Shelf-life quality evaluation and smartphone-based phenolic analysis of cassava treated with varied chitosan formulations

• Published in: Food chemistry 2025-03, Vol.467, p.142270, Article 142270
• Main Authors: Akitoye, Adetoun, Blank, Daiane, Olaitan, Greatness, Akinbulu, Isaac Adebayo, Okiei, Wesley, Silva, Tiago Almeida
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: antioxidant activity; antioxidants; ascorbic acid; biomarkers; Cassava; chitosan; Chitosan, antioxidant compounds; color; cost effectiveness; food chemistry; food security; mobile telephones; Nutritional quality; nutritive value; oxidative stress; PhotoMetrix® app; quercetin; Shelf-life; starch; statistical analysis; Total phenolics
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.142270

Phenolic compounds exhibit potent antioxidant properties and defense mechanisms in plants, serving as quality biomarkers. This study investigates the effect of chitosan formulations, incorporated with 1 % and 2 % ascorbic acid and quercetin, for extending cassava shelf life and improving nutritional quality. The PhotoMetrix® smartphone App was employed to analyze the impact of these treatment-formulations on their total phenolic contents (TPC) using RGB (Red-Green-Blue) color scale, validated by statistical analysis. Treated cassava samples exhibited higher levels of TPC (up to 70 %) and antioxidant activity (up to 35.39 %). Treated cassava samples with high TPC demonstrated better antioxidant capacities, visual appearances and starch contents, alongside reduced dry matter and H₂O₂ levels. These outcomes highlight the effectiveness of chitosan-antioxidant formulations in boosting TPC, mitigating oxidative stress, and delaying cassava deterioration. The study also demonstrates PhotoMetrix® as a cost-effective, efficient alternative for phenolic assessment, and a tool for shelf-life study towards food security. [Display omitted] •This study introduces the use of PhotoMetrix® App in quantifying phenolic contents in Cassava samples.•Total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity served as an indicator for shelf-life elongation.•The 1 % and 2 % chitosan-antioxidant formulations demonstrated remarkable efficiency in retaining phenolic compounds in the treated Cassava, with a difference of up to 70.53 %.•Total phenolic contents were correlated with other parameters such as•H2O2 (reactive oxygen species) production•Dry matter content•Starch content