Gum arabic nanoemulsion coating for shelf life extension of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit under ambient storage

Abstract

In the present study efficacy of the gum arabic nanoemulsion coating for shelf life extension of tomato fruit was evaluated. Nanoemulsion coating was synthesised using gum arabic (0.5, 1.0, 1.5%), glycerol (0.5, 0.75, 1.0%) and sodium benzoate (1.0, 1.5, 2.0%). A stability study of synthesised gum arabic nanoemulsions was carried out for 30 days under ambient storage by analysing their mean particle size, polydispersity index, count rate and zeta potential. Nanoemulsion, containing 1% gum arabic, 0.5% glycerol and 1.5% sodium benzoate, was the most stable. Hence, freshly harvested, breaker tomato fruits were coated by selected gum arabic nanoemulsion and gum arabic microemulsion with five dipping times (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 min) followed by ambient storage. Tomato fruits coated with gum arabic nanoemulsion and 4 min dipping had maximum shelf life (24 days) with an advantage of 15 days over the control. In contrast, fruits coated with gum arabic microemulsion and 4 min dipping had a shelf life of 15 days when stored under ambient condition. Furthermore, the gum arabic nanoemulsion coating retained the quality attributes of fruits during extended storage. Hence, coating with gum arabic nanoemulsion can significantly improve the quality and shelf life of fruits and vegetables compared to gum arabic microemulsion.