Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853

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Scientia Horticulturae
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/scihorti

Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh-cut papaya using alginate based T

edible coating: Quality evaluation and shelf life study
⁎
Nazia Tabassum , Mohammad Ali Khan
Department of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202002, UP, India

A R T I C LE I N FO A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Fresh-cut fruits have been observed to deteriorate more rapidly than the intact ones leading to increased surface
Papaya browning, textural breakdown and development of off-flavor. These changes can be minimized by the appli-
Fresh-cut cation of a modified atmosphere in the form of an edible coating at low temperature which not only increases
Edible coating shelf life of food products but also is environment friendly. Edible coatings have been reported to provide a semi-
Alginate
permeable barrier to gases and water vapor and also improve mechanical properties, thus delaying the natural
Essential oil
senescence, minimizing water loss and keeping the structural integrity of coated product intact. The purpose of
this study was to evaluate the quality and shelf life of fresh-cut papaya cubes treated with alginate based edible
coatings containing thyme and oregano essential oils in various concentrations (0.5 ml, 1.0 ml, and 2.0 ml) as the
lipid component of the coating while the alginate concentration (2% w/v) was kept constant. Papaya cubes were
packed in low density polypropylene trays which further prevented loss of water and firmness and stored at 4 °C.
The samples were analyzed for physico-chemical changes, gas exchange, microbial stability and sensory quality
for 12 days of storage period. Control samples showed greatest water loss and lowest sensory scores. Increasing
the concentration of essential oil increased the shelf life as well as the moisture retention capacity but showed
negative responses from the sensory panel due to the strong odor of essential oils. Sample containing thyme
essential oil (2.0 ml) was unacceptable to the panel due its strong and penetrating odor.

1. Introduction freshness is reduced but it also becomes prone to desiccation leading to

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) has been reported to contain high
amounts of ascorbic acid, calcium and carotenoids (Zillo et al., 2018).
Recent years has seen an increased consumption of papaya fruit due to
its broad nutritional and health benefits that includes prevention of the
occurrence of fatal diseases like cancer, arteriosclerosis and heart pro-
blems (Ali et al., 2011). It is a climacteric fruit which is known to have a
very short post-harvest life and due to its fast ripening it becomes more
susceptible to infections by pathogens owing to increased pulp soft-
ening and water and sugar accumulation (González-Aguilar et al.,
2009). In 2017, total world production of papaya reached 13.01 million
tons, where India was the largest producer with around 45% (45.64% to
be exact) of the world production (FAOSTAT, 2018). India, despite
being the largest producer, exports only meager quantities of papaya,
mainly due to a strong domestic demand but also due to the short shelf-
life.
Cutting of fruits and vegetables increases the respiration rate and
induces biochemical changes leading to microbial spoilage. Since pa-
paya is consumed after peeling, cutting and seeding, not only its
spoilage. To counter this problem, researchers strived to develop
measures which kept the convenience of consumers in mind as well as
helped in preserving the food for longer duration. Controlled and
modified atmosphere packaging of fruits and vegetables emerged as one
such measure which was effective in extending the shelf-life while
keeping the product quality intact. There is a wide speculation that on
coating fresh-cut fruits and vegetables with preservative compounds,
ripening and senescence gets retarded due to formation of a modified
atmosphere around the cut fruits and vegetables thereby reducing the
respiration rate (Ali et al., 2011). The coatings applied are made of
edible material that provides a moisture barrier and prevents solute
movement from the food (Dhall, 2013). These edible coatings serves as
a primary packaging which is directly in contact with the cut-fruit,
wrapping it to form a gas and moisture barrier, improving the me-
chanical property, reducing the microbial load, keeping the sensory
properties intact while prolonging the shelf-life (Galus and Kadzi,
2015). Edible coatings thus controls the internal atmosphere of an in-
dividual cut fruit or vegetable while also reducing the synthetic
packaging waste as they are composed of biodegradable raw material

