Postharvest Biology and Technology 76 (2013) 119124

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Postharvest Biology and Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/postharvbio

Effect of gum arabic as an edible coating on antioxidant capacity of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit during storage
Asgar Ali , Mehdi Maqbool, Peter G. Alderson, Noosheen Zahid
School of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, 43500 Selangor, D.E., Malaysia

a r t i c l e

i n f o

a b s t r a c t
Coating of tomato fruit with gum arabic has been found to delay the ripening process and maintain the antioxidant capacity. Gum arabic in aqueous solutions of 5, 10, 15 and 20% was applied as an edible coating to green-mature tomatoes which were stored at 20 C and 8090% RH for 20 days. Fruit coated with 10% gum arabic delayed the ripening process by slowing down the rate of respiration and ethylene production and also maintained total antioxidant capacity, lycopene content, total phenolics and total carotenoids during storage as compared to the uncoated control and fruit treated with 5% gum arabic concentration. The results suggest that by using 10% gum arabic as an edible coating, the ripening process of tomatoes can be delayed and the antioxidant can be preserved for up to 20 days during storage at 20 C without any negative effects on postharvest quality. 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Article history: Received 21 June 2012 Accepted 23 September 2012 Keywords: Antioxidant capacity Gaseous exchange Gum arabic Solanum lycopersicum

1. Introduction Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit consumption is highly correlated with reduced risk of cancer and also low incidence of some cardiac diseases, due to some important constituents present in the fruit (Franceschi et al., 1994). The most important of these are carotenoids, particularly lycopene and -carotene which are accumulated in plasma and tissues in relation to the intake of tomatoes (Oshima et al., 1996). In addition to the carotenoids, tomato fruit are also a rich source of natural antioxidants, which can delay or restrain the oxidation of lipids or other molecules by inhibiting the initiation of oxidative chain reactions (Yahia et al., 2007). However, tomato being a climacteric fruit, has a short postharvest life due to several factors such as high rate of respiration, weight loss and enhanced ripening, which result in the early deterioration of fruit quality (Javanmardi and Kubota, 2006; Zapata et al., 2008). Moreover, during ripening the chemical composition of the fruit also changes dramatically, affecting texture, avour, antioxidant contents mainly phenolic compounds, avonoids and ascorbic acid (Bailn et al., 2006). Generally, low temperature storage is used to reduce the rate of respiration and thermal decomposition for extending storage life of tomatoes. However, the prolonged storage at low temperature causes chilling injury and also contraction of the skin occurs as water from the skin of the fruit moves into the pulp which lowers down the taste and also damages the fruit physiology (Zapata et al.,

Corresponding author. Tel.: +60 3 8924 8219; fax: +60 3 8924 8018. E-mail address: Asgar.Ali@nottingham.edu.my (A. Ali). 0925-5214/$ see front matter 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2012.09.011

2008). Controlled atmosphere and hypobaric storage techniques are also useful in extending the shelf-life of tomatoes but these are very expensive to run on a commercial scale (Arts et al., 2006). Thus, edible coatings based on natural products can provide an additional protection for fresh fruit and vegetables and be complementary to low temperature, controlled atmosphere and hypobaric storage techniques (Baldwin et al., 1995). Appropriate formulations of an edible coating may provide an excellent barrier against gaseous exchange and water loss which are detrimental to postharvest quality. Gum arabic, obtained from stems or branches of Acacia species, is the most common polysaccharide used in the industrial sector because of its unique emulsication, and lm forming and encapsulation properties which has received the highest toxicology safety status by the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (Anderson and Eastwood, 1989; Motlagh et al., 2006). When used as an edible coating, gum arabic also showed some positive results and signicantly delayed ripening of cold-stored apples (El-Anany et al., 2009). Moreover, in a recent study by our group it was found that gum arabic not only enhanced shelf-life but also maintained postharvest quality of mature-green tomatoes for up to 20 days during storage at 20 C (Ali et al., 2010). In another study by Zapata et al. (2008), it was found that polysaccharide-based edible coatings such as alginate or zein showed some benecial effects in retarding the ripening process and maintaining quality of stored tomatoes. Similarly, Oms-Oliu et al. (2008) also studied the effect of alginate, pectin and gellanbased edible coatings on the shelf-life and antioxidant properties of fresh-cut Piel de Sapo melon. They found that polysaccharidebased edible coatings not only prevented the dehydration but also

