate peel extract on freshly harvested mature ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit were studied. Fruit were coated with gum arabic (GA) (1.5% w/v) alone or enriched with lemongrass oil (LM) (0.1% v/v) and/or pomegranate peel extract (PP) (1% w/v). Fruit were packed into standard open top ventilated cartons (dimensions: 0.40 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.12 m high), and stored for 6 weeks at 5 ± 1 °C (90% RH). Evaluations were made every 2 weeks of cold storage and after 5 d of shelf life (20 °C and 65% RH). Fruit coated with GA + PP (4.09%) and GA + PP + LM (4.21%) coatings recorded the least cumulative weight loss compared to the uncoated control (9.87%). After 6 weeks, uncoated control and GA + PP + LM recorded the highest (24.55 mg CO2Kg−1h−1) and lowest (10.76 mg CO2Kg−1h−1) respiration rate, respectively. Coating treatments reduced the incidence of decay and treatments GA + LM + PP and GA + PP recorded the highe...

Processes

This study investigated the effect of gum Arabic and starch-based coating and two polyliners (Lin... more This study investigated the effect of gum Arabic and starch-based coating and two polyliners (Liner 1-micro-perforated Xtend® and Liner 2-macro-perforated high-density polyethylene) on whole ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit during cold storage (5 ± 1 °C and 95 ± 2% RH). Uncoated (UC) and coated (GAMS) fruit were packaged into standard open top ventilated cartons (dimensions: 0.40 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.12 m high) with (GAMS + Liner 1, GAMS + Liner 2, UC + Liner 1 and UC + Liner 2) or without (UC and GAMS) polyliners. After 42 d, treatment GAMS + Liner 1 recorded the least weight loss (4.82%), whilst GAMS recorded lower (8.77%) weight loss than UC + Liner 2 (10.07%). The highest (24.74 mLCO2 kg−1h−1) and lowest (13.14 mLCO2 kg−1h−1) respiration rates were detected in UC and GAMS + Liner 1, respectively. The highest and lowest total soluble solids were recorded for GAMS (16.87 °Brix), and GAMS + Liner 1 (15.60 °Brix) and UC + Liner 1 (15.60 °Brix), respectively. Overall, no decay was ...

Molecules, 2021

This study determined the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemongrass (LO),thyme (TO), a... more This study determined the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemongrass (LO),thyme (TO), and oregano (OO) essential oils and ethanolic extracts of pomegranate peel (PPE) and grape pomace (GPE) as candidate ingredients for edible coatings. Antifungal effects against Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium spp. were tested using paper disc and well diffusion methods. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,20-azinobis-3 ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid assays. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified limonene (16.59%), -citral (27.45%), -citral (27.43%), thymol (33.31%), paracymene (43.26%), 1,8-cineole (17.53%), and trans-caryphellene (60.84%) as major compounds of the essential
oils. From both paper disc and well diffusion methods, LO recorded the widest zone of inhibition against tested microbes (B. cinerea and Penicillium spp.). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of LO against B. cinerea and Penicillium spp., were 15 L/mL and 30 L/mL, respectively. The highest (69.95%) and lowest (1.64%) RSA at 1 mg/mL were recorded for PPE and OO. Application of sodium alginate and chitosan-based coatings formulated with LO (15 or 30 L/mL) completely inhibited spore germination and reduced the decay severity of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate. Lemongrass oil proved to be a potential antifungal agent for edible coatings developed to extend shelf life of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate.

Agriculture, 2021

The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and... more The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and dynamic controlled atmosphere chlorophyll fluorescence (DCA-CF) to control superficial scald development on ‘Granny Smith’ apples during long-term storage was studied. Fruit were for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 months at 0 C in DCA-CF (0.6% O2 and 0.8% CO2), regular atmosphere (RA)(21% O2 and 90–95% RH), and RLOS treatments: (1) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by ultra-low oxygen (ULO) (0.9% O2 and 0.8% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d or (2) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by controlled atmosphere (CA) (1.5% O2 and 1% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d. Development of superficial scald was inhibited for up to 10 months and 7 d shelf life (20 C) under RLOS + ULO and DCA-CF treatments. Apples stored in RLOS + ULO, RLOS + CA, and DCA-CF had significantly (p < 0.05) higher flesh firmness and total soluble solids. The RLOS phases applied with CA or ULO and DCA-CF storage reduced the development of superficial scald by possibly suppressing the oxidation of volatiles implicated in superficial scald development.