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: nazia.tabassum@gmail.com (N. Tabassum), makamu4@gmail.com (M.A. Khan).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2019.108853
Received 27 March 2019; Received in revised form 11 September 2019; Accepted 12 September 2019
0304-4238/ © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan
such as polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and composites (Donhowe and
Fennema, 1993; Li and Barth, 1998).
Polysaccharides such as chitosan, alginate, starch, cellulose, carra-
geenan, pectin, etc., are the common bioploymeric compounds used to
form edible coatings and films and have been commonly reported as
effective barriers to gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide (Bertuzzi
et al., 2007). Out of these alginates are natural indigestible poly-
saccharides obtained from brown seaweed that has long been used in
the food industry as a thickening and stabilizing agent (Liakos et al.,
2013; Benavides et al., 2012; Nair et al., 2018) and in recent years has
also proven to be a plausible coating material which delays the ripening
process. The colloidal property of alginate renders it suitable for coating
and film preparation. Alginate is also considered as a source of dietary
fiber, therefore ensuring probable reduction in cholesterol and glucose
uptake and dealing with cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases.
Effectiveness of edible coatings can be enhanced by incorporation of
antimicrobial agents such as organic acids, polypeptides, plant essential
oils, nitrites or sulphites (Rojas-Graü et al., 2009). Lately preference of
consumers towards natural products has led the researchers to focus
more on the use of plant essential oils in edible coatings and films
(Rojas-Graü et al., 2007a, 2007b; Del Nobile et al., 2008; Norajit et al.,
2010). According to several studies, sodium alginate coatings con-
taining essential oils have demonstrated significant inhibition against
various spoilage and pathogenic bacteria (Benavides et al., 2012;
Pranoto et al., 2005). Though use of essential oils such as lemongrass,
oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage is hugely limited due to their appli-
cation costs and intense aroma (Zillo et al., 2018) but association of
these oils with edible coatings, reduces the essential oil concentration
and aroma while maintaining the efficiency (Perdones et al., 2012).
Carvacrol, an active phenolic compound found in both thyme and or-
egano essential oil exhibits a strong antifungal activity and a high in-
hibitory effect against a wide range of gram-positive or gram-negative
bacteria, for example, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylo-
coccus aureus and Salmonella (Rojas-Graü et al., 2009; Tajkarimi et al.,
2010). Similarly several other constituents of thyme essential oil
(Gaysinsky et al., 2005; Baranauskienė et al., 2003) and oregano es-
sential oil (Raybaudi-Massilia et al., 2006; Tajkarimi et al., 2010) have
been reported to show antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
Thus the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of
alginate based edible coatings incorporated with essential oils on the
physico-chemical properties, respiration rate, microbiological and
sensory quality of fresh-cut papaya during refrigerated storage.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Fresh-cut Papaya cubes
Fresh papaya having uniform color, shape, size and maturity were
procured from the local market of Aligarh, India. Special care was taken
to avoid fruits with mechanical damage or any kind of fungal decay and
was thoroughly rinsed with distilled water after being disinfected with
0.1% (v/v) sodium hypochlorite solution (Hamzah et al., 2013). Papaya
was peeled with the help of a sharp stainless steel knife, seeds were
removed and the fruit was cut into small equal sized cubes. The ob-
tained fresh-cut papaya cubes were then subjected to various coating
applications. Entire procedure was performed using food grade poly-
ethylene gloves.
2.2. Other materials
Food-grade sodium alginate and non-ionic surfactant (Cween 80)
were supplied by Central Drug House (P) Ltd. (New Delhi, India) and
stored at room temperature under laboratory conditions. Thyme
(Thymus vulgaris) and oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oil (TH-EO &
O-EO), purchased from Healthvit, India, was used as natural anti-
microbial agent (as lipid component). All the other chemicals used were
2
Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853
of analytical reagent grade. Deionised double-distilled water was used
for the preparation of all emulsions and also for all the other experi-
ments. Packaging of treated and untreated fresh-cut papaya cubes were
done in polypropylene trays and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wrapping
films.
2.3. Coating preparation and experimental design
Coatings were prepared by dissolving 2% (w/v) sodium alginate in
hot water and 1% (v/v) Cween 80 was added as a surfactant. TH-EO
