Effect of Edible Coatings and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Shelf Life and Quality Parameters of Bitter Gourd
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52151/jae2025622.1932Keywords:
guar gum, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified atmosphere packaging, perforation, bacterial loadAbstract
Bitter gourd has a short shelf life of 3–4 days under ambient conditions, necessitating effective preservation methods. This study evaluated the efficacy of edible coatings and Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) with perforation in extending its storage life. The research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, four edible coatings, namely, carboxymethyl cellulose, guar gum, clove essential oil, and garlic essential oil, were assessed at varying concentrations. Guar gum at 1.5% concentration was found to be the most effective, preserving quality attributes up to 16 days. In the second stage, the impact of MAP on the shelf life of guar gum-coated bitter gourd was examined using polypropylene pouches with 10, 20, and 30 perforations (4.1 × 10⁻³%, 8.2 × 10⁻³%, and 1.23 × 10⁻²% of package area). The combination of guar gum coating with MAP (10 and 20 perforations) extended the storage period to 28 days while maintaining key quality attributes such as chlorophyll, vitamin C, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content at over 75% of their fresh values. The lowest physiological loss in weight (6.06%) and acceptable microbial load were observed in samples stored in 10-perforation packs. Based on these findings, storing bitter gourd with a 1.5% guar gum coating in MAP pouches with 4.1 × 10⁻³% (10 perforations) or 8.2 × 10⁻³% package area (20 perforations) is recommended for optimal shelf-life extension.
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