Effect of Balangu seed mucilage/gelatin coating containing dill essential oil and ZnO nanoparticles on sweet cherry quality during cold storage

The current research focused on examining the effect of a coating made from Balangu seed mucilage (TSM-BM) and gelatin (Ge), with varying concentrations of dill essential oil (DEO) (0 %, 1 %, and 2 %) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-np) (0 % and 0.5 %), on the quality characteristics of cherries stored at 4 °C over intervals of 0, 4, 7, 11, 18, and 25 days. The study noted that the application of this coating, particularly when combined with DEO and ZnO-np, significantly reduced the rate of changes in several parameters, including weight loss, firmness, titratable acidity, pH, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, total anthocyanin content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity (p˂0.05). During the storage period, the skin color of all treated fruits darkened. Significant reductions were also observed in the values of <i>L∗</i>, Chroma, and hue angle, with the coating slowing these changes (p˂0.05). The BM-Ge coating's gas barrier properties contributed to a lower respiration rate in coated fruits than in uncoated controls, thereby delaying spoilage. The coating effectively prevented moisture loss from the stem and reduced browning over time. The incorporation of DEO into the BM-Ge coating enhanced its moisture barrier capabilities due to DEO's hydrophobic properties. BM-Ge coating containing 2 % DEO and 0.5 % ZnO-np was able to reduce changes of weight loss, firmness, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total soluble solids, total anthocyanin content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity by 71.23 %, 88.84 %, 60 %, 48.39 %, 30.05 %, 82.65 %, 50.77 %, and 55.46 % respectively. A significant correlation was also observed between the treated fruits' physical, chemical, and visual qualities.