120

A. Ali et al. / Postharvest Biology and Technology 76 (2013) 119124

inhibited the ethylene production and triggered the accumulation of total phenolic compounds and other compounds with antioxidant properties. However, there has been limited information available on the use of edible coatings in delaying ripening processes and preserving antioxidants during storage, particularly in fresh fruit and vegetables. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether gum arabic has the potential to be used as an edible coating for delaying ripening whilst maintaining the antioxidant properties of tomatoes during storage. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Plant material Tomato (S. lycopersicum L. var. Money Maker) fruit of colour index 2 (green with trace of yellow) according to the USDA standard tomato colour classication chart (USDA, 1991) were obtained from a local supplier in Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia. Fruit of uniform size, shape, free from any mechanical damage and insect or pathogenic infection were selected for the experiment. 2.2. Preparation of gum arabic solutions and application of coating treatments Gum arabic powder (KB-120, Food Grade) was imported from Jumbo Trading Co., Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand. Gum arabic concentrations were selected on the basis of previous experiments (Ali et al., 2010). Briey, gum arabic solutions (5, 10, 15 and 20%, w/v), were prepared by dissolving 5, 10, 15 and 20 g of powder in 100 mL puried water. The solutions were stirred with low heat (40 C) for 60 min on a magnetic stirrer/hot plate (Model: HTS-1003), then ltered to remove any undissolved impurities using a vacuum ask. After cooling to 20 C, glycerol monostearate (1.0%) (Sigma) was added as a plasticizer to improve the strength and exibility of the coating solutions. The pH of the solutions was adjusted to 5.6 with 1 N NaOH. Tomato fruit were washed with sodium hypochlorite (0.05%) for 3 min and air-dried at ambient temperature (25 3 C). After drying, tomato fruit were randomly divided into ve different treatments and each treatment was conducted with four replicates. Fruit were dipped in each concentration of gum arabic coating solution (5, 10, 15 and 20%) for 23 min and it was assured that the coating solution was applied uniformly on the whole surface while control fruit were dipped in puried water only. The fruit were then air-dried, packed in cardboard boxes and stored at 20 1 C and 8090% RH. The data were collected before treatment (day 0) and at 4 day intervals for 20 days. 2.3. Determination of respiration rate and ethylene production The rates of respiration and ethylene production were measured according to the method described by Maqbool et al. (2011). Respiration rate as indicated by CO2 production was measured by placing two tomato fruit in 1 L plastic container for 1 h, and 1 mL of gas sample was withdrawn from the headspace with a gas tight hypodermic syringe and analysed with a gas chromatograph (GC) (Claru-500, Perkin Elmer, USA) equipped with a stainless steel column (Porapak R 80/100). Helium served as the carrier gas at a ow rate of 20 mL1 min. Temperatures were 60, 100 and 200 C for the oven, injector and thermal conductivity detector (TCD), respectively. One mL of CO2 gas (1.0%) (Scotty gases, Beltifonte, PA, USA) was used as the external standard for calibration. The amount of CO2 production was expressed in mg1 kg1 h. The ethylene production was measured by taking 1 mL sample from each jar using hypodermic syringe and injecting it into a GC. The GC was equipped with a stainless steel column (PorapakT,

