Effectiveness of sugar palm fruit (Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr.) and chitosan as edible coating on cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme)

Cherry tomatoes are a highly consumed yet highly perishable fruit. One of the postharvest treatments to extend the shelf-life of the fruits is edible coating technology. This study was conducted to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of commercial liquid chitosan and sugar palm fruit as an edible coating in delaying the ripening of cherry tomatoes. Edible coatings were applied to cherry tomatoes using the dipping method. The analyses consisted of weight loss, pH and colour changes during an 18-day storage. The rates of the quality changes were calculated to compare the effectiveness of both edible coatings. The results showed that edible coating from chitosan and sugar palm fruit slurry (sugar palm fruit-water with the ratio of 1:6 added with 1% glycerol (b/v)) could significantly retard weight loss and changes in pH, L*, a*, b* and ΔE* values of cherry tomatoes stored at room temperature. Analysis of variance for the rates of changes of all measured parameters showed no significant difference (p>0.05) between commercial liquid chitosan and sugar palm fruit as an edible coating. These results inferred that both coating materials had similar effectiveness in delaying the ripening process of cherry tomatoes stored at room temperature.