Quince seed mucilage as edible coating for mandarin fruit; determination of the quality characteristics during storage

Today's consumers prefer foods that are practically prepared and ready for consumption. Therefore, global demand for the consumption of minimally processed fruits gained popularity. In this study, the use of quince (Cydonia oblonga) seed mucilage was investigated as an edible coating to extend the shelf life of mandarin fruit ready for consumption. The mucilage obtained from the quince seed extract was used for covering the mandarin slices and samples were stored at 4 degrees C for 10 days. Coating significantly delayed softening, reduced weight loss, and maintained color values of fruits. Sensory characteristics of coated mandarin were preserved. At the end of storage time, the values of antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of coated samples were significantly higher than control. The results of this study indicated that the use of quince seed extract preserved the sensory characteristics of mandarin fruits up to 7 days. Practical applications Novel packaging materials and methods to reduce postharvest quality losses in fruits during storage have attracted great interest in recent years. Edible film and coatings are one of the natural, cheap, and easy-to-apply methods that can be an alternative to chemical applications used to reduce storage losses. Edible coating applications combined with low-temperature storage are able to slow down metabolism in fruits and to retard microbial spoilage, while providing quality preservation of fruits. The present study provides information about the effect of quince seed mucilage as an edible coating on the quality characteristics of ready to eat mandarin slices. The quince seed edible coating is environmental friendly and it is a novel edible coating for improving the quality of fresh-cut fruits.