100/120) and a ame ionization detector (FID). Nitrogen, hydrogen and air ow rates were 20 mL1 min. Nitrogen served as a carrier gas. Temperatures were 150, 200 and 200 C for the oven, injector and FID, respectively. One mL ethylene gas (10 L1 mL) (Scotty gases, Beltifonte, PA USA) was used as the external gas standard was injected for calibration. The amount of ethylene was expressed in g1 kg1 h. 2.4. Total phenolic content The amount of total phenolic contents in tomato fruit was determined according to the Folin-Ciocalteau (FC) procedure (Singleton and Rossi, 1965) with slight modications. Briey, 0.1 mL of fruit sample from a mixture of 15 fruit in each treatment was mixed with 0.5 mL of FC along with 1.5 mL of 7% sodium carbonate solution. Puried water was added to the solution to make the volume up to 10 mL. The mixture was incubated at 40 C for 2 h. The absorbance was recorded at 750 nm using a UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Varioskan Flash Multimode Reader, Thermo Fisher Scientic, USA) and the results were expressed in mg of gallic acid equivalent to 100 g of fresh weight of fruit sample. 2.5. Lycopene extraction Lycopene extraction was based on the method of Fish et al. (2002) with minor modications. Briey, 0.6 mL of fruit juice from a mixture of 15 fruit in each treatment was mixed with 5 mL of 0.05% butylated hydroxytoluene in acetone along with 5 mL of 95% ethanol and 10 mL of hexane. The mixture was agitated at 180 rpm for 15 min on ice. Three mL of ice cold water was added and again shaked for 5 min. The absorbance was recorded at 503 nm using a UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Varioskan Flash Multimode Reader, Thermo Fisher Scientic, USA). The amount of lycopene in tissues was then calculated by the following formula: Lycopene( g1 g) = (x/y) A503 3.12 (1)

where x is the amount of hexanes (mL), y the weight of fruit tissue (g), A503 the absorbance at 503 nm and 3.12 is the extinction coefcient. 2.6. Total carotenoids Total carotenoids were estimated following the method of Lalel et al. (2003). Briey, 2 g of fruit pulp from a mixture of 15 fruit in each treatment was ground with 0.05 g of magnesium carbonate and extracted two times with a 20 mL of acetone:n-hexane [75:60, v/v]. The pool extract was washed with a 40 mL of 10% NaCl and 2 40 mL of distilled water to remove acetone. The n-hexane extract was measured for its absorbance at 436 nm using UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Varioskan Flash Multimode Reader, Thermo Fisher Scientic, USA). Total carotenoids were expressed as mg1 g of -carotene equivalent to a standard curve of -carotene. 2.7. Antioxidant capacity Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay was used to measure the total antioxidant capacity in tomato fruit. Briey, the FRAP reagent contained 2.5 mL of 10 mM 2,4,6-Tripyridyl-s-triazine (TPTZ) solution in 40 mM hydrochloric acid along with 2.5 mL of 20 mM FeCl3 and 25 mL of 0.03 mM acetate buffer having pH 3.6 (Benzie and Strain, 1996). The reaction mixture consists of 40 L of fruit extract from a mixture of 12 fruit in each treatment mixed with 3 mL of FRAP reagent followed by incubation at 37 C for 4 min. Absorbance was recorded at 593 nm using UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Varioskan Flash Multimode Reader, Thermo Fisher

A. Ali et al. / Postharvest Biology and Technology 76 (2013) 119124

121

Scientic, USA) and the results were expressed as the concentration of antioxidant having a ferric reducing activity equivalent to 1 mg1 g ferrous sulphate (FeSO4 ) of fresh weight of fruit sample. Total antioxidant capacity was also measured through determining the free radical scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, according to the method described by Elez-Martnez and Martn-Belloso (2007) with slight modication. Prior to analysis, 25 mg1 L of DPPH solution was freshly prepared by dissolving in 100% (v/v) methanol. Cuvette was lled with 3 mL of DPPH solution. Then 5 L of sample from a mixture of 12 fruit in each treatment was added into the cuvette and mixed well by using the same pipette tip. The mixture was left to react for 15 min. The absorbance was measured at 515 nm wavelength using UV-VIS Spectrophotometer (Varioskan Flash Multimode Reader, Thermo Fisher Scientic, USA) against a blank of methanol without DPPH. Results were expressed as a percentage decrease with respect to the absorption value of reference DPPH solution. 2.8. Statistical analysis

20 18 16 14

Control 5% gum arabic 10% gum arabic 15% gum arabic 20% gum arabic

CO 2 (mg-1kg-1h)