and O-EO at different concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% v/v) were
added after cooling down the mixture to avoid any loss of the essential
oil to the atmosphere due to its high volatility. The complete mixture
was then subjected to magnetic stirring for few min. Fresh-cut papaya
cubes prepared initially were divided into eight parts. Each part was
then subjected to treatment by dipping in the prepared edible coating
while one part was left untreated and considered as control (C1).
Sample 1 (T1) was treated with 0.5% TH-EO emulsion, sample 2 (T2)
with 1.0% TH-EO emulsion and sample 3 (T3) with 2.0% TH-EO
emulsion. Next set of samples were made by dipping in the O-EO
emulsion with sample 4 (O1) with 0.5%, sample 5 (O2) with 1.0% and
sample 6 (O3) with 2.0% of the prepared emulsion. Sample 7 was
dipped in coating containing only sodium alginate and no essential oil
and was treated as another control (C2). The samples were placed in
polypropylene trays and wrapped with the transparent polyethylene
wrapping films and stored at 4 °C for further analysis and shelf life study
to be conducted at day 1, 4, 8, 12 of storage period. All the experiments
were conducted in triplicates.
2.4. Physico-chemical attributes
Weight of the samples were measured on each day of analysis, i.e.
on day 1, 4, 8 and 12 of storage life using a laboratory scale high
precision digital weighing balance (BL-220H, Shumadzu Corporation,
Kyoto, Japan) with accuracy of 0.001 g. Weight loss was then de-
termined and expressed as percentage weight loss using the following
formulae:
Weight loss (%) = (Wi-Wf)/Wi * 100
Where, Wi is the initial weight (g) on day 0 and Wf is the measured
weight (g) of each sample on particular day of analysis during the 12
day storage period.
Total soluble solids (TSS) content of each sample on each day of
analysis was observed on a hand refractometer (0–32% Brix, ERMA Inc.
Tokyo, Japan) by crushing a small part of sample (papaya) and ex-
tracting its juice. The obtained reading was then recorded in degree brix
(˚B).
pH for each sample was determined by digital pH meter ((Cyberscan
pH-1500, Ectech Instruments, Ayer Rajah, Singapore) using the method
adopted by (Waghmare and Annapure, 2013). 10 g of papaya was
homogenized with 100 ml of distilled water and the results were re-
corded on each day of analysis and expressed as unit of pH.
Titratable acidity (TA) was determined by the AOAC method as
described in Rangana (2006). 10 g of papaya was crushed and homo-
genized with 40 ml of distilled water. The samples thus formed were
titrated with 0.1 N NaOH using phenolphthalein as indicator. Results
obtained were expressed as percentage with respect to citric acid.
2.5. Headspace gas evaluation
Headspace gas was evaluated to observe the changes occurring in its
composition (oxygen and carbon dioxide) over the entire storage period
on each day of analysis. The gas concentration was measured using a
digital gas analyzer (Gaspace Advance GS3/P, Systech Instruments,
Thame, Oxfordshire), wherein, a needle or suction probe attached to
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan
Fig. 1. Effect on a) weight loss b) total soluble solids c) pH and d) titratable acidity (triplicate mean ± SD) of fresh-cut papaya coated with alginate based edible
coating incorporated with TH-EO/O-EO and stored at 4 °C. (
( ) 1.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T2), ( ) 2.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T3), (
( ) 2.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O3).
the equipment was inserted through a rubber septum placed on the
polyethylene wrapping film into the package tray containing the
sample. Earlier the equipment was auto-calibrated with the composi-
tion of atmospheric gases. Display screen located on the instrument
then showed values, expressed as percentage of gases which were re-
corded.
2.6. Color characteristics
Hunter Lab Colorimeter (Mini Scan XE Plus, Hunter Associates
Laboratory, Inc., Reston, USA) was used to determine color of papaya
samples on each day of analysis throughout the storage period. The
device was calibrated with black and white tiles before analyzing the
samples for color. The results displayed on the screen were in terms of
L* (lightness), a* (green-red) and b* (yellow-blue) values. Value for
each color component (L*, a* and b*) was average of three measure-
ments. Average values of each color component (L*, a* and b*) for
three measurements was recorded and used to calculate color change
(ΔE), chroma (C*) and hue (h*) using the following equations as re-
ported by Raybaudi-Massilia et al. (2008a, 2008b) and Ochoa-Velasco
and Guerrero-Beltran (2014).
ΔE= √ [(L−L o) + (a−a o) + (b−bo)]
Where, L, a, b are color measurements at a specified time and Lo, ao, bo
are initial color measurements.
Chroma (C *) = [(a*)2 + (b*)2]1/2
b*
hue (h*) = tan−1 ⎛ * ⎞
⎜ ⎟
a
⎝ ⎠
Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853
) Control (C1), ( ) 0% EO + 2% Alg. (C2), ( ) 0.5% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T1),
) 0.5% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O1), ( ) 1.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O2),
