Aloe Vera Gel Edible Coating for Shelf Life and Antioxidant Proprieties Preservation of Andean Blackberry

Andean blackberry is cultivated in Colombia due to its national and international commercial importance, in addition to its flavour and high nutritional value. Due to its physicochemical, morphological, and physiological characteristics, it constitutes one of the most unstable fruits in the Colombian fruit and vegetable supply chain, thereby generating economic losses. In this study, a polymer-based coating of Aloe vera and essential oil was designed, and its influence on the shelf life of Andean blackberry stored at 4 degrees C was studied. Once the appropriate composition was established according to the experimental design, Andean blackberries' physicochemical parameters, the content of total phenols, and antioxidant activity were monitored over 19 days. The total soluble solids present a change between 5.2 and 5.6 degrees Brix and 5.2 and 7.2 degrees Brix for coated and uncoated fruits between 1 and 19 days, respectively. The coated fruits presented a lower loss compared to the uncoated fruits and the total phenol content presented a higher concentration on day 19 in the coated fruits (412.71 +/- 37.5 mg Gallic Acid Equivalents L-1 sample). The coating enabled an increase in the shelf life of the blackberries, from 4 to 19 days, while preserving the physicochemical properties of the fruits. Therefore, the application of coating as a method for the post-harvest preservation of Andean blackberries represents a low-cost, easily available strategy.