Abstract

The present project appears in the field of control of post-harvest disturbances, in particular the darkening of the fruit. It is intended to develop an antioxidant coating to prevent or reduce browning in fruits. In particular, the use of extracts obtained from parts of the Arbutus Unedo plant or by-products of apple processing.

Arbutus unedo L. (Ericaceae family) commonly called arbutus, is a perennial shrub that grows in the Mediterranean region, like Portugal. The plant is known to contain abundant phenolics with antioxidant properties (e.g. Quercetin, ellagic acid, gallic acid). The apple processing industries generate large amounts of solid and liquid sludge waste. These solid wastes consist of a mixture of skin, pulp and seeds. These by-products can have a high nutritional value, rich in vitamins, minerals and phenolic compounds. Browning is a post-harvest problem caused mainly by the oxidation of natural phenolic compounds from fruits in quinones by polyphenoloxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POX).

We intend to create an antioxidant coating to prevent or reduce browning in fruits. In particular, the use of extracts obtained from parts of the Arbutus Unedo plant or by-products of apple processing. In this way, we not only value by-products from the food industry, but we will also reduce food waste as well as economic losses due to the shortening of the fruit's life span by browning.
 

Keywords

Browning, fruit, post-harvest, food waste, coating