Preservation of Harvested Chili Peppers Using A Composite Coating Containing Syzygium aromaticum and Cinnamomum cassia Extracts
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Abstract:
To develop a safe plant-derived preservative for harvested peppers, two natural bacteriostatic agents were added to the film-forming agent placed on “Xiangyan No.15” peppers. The preservation effects of the composite coating containing extracts of Syzygium aromaticum and Cinnamomum cassia were evaluated by determining the differences in the rates of weight loss and decay; respiratory intensity; the activity levels of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), malondialdehyde (MDA), and catalase (CAT); and the vitamin C, chlorophyll, total phenol, and flavonoid contents of the harvested chili peppers. The results showed that the composite coating effectively reduced the rates of weight loss and decay. Comparison of the composite coating-treated peppers to the clean water-treated (CK1) and untreated (CK2) peppers after 20 days of storage showed that the weight loss rate was reduced by 31.20% and 30.64%, respectively (p<0.05); the decay rate was decreased by 71.43% and 68.07%, respectively (p<0.05); and the activity levels of defense enzymes were significantly increased. In particular, CAT activity was increased by 55.01% and 44.69%, respectively (p<0.05); POD activity was increased by 37.50% and 12.58%, respectively (p<0.05); and PAL activity was increased by 58.37% and 34.14%, respectively (p<0.05). These results indicate that a composite coating containing Syzygium aromaticum and Cinnamomum cassia extracts can effectively improve the disease resistance of chili peppers, which is beneficial for preservation, thereby prolonging their storage period. This study provides theoretical support for the development of new safe preservatives for peppers.
