Evaluation of Chitosan-Encapsulated Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Essential Oil Nanoemulsion for Fruit Edible Coating

Agricultural and fishery products generally have a limited shelf life since these products are at high risk of experiencing changes in sensory properties in a fairly short time due to oxidation, enzymatic reactions, and microbial activity. Therefore, a food preservation system is needed to maintain its quality for longer. One preservation method for post-harvest products such as fruits and vegetables is edible coating. Edible coatings can be developed using biodegradable polymers derived from polysaccharides, proteins, fats, and their derivatives. Chitosan is a type of biopolymer that is commonly derived from the exoskeletons of marine animals such as shrimp and it possesses good antimicrobial properties. In addition, the development of food packaging technology. This study aims to develop and evaluate edible coatings that contain nano-chitosan and lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsions as antioxidant and antimicrobial agents for fruit packaging. The synthesized lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion size was less than 100 nm and had good stability with a below 10% size change during 56 days of storage. Lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion had a high antioxidant activity, as indicated by the low IC₅₀ value in the DPPH reagent test. The combination of lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion and chitosan as an edible coating had high antimicrobial activity, as indicated by the large inhibition zone in Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli bacteria. Edible coating implementation on unpeeled banana fruit was evaluated through various tests such as pH, hardness, weight loss, and color changes. These tests showed some improvement in fruit preservation using nanoemulsion-based edible coatings treatment. The bananas were observed for 11 days and showed that the edible coating made from the combination of chitosan and lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion can delay the ripening process of fruits, maintain firmness, and reduce weight loss. The best results for unpeeled banana preservation were obtained from edible coating with variations of lemongrass essential oil nanoemulsion and chitosan with a ratio of 2:1.