Coatings, 2021

The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5-1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5-1.5%),... more The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5-1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5-1.5%), lemongrass oil (LO) (2-4%), and glycerol (GC) (0.5-1%) developed using response surface methodology (RSM) on "Wonderful" pomegranate fruit were studied. After 42 days of storage (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) and 5 days at ambient temperature (20 ± 0.2 °C and 60 ± 10% RH), whole fruit were evaluated for weight loss (%) and pomegranate juice (PJ) for total soluble solids (°Brix), titrat-able acidity (% Citric acid), and antioxidant capacity. The optimization procedure was done using RSM and the response variables were mainly influenced by the concentrations of MS and GA. The optimized coating consisted of GA (0.5%), MS (0.5%), LO (3%), and GC (1.5%) with desirability of 0.614 (0-minimum and 1-maximum). The predicted values of response variables, for the coating were weight loss (%) = 5.51, TSS (°Brix) = 16.45, TA (% Citric acid) = 1.50, and antioxidant capacity (RSA = 58.13 mM AAE/mL PJ and FRAP = 40.03 mM TE/mL PJ). Therefore, the optimized coating formulation is a potential postharvest treatment for "Wonderful" pomegranate to inhibit weight loss and maintain overall quality during storage and shelf-life.

Acta Horticulturae, 2018

'Packham's Triumph' pears are susceptible to several postharvest physiological disorders that may... more 'Packham's Triumph' pears are susceptible to several postharvest physiological disorders that may reduce the fruit quality during long term storage. The aim of the study was to develop a storage protocol based on repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS). Optimally harvested fruit was stored for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 months at-0.5°C. Pears were subjected to low oxygen stress at 0.5% O2 for 10 d, then for 7 d for the following periods, followed by ultra-low oxygen (ULO) at 0.9% O2 and 0.8% CO2 or controlled atmosphere (CA) storage of 1.5% O2 and 2.5% CO2 for 21 d. Regular atmosphere (RA) storage served as the control. The fruits were assessed for physiological and pathogical disorders, physico-chemical properties, and sensory parameters after 6 weeks simulated shipment and handling period and at 7 d shelf life. No incidence of superficial scald was observed under RLOS treatments up to 10 months at both 0 and 7 d shelf life (p<0.0001). The colour change was significantly higher under RA in comparison to RLOS treatments for all storage durations (p<0.0001). RLOS treatments had significantly higher TSS content than the control (p=0.0035) and retained harvest firmness up to 8 months of storage (p<0.0001). RLOS treatments had significantly higher scores for most of the sensory parameters and maintained good fruit quality up to 10 months of storage. This study showed that RLOS storage inhibits the development of physiological disorders and maintains pear quality during long term cold storage.

Plants MDPI, 2020

The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oi... more The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oil (TO; 0.25 and 0.5% v/v) on the quality of "Acco" pomegranate arils were studied. Coating treatments, namely, MC, MC + TO 0.5% , MC + TO 0.25% , GA, GA + TO 0.5% and GA + TO 0.25% were applied on arils by dipping, and evaluations were made on physicochemical and microbiological quality, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of arils stored (5 ± 1 • C, 95 ± 2% RH) for 16 days. Dipping arils in GA or MC, both containing TO (0.5% v/v) significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced weight loss and enhanced antioxidant activity (FRAP) (p = 0.0014). However, dipping arils in GA combined with TO (0.25% v/v) had the highest influence on reducing aril respiration rate compared with other treatments. Overall, results showed that application of coatings (GA + TO 0.5% and GA + TO 0.25%) reduced total yeast and mould and total plate counts and maintained quality up to 8 days of storage. These findings suggest that either GA + TO 0.5% or GA + TO 0.25% coatings have the capability to extend storage life of "Acco" pomegranate arils.

