A new edible coating of fish gelatin incorporated into açaí oil to increase the post-harvest shelf life of tomatoes

• Published in: Food chemistry 2024-04, Vol.438, p.138047-138047, Article 138047
• Main Authors: da Silva, Ana Caroline Pereira, Barbosa, Jhonatas Rodrigues, da Silva Araújo, Cleidiane, Sousa Batista, Jáira Thayse, Xavier Neves, Eleda Maria Paixão, Pereira Cardoso, Dilson Nazareno, Peixoto Joele, Maria Regina Sarkis, de Fátima Henriques Lourenço, Lúcia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acidity; active ingredients; anti-infective agents; antioxidants; climacteric fruits; Euterpe oleracea; firmness; fish; food chemistry; forests; gel strength; gelatin; oils; plasticizers; shelf life; tomatoes; viscosity; zeta potential
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.138047

Açaí oil (Euterpe oleracea) is a new active ingredient, originating from the Amazon Forest, which offers numerous benefits as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. Here, we report how açaí oil can be used as an active ingredient in gelatin coatings to increase the shelf life of tomatoes. The optimized viscosity and gel strength conditions were 5.40 % gelatin, 17.25 % açaí oil and 18 % plasticizer. FTIR, XRD and zeta potential analysis reveals that repulsive forces dominate the interactions between açaí oil and gelatin. The optimized coating (GAO) reduced mass loss by 8 % and achieved greater firmness (25 N), proving its effectiveness in maintaining tomato quality during storage. For the first time, it was found that the addition of açaí oil to fish gelatin improves the percentage of acidity and firmness of the tomato, delaying ripening, making it a promising alternative as packaging for climacteric fruits.