2.7. Microbiological analysis
Fruits and vegetables are susceptible to degradation and fresh-cut
ones even more so, hence all the samples were analyzed on each day of
analysis for total plate count and yeast and mold count. Microbiological
analysis was carried out using the standard methods of microbiological
quality determination as described by Yousuf and Srivastava (2017).
10 g of each sample was homogenized in 90 ml of sterile NaCl solution,
serial dilution was performed and 1 ml of each was poured into petri-
plates, wherein, nutrient agar and potato dextrose agar was poured
later on for total plate and yeast and mold count respectively. The
whole experiment was performed in sterilized conditions. Total plate
count plates were incubated in a BOD maintained at 37 °C for 48 h
while the yeast and mold count plates were incubated at 25 °C for 72 h.
2.8. Sensory evaluation
Sensory evaluation of the papaya cubes was carried out using a nine
point Hedonic scale where, 1 represents most disliked attribute while
score 9 represents most liked attribute. The samples were analyzed for
color, texture, taste, aroma, juiciness and over all acceptability (OAA).
The sensory panel for the analysis was constituted from the researchers
and faculty members of the Department of Post Harvest Engineering
and Technology, Aligarh Muslim University, India. The test is used as a
measure of acceptability of the product by the consumers.
2.9. Statistical analysis
All the analysis was done in triplicate and the data was expressed as
3
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan
mean of all the replicates ± standard errors. Results were subjected to
Duncan’s multiple range tests with (P < 0.05) and data was analyzed
as the effect of independent variables, namely oil concentration and
storage period on different quality parameters of fresh-cut papaya cubes
for each sample on each day of analysis.
3. Results & discussion
3.1. Physico-chemical attributes
Fresh cut agriculture produce are highly perishable as their exposed
tissue becomes vulnerable to deterioration due to lack of a protective
cover. Weight loss which is considered as an indicator of freshness of
fruits and vegetables (Yousuf and Srivastava, 2017) was observed in all
the samples (Fig. 1a). Weight loss was found to significantly increase
through storage across all treatments, with the control sample (C1)
showing the highest weight loss. Addition of sodium alginate in the
second control (C2) sample showed a very slight decrease in weight loss
while incorporation of essential oil, viz. thyme or oregano essential oil
showed a prominent decrease in weight loss and also increasing the
concentration of essential oil, in most of the cases showed a decrease in
weight loss but a considerable increase in weight loss was observed
with the increase in storage time. This may be due to the lipidic nature
of essential oils which helps in reducing the water vapor permeability
(Atarés and Chiralt, 2016) thus providing for improved moisture barrier
properties of the essential oil coated samples. Results obtained in the
study indicated that both the different treatments applied and the sto-
rage at refrigerated condition significantly (p < 0.05) affected the
weight loss. Weight loss generally occurs due to loss of moisture or
leakage of juice and during storage mainly due to respiration and
transpiration of the produce, however, respiration is believed to con-
tribute negligibly to weight as its products mostly include gases and
aroma compounds (Olivas and Barbosa-Cánovas, 2005). Also the
polyethylene wrapped low density polypropylene trays might have
created a saturated atmosphere with regard to water vapor thus further
minimizing the water loss.
Ripening of fruit with time or storage is directly related to increase
in TSS content (Antunes et al., 2003) owing to the solubilization of
complex carbohydrates into simpler structures of sugar (Waghmare and
Annapure, 2013) which is evident in all the samples (Fig. 1b). Initial
TSS of the uncoated sample was recorded as 10.07˚B, all the other
samples had a slightly higher initial TSS value, probably due to being
coated with alginate which is a polysaccharide itself and might have
contributed to the soluble solid content. TSS of all the samples showed a
gradual increasing trend during the entire storage period and a drastic
change in the sugar content was not observed as also reported by Brasil
et al. (2012) on fresh-cut papaya with a polysaccharide based coating.
However the uncoated sample (C1) showed a decline in TSS on the 12th
day of analysis, probably due to degradation of sugars and thereafter
conversion to acids. Similar results have been reported by Tirkey et al.
(2014) and Yousuf and Srivastava (2015).
The effect of different edible coatings on pH of fresh-cut papaya
cubes as compared to the uncoated papaya cubes is presented in Fig. 1c.
The results showed a decreasing trend for all the samples during the
entire storage period. Lowering of pH during the storage period may be
