Agar and pomegranate seed oil used in a biodegradable coating composition for Formosa papaya

Abstract The use of biodegradable coatings to conserve fruits and vegetables stands out in the food industry. This study aims to evaluate the postharvest quality of papaya Formosa 'Tainung 01' submitted to different coating formulations, to establish the one that best maintains the postharvest quality. The fruits, distributed in a completely randomized design, received the coatings composed of aqueous solution of agar and pomegranate seed oil in the following compositions (with 6 treatments and 5 replicates): T1: 0.5% agar and 0.1 mL/L oil; T2: 1.0% agar and 0.2 mL/L oil; T3: 1.5% agar and 0.3 mL/L oil; T4: 2.0% agar and 0.4 mL/L of oil; T5: 2.5% of agar and 0.5 mL/L of oil; and T6: Control, uncoated. The experiment lasted ten days packing at 17.5 ± 0.6 °C and 55 ± 3, 2% RH. T4 provided better conservation of the quality attributes in papaya. Fruits in this treatment showed higher vitamin C content, higher soluble solids and total sugars, and lower titratable acidity, important characteristics for product acceptance. Besides, T4 better conserved the green (external) color of the fruits, while fruits submitted to the other treatments acquired a yellowish coloration.