Pectin Edible Film Obtained from Orange Peel: Characterization and Application to Improve the Quality of Minimally Processed Apples

Brazil is the leading orange juice producer worldwide. Only about 50% of an orange is juice, so enormous amount of waste is generated annually. In this context, studies involving alternatives for the remaining 50% isn't wasted or sent to landfill are an issue of responsibility. In the present work pectin is extracted for obtaining a film-forming solution. The extracted pectin is classified as high ester pectin, since its degree of esterification is higher than 50%. The film-forming solution gives rise to transparent films with low yellowing index. The addition of CaCl₂ produces crosslinked film with 35% and 50% of percentage increase in the contact angle and tensile strength, respectively. The authors propose to use of film-forming solution without and with CaCl₂ as edible packaging materials. In this work, they are applied as edible coating, directly onto the peeled apple slices, or as edible wrapping film. Both strategies aim to delay the browning of apples, evaluated by the browning index. This result is important for the marketing of fresh-cut fruits, since the acceptance by consumers is strongly influenced by visual aspects.