attributed to the increased microbial growth, followed by the produc-
tion of organic acids (Heard, 2002). The uncoated papaya cubes (C1)
had the highest pH with 6.1, followed by sample coated with alginate
(C2) with 5.93, while the pH values ranged between 5.43–5.7 for all the
coated samples containing essential oil. Addition of thyme and oregano
essential oil resulted in lowering of pH and also slowed the pH changes,
with final value on last day of analysis ranging from 4.77 to 4.93. On
the other hand, pH of the uncoated sample had reduced to 4.03 and
depicted high microbial and fungal growth.
The major organic acid accounting for the titratable acidity (TA) of
ripe Eksotika II papaya fruit is citric acid (Ali et al., 2011) and it is
4
Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853
believed that respiration of fruits utilizes these organic acids as sub-
strate resulting in decrease in TA values during the post-harvest storage
(Valero et al., 2013) which was evident (Fig. 1d) for all the samples,
with a prominent decrease in the uncoated sample (C1). The initial TA
of the uncoated sample was 0.20 which on the last day of analysis had
reduced to 0.09 while coated samples showed comparatively higher TA
values. For the first 4 days, titratable acidity almost remained constant
for the coated samples and showed a slight decrease thereon. Similar
results have been reported by Ali et al. (2011) and Brasil et al. (2012)
thus implying that edible coatings might be effective in reducing the
metabolic changes occurring in a fruit or the rate of respiration thus
delaying the consumption of organic acids (Yaman and Bayoιndιrlι,
2002).
3.2. Headspace gas evaluation
Fruits and vegetables keep on living and respiring even after harvest
and for keeping them fresh and prolonging their shelf-life, respiration
process has to be kept going for as long as possible. While in most fruits
and vegetables respiration process can be slowed down by storing at
low temperatures but this factor proves futile for fresh-cut fruits and
vegetables. Edible coating then along with refrigerated temperatures
has proven to be a better option to slow the respiration rate of some
fruits and vegetables (Olivas and Barbosa-Cánovas, 2005). Edible
coating works to modify the internal gas composition of individual
fresh-cut fruit or vegetable and also reduces qualitative and quantita-
tive changes thus giving the effect of a modified atmosphere storage
(Dhall, 2013).
Effect of the application of edible coating in slowing down the re-
spiration rate of coated fresh-cut papaya cubes was evaluated by the
change in headspace gases. This change mainly comprised of O2 con-
sumption and CO2 production thereby exhibiting a decreasing trend in
O2 concentration and an increasing trend in the CO2 concentration for
all samples during the entire storage period. O2 concentration sub-
stantially decreased in both the control samples (C1 & C2) over all the
days of storage exhibiting an active metabolism and also suggesting
that alginate alone had an insignificant effect at p < 0.05. Lowest le-
vels for O2 concentration was indicated as 7.83% on the last day of
analysis which had drastically decreased from the 19.17% of O2 con-
centration on the first day of analysis for the uncoated sample (Fig. 2).
For alginate coated sample, the decrease was up to 9.07%. Similar trend
was observed among control samples for CO2 concentration but with an
increasing trend as the increase was recorded at 5.97% on the last day
of analysis from the initial 1.10% on the first day of analysis for the
uncoated sample. For alginate coated sample, the increase was up to
5.87%.
This further substantiated the insignificant effect (p < 0.05) of al-
ginate coating alone on fresh cut papaya cubes in comparison to es-
sential oil incorporated alginate coatings. Oms-Oliu et al. (2008) also
reported the inefficiency of alginate, pectin and gellan based coatings in
proving to be a good barrier to O2 and CO2 in coated fresh-cut melon.
All the coated samples on the other hand, showed negligible change
in O2 values on the first day of storage, probably due to the in-
corporation of essential oil in the coating which formed a barrier for the
gas diffusion. On the proceeding days of storage, a decreasing trend for
the O2 concentration was observed. During the first 4 days of analysis,
the decrease was negligible thus exhibiting insignificant effect
(p < 0.05) of the oil concentration on the alginate coatings. Significant
difference was observed in the proceeding days of storage, with samples
coated with higher concentration of oil (irrespective of the oil in-
corporated) proving to be more effective in retarding O2 consumption.
Conversely, CO2 composition increased progressively but at a
slower rate during the first 8 days of storage and a sharp increase to
4.13% for sample T1 by the last day of analysis, probably due to lower
(0.5 ml) thyme essential oil concentration. CO2 composition in all the
other coated samples remained lower than 4%. Incorporation of
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853

