Chitosan Nanocellulose Edible Coating Enriched with Essential Oils to Reduce Shrinkage and Extend the Shelf Life of Fresh Red Chilies

The shelf life of fresh red chili is limited by transpiration, respiration, tissue softening, and microbial growth. This study evaluated chitosan–nanocellulose (Chi–NC)-based edible coating enriched with lemongrass essential oil (MA) to suppress losses and extend shelf life in cold storage. A completely randomized design with 4 treatments was used: Control (without coating), Chi–NC, Chi–NC+MA 0.2%, Chi–NC+MA 0.5% (n=3; 10 ± 1 °C; RH 85–90%; 12 days). Parameters: weight loss (WL, %), firmness (N), color (ΔE, a*), TPC (log CFU/g), unmarketable fruit (%), and shelf life estimation (TPC limit 6 log CFU/g and/or ΔE>5). The results showed that 0.5% Chi–NC+MA reduced WL day-10 from 12.0% (control) to 6.1%, maintained firmness (18% vs. 35% reduction), decreased TPC (4.9 vs. 6.2 log CFU/g), and delayed the 6-log TPC limit by ~4 days. The estimated shelf life increased to ±11 days at 10 °C. The Chi–NC+MA formulation is feasible to be adopted to reduce post-harvest losses of chili.