Fresh-cut mango is in high demand in developed countries; however, it deteriorates quickly and represents a suitable medium for microbial growth during storage. Chitosan coatings and other natural materials, such as essential oils, have been used to lessen these issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of chitosan (CH), mint essential oil (MEO) and their combination (CH+MEO) on the microbiological incidence, content of bioactive compounds, and antioxidant capacity of fresh-cut mango stored during 15 d at 5 °C. Microbiological analyses (mesophilics, psychrophilics, molds, and yeasts) were evaluated after 0, 7 and 15 d of storage. Physical (color and firmness) and chemical (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, phenols, β-carotene, and antioxidant capacity) analyses were performed every 3 d. The applied treatments successfully reduced microbial growth with the same intensity, furthermore, none of them caused significantly negative effects on color, firmness, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, and ascorbic acid. However, the highest total phenolics and β-carotene contents were obtained by CH+MEO, while fruit treated with CH and CH+MEO had the highest antioxidant capacity. The application of CH+MEO could be used to reduce its microbial load while increasing bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity of fresh-cut mango.

La nanotecnología está revolucionando la agricultura moderna al ofrecer soluciones innovadoras a desafíos como el crecimiento demográfico, el cambio climático y la necesidad de mejorar la eficiencia en la producción de alimentos. Este artículo explora cómo la manipulación de materiales a escala nanométrica aplicados a la agricultura puede mejorar la productividad, la calidad de los cultivos y gestionar de manera sostenible los recursos naturales. Además, se destacan aplicaciones prometedoras como los nanosensores para la vigilancia de cultivos y el control de plagas, subrayando su potencial para modernizar y sostener el sector agrícola, con numerosos beneficios para la producción de alimentos y la seguridad alimentaria global.

Papaya fruits have a high content of bioactive compounds that provide them high antioxidant capacity; however, these fruits undergo rapid deterioration processes once harvested, which implies a decrease in antioxidant activity. In order to reduce the oxidative stress that causes deterioration in the fruit, it is important to use technologies to increase the antioxidant system of the fruit. In that sense, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of a hydrothermal treatment (HT), calcium chloride (CaCl ₂ ), and their combination (HT‐CaCl ₂ ) on the physicochemical quality and the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant systems of papaya fruits. Harvested papaya was treated with HT (48°C, 25 min), CaCl ₂ (1% w/v), and the combination HT‐CaCl ₂ followed by storage at 12°C for 20 days. Physicochemical quality (weight loss, external color, and firmness), bioactive compounds (ascorbic acid [AA], total phenolics, and carotenoid content), antioxidant capacity (ABTS and DPPH), and the activity of antioxidant system enzymes (peroxidase [POD] and ascorbate peroxidase [APX]) were evaluated. In this regard, HT‐CaCl ₂ was the most effective treatment in controlling weight loss, preserving the external fruit color, and maintaining the firmness. Furthermore, HT‐CaCl ₂ boosted the fruit antioxidant properties by maintaining the amount of ascorbic acid and increasing total phenolics and carotenoids. Thus, fruits treated with HT‐CaCl ₂ showed a higher antioxidant capacity as well as increased activity of the enzymes of the antioxidant system. In general, HT‐CaCl ₂ can be used as an effective treatment to enhance antioxidant properties by maintaining bioactive compounds and increasing antioxidant enzymes, as well as maintaining the physicochemical quality of papaya fruits.