Application of chitosan-based chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) hull polysaccharides edible coating on cherry tomatoes preservation

Bio-active food coating having natural antioxidants has attained great attention these days. Polysaccharides extracted from bacteria, fungi, and plants are considered rich in antioxidant biomolecules. Chickpea hull which is a food waste material contains a substantial quantity of antioxidants and bioactive compounds. In this study, chitosan (CS)-based chickpea hull polysaccharides (CHPS) edible coating of cherry tomatoes was successfully fabricated. Cherry tomatoes were characterized in terms of physico-chemical characteristics and shelf life. In comparison to the control, it was discovered that the CS-incorporated CHPS coatings were successful at lowering the respiratory activity, total soluble solids, total polyphenols, firmness, weight loss, lycopene content, and vitamin C as well as improving the fruit's overall acceptability. The dose dependence of each of these effects was noticed. Conclusively, using CS-incorporated CHPS coatings could preserve the shelf life of cherry tomatoes. A useful and different approach to enhance the postharvest quality of cherry tomatoes is to utilize CS-CHPS composite coatings.