Agriculture, 2021

The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and... more The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and dynamic controlled atmosphere-chlorophyll fluorescence (DCA-CF) to control superficial scald development on ‘Granny Smith’ apples during long-term storage was studied. Fruit were stored for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 months at 0 °C in DCA-CF (0.6% O2 and 0.8% CO2), regular atmosphere (RA)(≈21% O2 and 90–95% RH), and RLOS treatments: (1) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by ultra-low oxygen (ULO) (0.9% O2 and 0.8% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d or (2) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by controlled atmosphere (CA) (1.5% O2 and 1% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d. Development of superficial scald was inhibited for up to 10 months and 7 d shelf life (20 °C) under RLOS + ULO and DCA-CF treatments. Apples stored in RLOS + ULO, RLOS + CA, and DCA-CF had significantly (p < 0.05) higher flesh firmness and total soluble solids. The RLOS phases applied with CA or ULO and DCA-CF storage reduced the development of ...

Coatings, 2021

The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5–1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5–1.5%),... more The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5–1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5–1.5%), lemongrass oil (LO) (2–4%), and glycerol (GC) (0.5–1%) developed using response surface methodology (RSM) on “Wonderful” pomegranate fruit were studied. After 42 days of storage (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) and 5 days at ambient temperature (20 ± 0.2 °C and 60 ± 10% RH), whole fruit were evaluated for weight loss (%) and pomegranate juice (PJ) for total soluble solids (°Brix), titratable acidity (% Citric acid), and antioxidant capacity. The optimization procedure was done using RSM and the response variables were mainly influenced by the concentrations of MS and GA. The optimized coating consisted of GA (0.5%), MS (0.5%), LO (3%), and GC (1.5%) with desirability of 0.614 (0—minimum and 1—maximum). The predicted values of response variables, for the coating were weight loss (%) = 5.51, TSS (°Brix) = 16.45, TA (% Citric acid) = 1.50, and antioxidant capacity (RSA = 58.13 mM AAE/mL PJ and FRAP ...

Plants, 2020

The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oi... more The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oil (TO; 0.25 and 0.5% v/v) on the quality of “Acco” pomegranate arils were studied. Coating treatments, namely, MC, MC + TO0.5%, MC + TO0.25%, GA, GA + TO0.5% and GA + TO0.25% were applied on arils by dipping, and evaluations were made on physicochemical and microbiological quality, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of arils stored (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) for 16 days. Dipping arils in GA or MC, both containing TO (0.5% v/v) significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced weight loss and enhanced antioxidant activity (FRAP) (p = 0.0014). However, dipping arils in GA combined with TO (0.25% v/v) had the highest influence on reducing aril respiration rate compared with other treatments. Overall, results showed that application of coatings (GA + TO0.5% and GA + TO0.25%) reduced total yeast and mould and total plate counts and maintained quality up to 8 days of storage. These findings suggest that ...

Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology, 2019

Foods, 2022

The effects of gum arabic coatings combined with lemongrass oil and/or pomegranate peel extract o... more The effects of gum arabic coatings combined with lemongrass oil and/or pomegranate peel extract on freshly harvested mature ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit were studied. Fruit were coated with gum arabic (GA) (1.5% w/v) alone or enriched with lemongrass oil (LM) (0.1% v/v) and/or pomegranate peel extract (PP) (1% w/v). Fruit were packed into standard open top ventilated cartons (dimensions: 0.40 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.12 m high), and stored for 6 weeks at 5 ± 1 °C (90% RH). Evaluations were made every 2 weeks of cold storage and after 5 d of shelf life (20 °C and 65% RH). Fruit coated with GA + PP (4.09%) and GA + PP + LM (4.21%) coatings recorded the least cumulative weight loss compared to the uncoated control (9.87%). After 6 weeks, uncoated control and GA + PP + LM recorded the highest (24.55 mg CO2Kg−1h−1) and lowest (10.76 mg CO2Kg−1h−1) respiration rate, respectively. Coating treatments reduced the incidence of decay and treatments GA + LM + PP and GA + PP recorded the highe...