Fig. 2. Effect on headspace gases (O2 & CO2) (triplicate mean ± SD) of fresh-cut papaya coated with alginate based edible coating incorporated with TH-EO/O-EO
and stored at 4 °C. ( ) Control (C1), ( ) 0% EO + 2% Alg. (C2), ( ) 0.5% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T1), ( ) 1.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T2),
( ) 2.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T3), ( ) 0.5% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O1), ( ) 1.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O2), ( ) 2.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O3).

Table 1
Color characteristics of fresh-cut papaya as affected by alginate based edible coating incorporated with TH-EO/O-EO and stored at 4 °C.
Treatments Storage time (days)

Day 1 Day 4 Day 8 Day 12

L*
C1 41.68 ± 0.50c 33.02 ± 1.13e 26.16 ± 1.79b 23.92 ± 2.38d
C2 45.79 ± 0.89b 43.51 ± 1.49bc 33.93 ± 3.13a 29.86 ± 3.24bc
T1 47.47 ± 0.93a 44.88 ± 1.47ab 36.67 ± 3.48a 33.43 ± 1.74a
T2 47.66 ± 1.14a 45.97 ± 1.13a 38.42 ± 3.24a 35.09 ± 2.11a
T3 43.16 ± 0.66c 40.83 ± 0.59d 35.89 ± 2.96a 32.00 ± 1.33ab
O1 47.07 ± 1.01ab 45.77 ± 0.56a 37.56 ± 1.21a 32.44 ± 0.93ab
O2 45.57 ± 0.79b 41.86 ± 1.59cd 35.49 ± 1.59a 28.51 ± 1.06c
O3 46.79 ± 0.97ab 41.55 ± 1.11cd 36.65 ± 0.71a 23.69 ± 1.11d
a*
C1 24.68 ± 2.48a 21.10 ± 2.73a 18.96 ± 1.84a 14.97 ± 2.55b
C2 22.04 ± 2.53a 21.57 ± 1.17a 20.79 ± 1.90a 17.45 ± 3.02ab
T1 23.82 ± 2.03a 21.87 ± 2.71a 19.40 ± 1.80a 18.14 ± 1.90ab
T2 23.88 ± 2.07a 21.80 ± 1.06a 20.86 ± 1.21a 18.99 ± 1.57a
T3 23.82 ± 1.02a 22.34 ± 2.34a 20.85 ± 0.87a 18.32 ± 1.09ab
O1 23.94 ± 0.39a 21.21 ± 0.81a 20.04 ± 0.33a 17.72 ± 0.84ab
O2 23.37 ± 1.28a 21.64 ± 1.72a 20.18 ± 0.77a 18.09 ± 0.50ab
O3 23.55 ± 0.84a 21.33 ± 0.81a 20.32 ± 0.53a 17.92 ± 0.52ab
b*
C1 31.95 ± 1.40ab 26.71 ± 2.49b 24.96 ± 3.03b 21.52 ± 0.61b
C2 33.30 ± 2.01a 30.18 ± 1.99a 28.82 ± 1.96a 26.09 ± 1.84a
T1 30.70 ± 1.32b 28.44 ± 0.33ab 27.15 ± 1.72ab 25.05 ± 1.40a
T2 30.75 ± 1.24b 29.29 ± 0.85a 27.78 ± 1.87ab 26.25 ± 2.82a
T3 32.45 ± 0.77ab 30.48 ± 1.19a 28.03 ± 0.82ab 26.45 ± 1.17a
O1 31.25 ± 0.99ab 30.26 ± 1.03a 28.96 ± 1.14a 27.67 ± 1.88a
O2 31.69 ± 1.17ab 30.49 ± 0.80a 29.04 ± 0.63a 26.89 ± 0.32a
O3 30.52 ± 1.19b 28.75 ± 0.82ab 27.25 ± 1.39ab 25.07 ± 0.66a

Values represent the triplicate mean ± standard deviation. Duncan’s test was performed, and the different letters within a column with the same storage time
indicate significant differences at (p < 0.05) level.

essential oil thus proved to be more effective in retarding respiration,
the effect being more enhanced on increasing the oil concentration.
Also the oregano essential oil proved to be slightly more effective than
the thyme essential oil.
The decreasing trend in the respiration rates of fresh cut-fruits due
to EOs has also been described by several other authors (Rojas- Graü
et al., 2007a, 2007b; Raybaudi-Massilia et al., 2008a, 2008b; Azarakhsh
et al., 2014; Salvia-trujillo et al., 2015) which might be credited to the
huge resistance offered by the coating to the diffusion of gases, resulting
mainly due to the antimicrobial and lipophilic nature of the EOs
(Azarakhsh et al., 2014; Salvia-trujillo et al., 2015).
3.3. Color characteristics
Color is the most important quality attribute associated with fresh-
cut fruits (Oms-Oliu et al., 2010) which plays a key role in determining
the consumer’s preference and acceptability towards food. Color attri-
butes of the fresh-cut papaya cubes were monitored by measuring L*
(lightness), a* (redness) and b* (yellowness), which were further used
to evaluate color change, hue and chroma values during the 12 days of
storage period at 4 °C. Lightness (L*) for all the samples decreased over
storage with the coated samples exhibiting higher values than the
control samples (p < 0.05) on the last day of analysis, with the ex-
ception of O3 having lowest L* value of 23.69 (Table 1). This may be
due to use of higher concentration of oregano essential oil which

5
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853

Fig. 3. Effect on a) color change b) chroma c) hue (triplicate mean ± SD) of fresh-cut papaya coated with alginate based edible coating incorporated with TH-EO/O-
EO and stored at 4 °C. ( ) Control (C1), ( ) 0% EO + 2% Alg. (C2), ( ) 0.5% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T1), ( ) 1.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T2),
( ) 2.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T3), ( ) 0.5% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O1), ( ) 1.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O2), ( ) 2.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O3).

