The nutraceutical quality of tomato fruit during domestic storage is affected by chitosan coating

Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable foods which usually undergo a gradual loss of nutraceuticals during storage. Chitosan-based edible coatings are extensively studied thanks to antimicrobial activity and great potential to extend the shelf life. However, little information is presently available on the nutraceutical quality of chitosan-coated products. The present study is addressed to evaluate accompanied by a delayed degradation of some phenolic compounds during storage. These results indicate that chitosan coating is effective in maintaining the quality parameters, the coated fruit showed less weight loss (−16%) and more firmer (+40%) than control fruit, chitosan-coated tomato emitted significantly lower ethylene (−41%) than control, and slowing down the nutraceutical loss occurring in postharvest, mainly of the lycopene, main carotenoid, found in tomato fruits. These results indicate that chitosan coating is effective in slowing down the nutraceutical loss occurring in postharvest, thus representing a promising tool to preserve bio-protective phytochemicals during fruit conservation. Practical applications: During storage and domestic conservation, the nutraceutical quality of fruits and vegetables usually decreases and can undergo deterioration due to physiological disorders and mechanical damages. In the last decade, use of edible coatings has attracted interest as a promising technology to prolong the shelf life of particularly perishable foods. These coatings act as protective barriers decreasing transpiration rate and gas transfer across the product surface, thus promoting the maintenance of nutritional quality.