Processes

This study investigated the effect of gum Arabic and starch-based coating and two polyliners (Lin... more This study investigated the effect of gum Arabic and starch-based coating and two polyliners (Liner 1-micro-perforated Xtend® and Liner 2-macro-perforated high-density polyethylene) on whole ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit during cold storage (5 ± 1 °C and 95 ± 2% RH). Uncoated (UC) and coated (GAMS) fruit were packaged into standard open top ventilated cartons (dimensions: 0.40 m long, 0.30 m wide and 0.12 m high) with (GAMS + Liner 1, GAMS + Liner 2, UC + Liner 1 and UC + Liner 2) or without (UC and GAMS) polyliners. After 42 d, treatment GAMS + Liner 1 recorded the least weight loss (4.82%), whilst GAMS recorded lower (8.77%) weight loss than UC + Liner 2 (10.07%). The highest (24.74 mLCO2 kg−1h−1) and lowest (13.14 mLCO2 kg−1h−1) respiration rates were detected in UC and GAMS + Liner 1, respectively. The highest and lowest total soluble solids were recorded for GAMS (16.87 °Brix), and GAMS + Liner 1 (15.60 °Brix) and UC + Liner 1 (15.60 °Brix), respectively. Overall, no decay was ...

Molecules, 2021

This study determined the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemongrass (LO),thyme (TO), a... more This study determined the antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of lemongrass (LO),thyme (TO), and oregano (OO) essential oils and ethanolic extracts of pomegranate peel (PPE) and grape pomace (GPE) as candidate ingredients for edible coatings. Antifungal effects against Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium spp. were tested using paper disc and well diffusion methods. Radical scavenging activity (RSA) was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,20-azinobis-3 ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid assays. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis identified limonene (16.59%), -citral (27.45%), -citral (27.43%), thymol (33.31%), paracymene (43.26%), 1,8-cineole (17.53%), and trans-caryphellene (60.84%) as major compounds of the essential
oils. From both paper disc and well diffusion methods, LO recorded the widest zone of inhibition against tested microbes (B. cinerea and Penicillium spp.). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of LO against B. cinerea and Penicillium spp., were 15 L/mL and 30 L/mL, respectively. The highest (69.95%) and lowest (1.64%) RSA at 1 mg/mL were recorded for PPE and OO. Application of sodium alginate and chitosan-based coatings formulated with LO (15 or 30 L/mL) completely inhibited spore germination and reduced the decay severity of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate. Lemongrass oil proved to be a potential antifungal agent for edible coatings developed to extend shelf life of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate.

Agriculture, 2021

The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and... more The efficacy of dynamic controlled atmosphere technologies; repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS) and dynamic controlled atmosphere chlorophyll fluorescence (DCA-CF) to control superficial scald development on ‘Granny Smith’ apples during long-term storage was studied. Fruit were for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 months at 0 C in DCA-CF (0.6% O2 and 0.8% CO2), regular atmosphere (RA)(21% O2 and 90–95% RH), and RLOS treatments: (1) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by ultra-low oxygen (ULO) (0.9% O2 and 0.8% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d or (2) 0.5% O2 for 10 d followed by controlled atmosphere (CA) (1.5% O2 and 1% CO2) for 21 d and 0.5% O2 for 7 d. Development of superficial scald was inhibited for up to 10 months and 7 d shelf life (20 C) under RLOS + ULO and DCA-CF treatments. Apples stored in RLOS + ULO, RLOS + CA, and DCA-CF had significantly (p < 0.05) higher flesh firmness and total soluble solids. The RLOS phases applied with CA or ULO and DCA-CF storage reduced the development of superficial scald by possibly suppressing the oxidation of volatiles implicated in superficial scald development.

