Abstract

The effect of protein and polysaccharide based composite coating incorporated with the antimicrobial extract of papaya leaves on the shelf life of grapes and cucumbers were studied. Fresh grapes and cucumbers were coated with a three different composite coatings i.e. pectin with soya protein (PS), pectin with whey protein (PW) and pectin with casein(PC) with incorporation of papaya leaf extract and compared to samples coated with PS, PW and PC without papaya leaf extract. Another bilayer coating was applied on the sample which consisted of soya oil emulsion in pectin but the oil and pectin layer separated and a continous coating was not formed. All these samples were kept at room temperature along with uncoated sample to study the enhancement of shelf life.The result showed that the edible coatings proved to extend the shelf-life of fresh cut apple slices by decreasing delaying changes in color and water loss during storage. Among the coatings tested PS coatings were more effective than PC coatings, with antimicrobial agent incorporated coatings being more effective than their non-antimicrobial extract incorporated coatings. Papaya leaf extract incorporated PC coatings were more effective in preventing moisture loss while papaya leaf extract incorporated PS coatings improved the overall shelf life by preventing spoilage to a greater extent.

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