Abstract:
Waraka (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) is a tropical fruit that is highly perishable
and has rapid quality degradation. It is a delicacy yet with a very short shelf life. Cold
storage typically used to delay ripening-related changes, is inadequate to maintain the
quality of ripe Waraka bulbs often leads to severe symptoms of chilling injury. This
experiment was conducted to extend the shelf life of minimally processed waraka
bulbs under cooling conditions while preserving their shiny appearance. The variety
of fartherlong waraka samples were subjected to three treatments: an edible coating
(C1) using sodium alginate, non-edible shrink wrapping (C2), and cellophane film
wrapping (C3). A control group with no coating or wrapping was also included. The
edible coating was prepared using 2% (w/v) sodium alginate, 2% (v/v) glycerol, 1%
(w/w) tween 80, and 1% (v/v) sunflower oil. All samples were packaged in Nylon/PE
pouches and stored under refrigerated conditions at 4℃. Physicochemical parameters
and microbial quality were analyzed over eight days of the period. The C1 exhibited
low significant changes in pH (4.78±0.09), firmness (4.30±0.64), and total soluble
solids (12.98±0.53). The C1 and C2 samples appeared more effective in maintaining
the L* values, 75.22±2.91 and 72.18±3.98, respectively. C1 and C3 exhibited low
significant changes in a* value (-3.99±0.03 and -3.99±0.37) and b* value
(36.40±0.94 and 36.40±0.94). Compared to other treatments the C1 exhibited a
lower total plate count (9.5107 CFU g-1) and yeast and mold count (5.8104 CFU g-1).
The findings conclude that sodium alginate-based edible coating and shrink wrapping
are equally effective in extending the shelf life and preserving the quality of waraka
for eight days under refrigerated conditions with minimal changes in physicochemical
properties.