Coatings, 2021

The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5-1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5-1.5%),... more The effects of edible coatings based on gum arabic (GA) (0.5-1.5%), maize starch (MS) (0.5-1.5%), lemongrass oil (LO) (2-4%), and glycerol (GC) (0.5-1%) developed using response surface methodology (RSM) on "Wonderful" pomegranate fruit were studied. After 42 days of storage (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) and 5 days at ambient temperature (20 ± 0.2 °C and 60 ± 10% RH), whole fruit were evaluated for weight loss (%) and pomegranate juice (PJ) for total soluble solids (°Brix), titrat-able acidity (% Citric acid), and antioxidant capacity. The optimization procedure was done using RSM and the response variables were mainly influenced by the concentrations of MS and GA. The optimized coating consisted of GA (0.5%), MS (0.5%), LO (3%), and GC (1.5%) with desirability of 0.614 (0-minimum and 1-maximum). The predicted values of response variables, for the coating were weight loss (%) = 5.51, TSS (°Brix) = 16.45, TA (% Citric acid) = 1.50, and antioxidant capacity (RSA = 58.13 mM AAE/mL PJ and FRAP = 40.03 mM TE/mL PJ). Therefore, the optimized coating formulation is a potential postharvest treatment for "Wonderful" pomegranate to inhibit weight loss and maintain overall quality during storage and shelf-life.

Acta Horticulturae, 2018

'Packham's Triumph' pears are susceptible to several postharvest physiological disorders that may... more 'Packham's Triumph' pears are susceptible to several postharvest physiological disorders that may reduce the fruit quality during long term storage. The aim of the study was to develop a storage protocol based on repeated low oxygen stress (RLOS). Optimally harvested fruit was stored for 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 months at-0.5°C. Pears were subjected to low oxygen stress at 0.5% O2 for 10 d, then for 7 d for the following periods, followed by ultra-low oxygen (ULO) at 0.9% O2 and 0.8% CO2 or controlled atmosphere (CA) storage of 1.5% O2 and 2.5% CO2 for 21 d. Regular atmosphere (RA) storage served as the control. The fruits were assessed for physiological and pathogical disorders, physico-chemical properties, and sensory parameters after 6 weeks simulated shipment and handling period and at 7 d shelf life. No incidence of superficial scald was observed under RLOS treatments up to 10 months at both 0 and 7 d shelf life (p<0.0001). The colour change was significantly higher under RA in comparison to RLOS treatments for all storage durations (p<0.0001). RLOS treatments had significantly higher TSS content than the control (p=0.0035) and retained harvest firmness up to 8 months of storage (p<0.0001). RLOS treatments had significantly higher scores for most of the sensory parameters and maintained good fruit quality up to 10 months of storage. This study showed that RLOS storage inhibits the development of physiological disorders and maintains pear quality during long term cold storage.

Plants MDPI, 2020

The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oi... more The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oil (TO; 0.25 and 0.5% v/v) on the quality of "Acco" pomegranate arils were studied. Coating treatments, namely, MC, MC + TO 0.5% , MC + TO 0.25% , GA, GA + TO 0.5% and GA + TO 0.25% were applied on arils by dipping, and evaluations were made on physicochemical and microbiological quality, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of arils stored (5 ± 1 • C, 95 ± 2% RH) for 16 days. Dipping arils in GA or MC, both containing TO (0.5% v/v) significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced weight loss and enhanced antioxidant activity (FRAP) (p = 0.0014). However, dipping arils in GA combined with TO (0.25% v/v) had the highest influence on reducing aril respiration rate compared with other treatments. Overall, results showed that application of coatings (GA + TO 0.5% and GA + TO 0.25%) reduced total yeast and mould and total plate counts and maintained quality up to 8 days of storage. These findings suggest that either GA + TO 0.5% or GA + TO 0.25% coatings have the capability to extend storage life of "Acco" pomegranate arils.