12 10 8 6 4 2 0

b
The experiment was arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with four replications. The data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) using MSTAT-C software (Version 1.3, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA), while Least Signicant Difference (LSD) test was used to compare differences between treatments at 95% condence level of each variable. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. Rate of respiration and ethylene production Rate of respiration and ethylene production in fresh fruit and vegetables are considered good indexes for the determination of storage life. A decrease in respiration rate was observed initially in fruit treated with higher concentrations of gum arabic while a sharp increase in untreated control and 5% gum arabic treated fruit was observed which reached to a peak value after 8 days and after that there was a continuous decrease until the end of storage period (Fig. 1a). However, fruit treated with 10% gum arabic signicantly delayed respiration rate and showed the similar peak height after 12 days of storage. In the case of 15 and 20% gum arabic coated fruit, a slight increase in respiration rate was observed during complete storage period. Ethylene production in untreated control and 5% gum arabic coated fruit increased rapidly and reached a peak after 8 days then decreased sharply during the complete storage period (Fig. 1b). However, 10% gum arabic treated tomatoes showed a maximum value of ethylene production after 12 days of storage and thereafter, a slow decrease until the end of storage period. While the fruit treated with 15 and 20% gum arabic showed a slight but continuous increase in ethylene production during complete storage period. The delayed increase in respiration rate and ethylene production of 10% gum arabic coated fruit as compared to the untreated control and 5% gum arabic coated fruit suggests that edible coating exerted a barrier to the gaseous exchange. The reduced rate of respiration and ethylene production in tomato fruit might be correlated with delayed senescence (Ali et al., 2010) and a reduced susceptibility to decay (Maqbool et al., 2010). Similarly, in a previous study on tomato using gum arabic, it was found that fruit coated with 10 and 15% gum arabic had less weight loss during storage as compared to the control which could be attributed to the coatings providing a semi-permeable barrier against gas movement and therefore, reduced the rate of respiration and ethylene

30

25

Ethylene (ug-1kg-1h)

20

15

10

0 0 5 10 15 20 25 Storage Time (Days)

Fig. 1. Effect of different concentrations of gum arabic on (a) respiration rate and (b) ethylene production of tomato fruit during storage (20 C, 8090% RH). The vertical bars represent the standard error of means for four replicates.

production (Ali et al., 2010). The pattern of respiration rate and ethylene production in this study was in agreement with the ndings of Banks (1984), who reported that coating bananas with TAL Pro-long suppressed the rates of respiration and ethylene production by modifying the internal atmosphere of the fruit. Similar results were also observed by Ali et al. (2011), where they found that control fruit showed early rise in respiration and ethylene production as compared to 1.5% chitosan coated papayas during ve weeks of storage. A reduction in respiration rate and ethylene production as a result of coating with lms has also been reported by many researchers in various fruit, such as papaya, grapes, mango and strawberries (El-Ghaouth et al., 1992; Kittur et al., 2001; Ali et al., 2011). 3.2. Total phenolic content The maximum amount of total phenolic content was observed in 10% gum arabic coated fruit and reached to a peak after 12 days then decreased sharply during the complete storage period (Fig. 2a). However, untreated control and 5% gum arabic coated tomatoes showed a maximum value of total phenolic content after 8 days of storage and thereafter, a slow decrease until the end of storage period. While the fruit treated with 15 and 20% gum arabic showed a slight but continuous increase in total phenolic content during complete storage period. The increase in total phenolic content is related with the enhancement of antioxidant capacity (Reyes and Cisneros-Zevallos,

122

A. Ali et al. / Postharvest Biology and Technology 76 (2013) 119124

a
Total phenolics (mg gallic acid-1 100 gFW)

20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 Control 5% gum arabic 10% gum arabic 15% gum arabic 20% gum arabic

