Effects of cactus Opuntia dillenii polysaccharide-based coatings loaded with glutathione on the preservation of freshly cut Chinese water chestnut

This study explored the effects of coatings based on glutathione-loaded cactus Opuntia dillenii polysaccharide (ODP) on the preservation of freshly cut Chinese water chestnut. Freshly cut Chinese water chestnut samples were treated with one of the three dipping solutions, namely, distilled water (control), 0.4 % glutathione (treatment-1) or 1 % ODP + 0.4 % glutathione (treatment-2) and stored at 3 C-? for 10 days. All treatments suppressed respiration rate, weight loss and decreases in firmness and browning and increased soluble solid content and likeness score compared with the control (P < 0.05). In terms of sensory quality, treatment-2 extended the shelf life of the freshly cut Chinese water chestnut at least by 6 days compared with the control group. Results verified that treatment with ODP-based coatings incorporated with glutathione may be a prom-ising method for preserving freshly cut Chinese water chestnut.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effects of coatings based on glutathione-loaded cactus Opuntia dillenii polysaccharide (ODP) on the preservation of freshly cut Chinese water chestnut. The results showed that all treatments suppressed respiration rate, weight loss, firmness and browning, while increasing soluble solid content and likeness score compared with the control group. Treatment-2 extended the shelf life of the freshly cut Chinese water chestnut by at least 6 days compared with the control group. The findings suggest that ODP-based coatings incorporated with glutathione may be an effective method for preserving freshly cut Chinese water chestnut.