Study on the efficacy of edible coatings on quality of blueberry fruits during shelf-life

- Coating induced a decrease of lightness and an increase of blue colour in berries.
- Firmness of blueberries was improved by application of coating.
- Alginate/pectin coating reduced the growth of yeasts and mesophilic aerobic bacteria.

Edible films or coatings could be used as an alternative way of conservation, because of their ability to reduce respiration and transpiration rate, maintain firmness and generally delay fruit senescence. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of different types of coating: sodium alginate (Al), pectin (Pe) and sodium alginate plus pectin (Al + Pe), on some blueberries quality characteristics, cell viability and microbial growth during 14 days of storage at 4 °C.Blueberry samples differently coated did not show significant differences in weight loss, pH, soluble solid and dry matter content. However, the application of Al, Pe and Al + Pe improved the firmness of blueberry samples as compared to the uncoated one. Changes in the surface reflection properties in the coated blueberries induced a general lower lightness and a more intense blue hue colour than the control sample. The microbiological results indicated that the coating of blueberry, in particular with Al or Pe, significantly reduced the growth kinetics of yeasts and mesophilic aerobic bacteria.