Table 2
Total plate and yeast and mold count (triplicate mean ± SD) of fresh-cut papaya as affected by alginate based edible coating incorporated with TH-EO/O-EO and
stored at 4 °C.
Sample Day 1 Day 4 Day 8 Day 12

TPC Yeast & Mold TPC Yeast & Mold TPC Yeast & Mold TPC Yeast & Mold

a a a a a a a
C1 1.10 ± 0.10 0.90 ± 0.10 2.53 ± 0.15 2.00 ± 0.26 6.83 ± 0.35 6.27 ± 0.57 9.67 ± 0.60 8.40 ± 0.30a
C2 0.97 ± 0.06a 0.63 ± 0.12b 1.77 ± 0.06b 1.43 ± 0.25b 4.07 ± 0.32b 3.43 ± 0.31b 6.57 ± 1.12b 5.90 ± 0.62b
T1 0.73 ± 0.12b 0.03 ± 0.06c 1.00 ± 0.10c 0.67 ± 0.21c 1.77 ± 0.25c 1.77 ± 0.15c 2.93 ± 0.15c 4.40 ± 0.40c
T2 0.40 ± 0.10c 0.00 ± 0.00c 0.67 ± 0.12d 0.67 ± 0.15c 1.23 ± 0.15d 1.5 ± 0.17cd 1.87 ± 0.12d 3.20 ± 0.20d
T3 0.10 ± 0.00d 0.00 ± 0.00c 0.23 ± 0.15e 0.45 ± 0.18c 0.70 ± 0.10e 1.03 ± 0.40de 1.67 ± 0.21d 2.40 ± 0.62e
O1 0.20 ± 0.14d 0.02 ± 0.03c 0.50 ± 0.30de 0.63 ± 0.15c 1.10 ± 0.30de 1.13 ± 0.25de 1.90 ± 0.20d 3.27 ± 0.21d
O2 0.15 ± 0.07d 0.00 ± 0.00c 0.40 ± 0.17de 0.60 ± 0.20c 0.87 ± 0.15de 0.97 ± 0.21de 1.53 ± 0.15d 3.07 ± 0.25de
O3 0.10 ± 0.00d 0.00 ± 0.00c 0.40 ± 0.10de 0.43 ± 0.21c 0.70 ± 0.10e 0.90 ± 0.20e 1.47 ± 0.12d 2.53 ± 0.38de

Values represent the triplicate mean ± standard deviation. Duncan’s test was performed, and the different letters within a column with the same storage time
indicate significant differences at (p < 0.05) level.

contributed in reducing the lightness of the fresh-cut papaya cubes.
Decreasing trend of L* was indicative of ripeness of papaya as has also
been reported by Narsaiah et al. (2015).
The a* values also decreased throughout the storage period con-
tinuously maintaining a reddish color. However during the first eight
days no significant difference among the coated samples was observed
(Table 1) and only on the last day of storage significant effect
((p < 0.05) of coating applications was evident among samples. The b*
values also showed a declining trend with coated samples having
significantly higher values than the uncoated sample by the last day of
storage. All the coated samples maintained a yellowish orange color of
the papaya pulp thus preventing enzymatic and oxidative browning.
Similar results have been reported by Brasil et al. (2012) for papaya and
Rocha and Moraes (2000) for apple pulp.
To monitor the changes in color taking place in the differently
coated fresh-cut papaya cubes, color difference (ΔE) was calculated for
each day of analysis and has been represented in Fig. 3a. ΔE was ob-
served to increase steeply for the uncoated sample as compared to the

