Saussurea costus phenolic extract as a novel material with gum arabic and chitosan for enhancement of shelf life and tomato quality during the cold storage process

Abstract In this study, aqueous solutions of gum arabic (G) and chitosan (CH) with Saussurea costus extract (SCE) were used as a novel edible coating for tomato surface during the storage process at 4°C. The stored tomatoes were evaluated in terms of physicochemical quality and antioxidant properties during storage (15 days). Coating revealed considerable variations between fruits which appeared in delaying ripening factors that were characterized by a reduction in weight loss (WL) and changes in total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid content (AAC), and firmness (FM) compared to uncoated fruits. Also, the total phenolic content (TPC) of coated samples was higher than the uncoated ones during the storage period. Using SCE in the edible coating of tomatoes showed a significant delay in WL, TPC, TA, TSS and AAC compared to uncoated tomatoes during storage period at 4°C.