Effect of Chitosan-Based Nano-Packaging on Physical Properties of Apricot Variety 526 (58-Shahrood)

The apricot is a soft, vulnerable fruit. Appropriate packaging decreases waste of this product. The present study examined the effect of packaging on the Iranian apricot cultivar Shahroud 58. The apricots were coated with a chitosan-based nano-emulsion coating, placed in a chitosan nano-based container or were left untreated apricots (control). All treatments were then kept in cold storage at 0°C for 8 wk. The results showed that the coating and container were more successful in retaining moisture than the control and that the coating performed better than the container. It appears that, in the early stage of storage, the coating and container better preserved texture than did the control; however, subsequent texture values did not differ markedly. The nano-containers performed similarly to the control and coating (excluding the end stage), but maintained a better texture for the apricots. The average
Ε increased for all treatments, although there was no significant difference between treated apricots and the control. A significant difference was observed between coating and storage time for respiration rate. There was no significant difference for ethylene production. SEM confirmed the presence of the nano-based coating on the skin of the fruit. The physical properties of the apricot showed that the use of chitosan as a coating or container was suitable as packaging to increase the storage life of apricots.