6
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan
Fig. 4. Effect of various coating combinations on sensory characteristics of fresh-cut papaya stored at 4 °C as on Day 1; Day 4; Day 8; Day 12. (
( ) 0% EO + 2% Alg. (C2), ( ) 0.5% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T1), (
0.5% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O1), ( ) 1.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O2), (
coated ones which showed slight increase till the 4th day of analysis and
thereon increased gradually indicating delayed ripening and senescence
in the coated samples. By the last day of storage period, a notable
difference in ΔE between coated and uncoated samples was evident
with the exception of sample treated with 2% O-EO (O3) which prob-
ably resulted due to higher concentration of oregano essential oil used.
Chroma, a measure of color saturation or intensity exhibited a
gradual decrease in all the samples over the period of storage (Fig. 3b).
Uncoated control sample showed a sharp decrease in chroma and had
the lowest value of 26.29 at the end of storage.
Hue angle, a frequent indicator of color in food products showed no
definite trend among the coated as well as uncoated samples (Fig. 3c)
thus proving to be a non considerative quality attribute for above
performed coating experiments. Various pigments like lycopene, an-
thocyanin and carotene are synthesized during ripening and thus may
have affected the hue and chroma values. Chien et al. (2007) has also
reported delayed synthesis of anthocyanins in several fruits, such as
mango, papaya, strawberry, etc. coated with chitosan.
Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853
) Control (C1),
) 1.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T2), ( ) 2.0% TH-EO + 2% Alg. (T3), ( )
) 2.0% O-EO + 2% Alg. (O3).
3.4. Microbiological analysis
González-Aguilar et al. (2009) along with many other researchers
has reported that storage of fresh-cut papaya leads to increase in mi-
crobial count due to their cut surface being exposed to environmental
degradation. Absence of a physical or chemical barrier in the form of a
protective epidermis (Rojas-Graü et al., 2009) makes the fruit more
prone to spoilage by various microorganisms thus directly affecting the
health of consumers.
The coated and uncoated samples were analysed during the entire
storage period for total bacterial as well as yeast and mold count.
Bacterial count of uncoated sample reached to as high as 9.67 log CFU/
g, followed by the coated sample not containing essential oil (C2) with
6.57 log CFU/g (Table 2) on the last day of storage which was much
beyond the consumable limit and hence was not subjected to sensory
analysis. On the other hand, bacterial count of the coated samples did
not exceed 3 log CFU/g for all the samples containing essential oils.
Similar trend was observed for yeast and mold count where both the
control samples had values much above the consumable limit, while
7
N. Tabassum and M.A. Khan
among the coated samples, sample containing 0.5 ml TH-EO (T1) ex-
hibited the maximum mold count with 4.40 log CFU/g. These results
are in accordance with Yousuf and Srivastava (2015) and Brasil et al
(2012) for papaya and Kim et al. (2013) for plum. The reduced mi-
crobial growth may be due to the incorporation of essential oil as well
as due to the modified atmosphere created by the coating.
3.5. Sensory evaluation
Sensory evaluation was carried out on each day of analysis for the
coated fresh-cut papaya cubes. The control samples were not judged for
taste in the second week of analysis, from where onwards they showed
signs of juice leakage and fungal growth. On the last day of analysis, the
uncoated sample presented a very unpleasant appearance with huge
mold growth on the fruit surface thus restricting the shelf-life of the
control samples to the 4th day of analysis.
For the different attributes that the panelists gave scores, a marked
variation was observed for taste and aroma. Coated samples containing
essential oils had lower scores for taste and aroma as compared to other
samples (Fig. 4). Also with storage the scores seemed to improve till the
8th day and beyond it again showed a decline. This initial decrease in
taste and aroma score may be due to incorporation of essential oils (TH-
EO/O-EO), whose intense aroma negatively prevailed over the original
taste and aroma of papaya and with passage of time due to their volatile
nature showed an improvement in the taste and aroma scores. The re-
sults obtained in the present study were in accordance with Azarakhsh
et al. (2014) for fresh-cut pineapple and Raybaudi-Massilia et al.
(2008a, 2008b) for fresh-cut melon, who also reported decrease in
sensory score with the incorporation of lemongrass essential oil. Despite
initial decline, taste and aroma scores for all the coated samples showed
acceptable value (score 7) by the end of storage except sample con-
taining 2% TH-EO (score 6). Texture and juiciness showed negligible
change till day 8, after which a slight decline was observed in their
values. By the end of storage, sensory scores showed considerable de-
cline, however none of the coated samples containing essential oil was
rated below the acceptance level which ensued the effectiveness of
coating containing essential oil. On the other hand, both the control
samples had suffered degradation to the extent of rotting by the end of
storage period.
4. Conclusion
Recent studies involving use of plant essential oils in combination
with polysaccharide based edible coating has been reported to dilute
the strong and penetrating effect of these oils and enhance the overall
quality of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables thus extending their shelf-life.
The present study showed that incorporation of plant essential oils,
namely thyme and oregano essential oils to alginate based edible
coating had potential to improve weight loss, slow pH changes, delay
consumption of organic acids and reduce respiration rate thus delaying
senescence. Coatings containing EOs successfully maintained the mi-
crobiological quality of fresh-cut papaya. Increasing the concentration
of EOs enhanced their antimicrobial activity but higher concentration
of oil predominated the original aroma of the fruit. Therefore EOs
should be used at lower concentration to avoid any negative impacts on
taste & aroma. Coating containing only alginate did not show effective
results against the microbial activity. In summary, samples coated with
1.0% TH-EO and O-EO most effectively retarded the degradation rate of
physicochemical properties, improved microbiological food safety and
had the highest OAA scores for fresh-cut papaya stored for 12 days at
4 °C.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding
agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
8
Scientia Horticulturae 259 (2020) 108853
Acknowledgment
A sincere acknowledgement to the first author’s previous mentor
and second author’s close confidante and colleague, Late Mr. Abhaya
Kumar Srivastava for his undying support till his last moments. The first
author is also thankful to University Grants Commission (UGC), New
Delhi, India for awarding her with Maulana Azad National Fellowship
(MANF).
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