The early increase in lycopene content in untreated control and fruit treated with 5% gum arabic concentration might be due to the faster ripening of fruit than in the fruit treated with higher concentrations of gum arabic. The production of lycopene content is directly correlated with ripening (Javanmardi and Kubota, 2006). Similar results were also reported when tomato fruit were stored at 4 C (Giovanelli et al., 1999). It has also been reported that the formation of lycopene depends on the temperature range and rate of respiration during storage (Javanmardi and Kubota, 2006). In a recent study on tomato using gum arabic as an edible coating, a slight change in colour in fruit coated with 15 and 20% gum arabic concentrations was observed even after 20 days of storage which suggest that at higher concentrations the ripening process was blocked and therefore, fruit were still green but off-avoured after 20 days of storage (Ali et al., 2010). 3.4. Total antioxidant capacity The maximum amount of total antioxidant contents in terms of both FRAP and DPPH was observed in 10% gum arabic coated fruit and reached to a peak after 16 days and then decreased sharply until the end of storage period (Fig. 3a and b). However, untreated control and 5% gum arabic coated tomatoes showed a maximum value of total antioxidant after 8 and 12 days, respectively, and thereafter, a slow decrease until the end of storage. It has been shown that the main antioxidants in tomatoes are carotenoids, ascorbic acid and phenolic compounds (Giovanelli
Control 5% gum arabic 10% gum arabic 15% gum arabic 20% gum arabic

100 90 80

Lycopene (g g-1)

70 60 50 40 30 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 Storage Time (Days)

1.8 1.6

FRAP (FeSO 4 mg g FW)

1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0

Fig. 2. Effect of different concentrations of gum arabic on (a) total phenolic content and (b) lycopene content of tomato fruit during storage (20 C, 8090% RH). The vertical bars represent the standard error of means for four replicates.

DPPH (%)

2003). Therefore, in our study, the maximum amount of total phenolic content in 10% gum arabic coated tomatoes means that those fruit maintained higher amounts of antioxidants than uncoated and fruit coated with higher concentrations of gum arabic. A low amount of total phenolic content or a sharp decline after 8 days in untreated control and 5% gum arabic coated fruit might be due to the higher rate of respiration which resulted in the loss of total phenolic content due to the degradation of certain phenolic compounds (Day, 2001). It might also be due to senescence and breakdown of cell structure during storage, as was observed in a previous study on tomato using gum arabic (Ali et al., 2010). The results of the present study are comparable with the previous ndings of Ghasemnezhad et al. (2010), in which they reported the decrease in phenolic content of apricot at higher concentrations of chitosan due to senescence. 3.3. Lycopene content The lycopene content increased with the storage time in all the treated and untreated control fruit (Fig. 2b). However, the lycopene content in untreated control and 5% gum arabic coated tomatoes increased sharply and reached to a maximum peak after 12 days of storage while the similar peak in 10% gum arabic coated fruit was observed after 16 days of storage. On the other hand, there were minimum levels of lycopene content in tomatoes treated with higher concentrations of gum arabic (15 and 20%) even after 20 days of storage.

-1

220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 Storage Time (Days)

Fig. 3. Effect of different concentrations of gum arabic on total antioxidant capacity (a) FRAP and (b) DPPH value of tomato fruit during storage (20 C, 8090% RH). The vertical bars represent the standard error of means for four replicates.

