Improving quality of fresh-cut mango using polysaccharide-based edible coatings

This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of coatings with alginate (AL), pectin (PE), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) or chitosan (CH) on microbial stability, physicochemical attributes, total phenolics and carotenoids content, antioxidant capacity and sensory properties of fresh-cut mango during 14days at 4 +/- 1 degrees C. Coated fresh-cut mango kept microbial counts below 6 logs CFUg(-1), being CH-coated fresh-cut mango those that exhibited the lowest microbial counts (1 log CFUg(-1)) along entire storage. AL, PE and CMC coatings maintained yellow colour of fresh-cut mango throughout storage. AL and CH coatings, which have different monomers in their chain, improved the content of antioxidant compounds in fresh-cut mango as related to uncoated. AL-coated fresh-cut mangoes were the toughest, among those coated, during 14days. The highest consumer acceptance was achieved in AL (90.2%) coated fresh-cut mango. CH would be the most suitable coating to extend the quality of fresh-cut mango throughout storage.