Comparative Preservative Potentials of <i>Solanum Lycopersicum</i> Fruit with Polymers of Turmeric and Thyme Essential Oil

The qualities of fruit grown in developing nations are lost before being consumed, primarily as a result of high rates of bruising, water losses and subsequent deterioration during postharvest handling. One of such important fruit that is highly perishable, susceptible to microbial spoilage and enzymatic degradation is Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In this study, Thyme and turmeric essential oils were embedded in chitosan-alginate complexes and their preservative potentials on tomato fruits during storage were comparatively studied in fourteen days. Percentage weight loss, polygalactorunase, polyphenol oxidase, peroxidase activities, ascorbic acid and lycopene contents, total antioxidant capacity (TOC) and browning index of the preserved tomatoes were evaluated on seventh and fourteenth (14th) day. Generally, all the parameters studied were better with the thyme essential oil complex coatings particularly with the chitosan- alginate-thyme (CH-AG-TH) coating. Hence, it was concluded that thyme essential oil embedded in chitosan arginate complex is better for the preservation of tomato fruits than the turmeric essential oil-based coatings.