A. Ali et al. / Postharvest Biology and Technology 76 (2013) 119124

123

et al., 1999). However, the antioxidant capacity of tomatoes also depends on several other factors including genetics, environmental conditions, production techniques used, date of harvest and postharvest storage conditions (Dumas et al., 2003). In general, a positive correlation has been reported between total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity (Reyes and CisnerosZevallos, 2003). The delayed increase in antioxidant activity in fruit treated with 10% gum arabic concentration could be related to the delayed ripening of those fruit as compared to the control and 5% gum arabic coated fruit, and it was quite obvious in a previous study as well where the tomato fruit coated with higher concentrations of gum arabic slowed down the ripening process by delaying the biochemical and physiological changes occurring during storage (Ali et al., 2010). The total antioxidant activity is highly dependent on ripening processes of fruit. During ripening, the total antioxidant activity increases and this increase is mainly due to the changes into the lipophilic antioxidant activity (Cano et al., 2003). In addition, some other possible factors such as the amount of -carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E also affect the antioxidant activity (Dumas et al., 2003). 3.5. Total carotenoids The amount of total carotenoids increased initially and reached to a maximum in control fruit after 8 days of storage and the similar peak in fruit treated with 5% and 10% gum arabic concentrations was achieved after 12 and 16 days, respectively (Fig. 4). However, in fruit treated with higher concentrations of gum arabic (15 and 20%), there was a slight increase in total carotenoids during complete storage period. The early increase in total carotenoids in control and 5% gum arabic treated fruit suggests that those fruit were ripened earlier as compared to the fruit treated with higher concentrations of gum arabic as it was observed in a previous study as well, where gum arabic coated fruit at higher concentrations gave better results in terms of quality and shelf-life (Ali et al., 2010). The gum arabic coating concentration of 10% delayed the ripening process by slowing down the respiration and therefore, maintained higher amount of total carotenoids until day 16 of storage. Yahia et al. (2007) also reported similar results when they exposed tomatoes to 34 C and then stored at 20 C for up to 4 weeks.

4. Conclusions In conclusion, the present study shows that gum arabic, as a preservative material, could delay the ripening process by inhibiting the respiration rate and ethylene production in tomato fruit. This suggests that gum arabic not only extends the storage life but also preserves the antioxidant capacity during storage and also suggests that gum arabic is promising as an edible coating to be used in commercial postharvest applications for prolonging the storage life and preserving antioxidant levels of tomato fruit. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), Malaysia for providing nancial support under the project grant (05-02-12-SF0031) and Jumbo Trading Co., Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand for providing gum arabic. References
Ali, A., Maqbool, M., Ramachandran, S., Alderson, P.G., 2010. Gum arabic as a novel edible coating for enhancing shelf-life and improving postharvest quality of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruit. Postharvest Biology and Technology 58, 4247. Ali, A., Mahmud, T.M.M., Kamaruzaman, S., Siddiqui, Y., 2011. Effect of chitosan coatings on the physico-chemical characteristics of Eksotika II papaya (Carica papaya L.) fruit during cold storage. Food Chemistry 124, 620626. Anderson, D.M.W., Eastwood, M.A., 1989. The safety of gum arabic as a food additive and its energy value as an ingredient: a brief review. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 2, 137144. Arts, F., Gmez, P.A., Arts-Hernndez, F., 2006. Modied atmosphere packaging of fruits and vegetables. Stewart Postharvest Review 2, 113. Bailn, G., Guilln, F., Castillo, S., Serrano, M., Valero, D., Martnez-Remero, D., 2006. Use of activated carbon inside modied atmosphere packages to maintain tomato fruit quality during cold storage. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54, 22292235. Baldwin, E.A., Nisperos-Carriedo, M., Shaw, P.E., Burns, J.K., 1995. Effect of coatings and prolonged storage conditions on fresh orange avour volatiles, degrees brix and ascorbic acid levels. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 43, 13211331. Banks, N.H., 1984. Some effects of TAL-Prolong coating on ripening bananas. Journal of Experimental Botany 35, 127. Benzie, I.F.F., Strain, J.J., 1996. The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of antioxidant power: the FRAP assay. Analytical Biochemistry 239, 7076. Cano, A., Acosta, M., Arnao, M.B., 2003. Hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activity changes during on-vine ripening of tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill). Postharvest Biology and Technology 28, 5965. Day, B., 2001. Modied atmosphere packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables an overview. Acta Horticulturae 553, 585590. Dumas, Y., Dadomo, M., Di Lucca, G., Grolier, P., 2003. Review: effects of environmental factors and agricultural techniques on antioxidant content of tomatoes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 83, 369382. El-Anany, A.M., Hassan, G.F.A., Rehab Ali, F.M., 2009. Effects of edible coatings on the shelf-life and quality of Anna apple (Malus domestica Borkh) during cold storage. Journal of Food Technology 7, 511. El-Ghaouth, A., Arul, J., Ponnampalam, R., Boulet, M., 1992. Chitosan coating to extend the storage life of tomatoes. HortScience 27, 10161018. Elez-Martnez, P., Martn-Belloso, O., 2007. Effect of high intensity pulsed electric eld processing conditions on vitamin C and antioxidant capacity of orange juice and gazpacho a cold vegetable soup. Food Chemistry 102, 201209. Fish, W.W., Perkins-Veazie, P., Collins, J.K., 2002. A quantitative assay for lycopene that utilizes reduced volumes of organic solvents. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 15, 309317. Franceschi, S., Bidoli, E., La Vecchia, C., Talamini, R., DAvanzo, B., Negri, E., 1994. Tomatoes and risk of digestive-tract cancers. International Journal of Cancer 59, 181184. Ghasemnezhad, M., Shiri, M.A., Sanavi, M., 2010. Effect of chitosan coatings on some quality indices of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) during cold storage. Caspian Journal of Environmental Science 9, 2533. Giovanelli, G., Lavelli, V., Peri, C., Nobili, S., 1999. Variation in antioxidant components of tomato during vine and post-harvest ripening. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 79, 15831588. Javanmardi, J., Kubota, C., 2006. Variation of lycopene, antioxidant activity, total soluble solids and weight loss of tomato during postharvest storage. Postharvest Biology and Technology 41, 151155. Kittur, F.S., Saroja, N., Habibunnisa Tharanathan, R.N., 2001. Polysaccharide-based composite coating formulations for shelf-extension of fresh banana and mango. European Food Research and Technology 213, 306311.

