Effect of eco-friendly fertilizers and edible coatings on fatty acids and phenolics in fresh-cut melon during cold storage

The demand for convenient and ready-to-eat food has increased, including fresh-cut fruit and vegetables. At the same time, people are also becoming more health-conscious and are aware of the positive impact of healthy food choices on their well-being. For this reason, it is important to deliver fruits and vegetables to people’s tables using both environmentally and human-friendly practices, from cultivation to postharvest storage. In the current study, in order to support agricultural sustainability, humic acid, liquid vermi¬compost, and organomineral fertilizers that do not pose a risk to human health or the environment were used in melon. Furthermore, several edible coverings were applied to the fruit derived from the investigation postharvest to examine the impact of changes in phe¬nolic and fatty acids in the fruit throughout storage. The nationally famous Kırkağaç variety of melon was used as the plant material. After harvest, cubed melon slices were dipped into the previously prepared coating materials for 2 min. Following the dipping process, the coated slices were dried using a ventilator for 2 h at 5 °C. Coated fruit and untreated (control) fruit were placed in plastic contain¬ers (each package weighing 500 g) and stored at +5 °C and 90%–95% relative humidity for 12 days. Applying humic acid alone led to more accumulation of fatty acids and phenolics in the fruit compared to humic acid in combination with liquid vermicompost and organomineral fertilizer. Furthermore, regardless of preharvest fertilizer treatments, the content of fatty acids and phenolics in the fresh-cut melon were better retained in the samples treated with pectin and sodium alginate rather than in the other edible coating treatments. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) among the fertilizer treatments and edible coatings during storage. The tested fertilizers and edible coating treatments show high potential in production and could be particularly useful in agricultural and horticultural applica¬tions. These techniques can reduce food waste and improve agricultural sustainability.