Application of Carboxymethyl Cellulose and Lemongrass Essential Oil Edible Coating to Improve Quality of Minimally Processed Pomegranate Arils

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) edible coating incorporated with Lemongrass essential (LGEO) oil for extending the shelf life of pomegranate arils. CMC was used at concentrations of 0.25%, 0.50%, and 0.75% and incorporated with LGEO at 400 ppm and 800 ppm. The coated arils were packed in polypropylene trays and store at 4°C and 95% RH. During the storage period of 20 days, observations were recorded for the physico-chemical and sensory quality attributes of stored arils on four days intervals. The results revealed that during the storage period, physiological loss in weight of arils steadily increased; however, the coating resulted in retention in some amount of moisture and thus, lower weight loss occurred in the coated arils. Compared to uncoated arils, all the coating treatments resulted in extending shelf life while maintaining optimum quality. Among all the edible coatings of CMC+LGEO, CMC (0.75%) + LGEO (800 ppm) coated arils of pomegranate showed best results for Physiological loss in weight (PLW), bulk density, arils diameter, Solouble solid content (SSC), Titrable acidity, Total sugars, Ascorbic acid, Total anthocyanin content throughout the storage period. An increasing tendency in PLW was recorded throughout the storage period, with weight loss up to 4.64%; however, the coating had reduced effect of moisture migration from the arils with additional water retention. The SSC of coated arils ranged from 12.84 to 12.95 while uncoated arils had recorded 12.85 of SSC at the end of storage. The coating also resulted in better retention of bioactive components such as ascorbic acid and anthocyanin. CMC+LGEO, CMC (0.25%) + LGEO (400 ppm) and CMC+LGEO, CMC (0.50%) + LGEO (400 ppm) show superiority in terms of organoleptic score for aril aroma, taste, texture, juiciness, and overall acceptance.