100 90 80
Total carotenoids (g g -1)

Control 5% gum arabic 10% gum arabic 15% gum arabic 20% gum arabic

70 60 50 40 30 20 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 Storage Time (Days)

Fig. 4. Effect of different concentrations of gum arabic on total carotenoids of tomato fruit during storage (20 C, 8090% RH). The vertical bars represent the standard error of means for four replicates.

124

A. Ali et al. / Postharvest Biology and Technology 76 (2013) 119124 plasma low-density lipoprotein. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 44, 23062309. Reyes, L.F., Cisneros-Zevallos, L., 2003. Wounding stress increases the phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of purple-esh potatoes. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 51, 52965300. Singleton, V.L., Rossi Jr., J.A., 1965. Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture 16, 144158. USDA, 1991. United States Standard for Grades of Fresh Tomatoes. US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Washington, DC. Yahia, E.M., Soto-Zamora, G., Brecht, J.K., Gardea, A., 2007. Postharvest hot air treatment effects on the antioxidant system in stored mature-green tomatoes. Postharvest Biology and Technology 44, 107115. Zapata, P.J., Guilln, F., Martnez-Romero, D., Castillo, S., Valero, D., Serrano, M., 2008. Use of alginate or zein as edible coatings to delay postharvest ripening process and to maintain tomato (Solanum lycopersicon Mill) quality. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 88, 12871293.

Lalel, H.J.D., Singh, Z., Tan, S.C., 2003. Distribution of aroma volatile compounds in different parts of mango fruit. Journal of Horticultural Science & Biotechnology 78, 131138. Maqbool, M., Ali, A., Alderson, P.G., Zahid, N., Siddiqui, Y., 2011. Effect of a novel edible composite coating based on gum arabic and chitosan on biochemical and physiological responses of banana fruits during cold storage. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 59, 54745482. Maqbool, M., Ali, A., Ramachandran, S., Smith, D.R., Alderson, P.G., 2010. Control of postharvest anthracnose of banana using a new edible composite coating. Crop Protection 29, 11361141. Motlagh, S., Ravines, P., Karamallah, K.A., Ma, Q., 2006. The analysis of Acacia gums using electrophoresis. Food Hydrocolloid 20, 848854. Oms-Oliu, G., Soliva-Fortuny, R., Martin-Belloso, O., 2008. Using polysaccharidebased edible coatings to enhance quality and antioxidant properties of fresh-cut melon. LWT Food Science and Technology 41, 18621870. Oshima, S., Ojima, F., Sakamoto, H., Ishiguro, Y., Terao, J., 1996. Supplementation with carotenoids inhibits singlet oxygen mediated oxidation of human