The Effect of Two Packaging Methods Based on Nano-Chitosan on the Microbial Properties of Two Varieties of Apricot (58-Shahrood and Chin Kalaghi)

Apricot is a soft fruit with a short storage life. A considerable quantities of this fruit are wasted due to its poor resistance to impact, unsuitable transport and storage conditions. Appropriate packaging is a good policy to decrease the wastage of this product in the post harvest and marketing stages. In this research, the effect of chitosan-based nano-emulsion and chitosan-based nano-containers on the microbial properties of two Iranian apricot cultivars namely the 58-Shahroud (526) and the ChinKalaghi (510) were studied. All the apricot fruits were divided into three groups; without any treatments as the control, coated with the aforementioned wax and were packed in the chitosan nano-based containers. The treated fruits were then stored at 0°C at relative humidity of %90± 5 for 8 weeks. During the cold storage period, required microbial tests were performed every week. SEM test was also carried out. The results showed that there are significant differences between the factors of coating, cultivar and storage time in terms of microbial tests. Chitosan nano-emulsion and chitosan nano-container have important roles in the prevention of the microbial growth as compared to the control. SEM confirmed a nano-based coating on the skin of both cultivars. The application of chitosan as a coating film or chitosan based nano containers might be regarded as a suitable method to reduce antimicrobial contamination of apricots.