To control mango postharvest deterioration, an edible coating based on pectin, glycerol, and oregano essential oil (OEO) was developed using a three‐step process involving optimization, validation, and comparison with a commercial fungicide. An extreme vertices mixture design approach was initially used to optimize the pectin, glycerol, and OEO concentrations in the coating formulation. We evaluated the impact of the coating components on the respiration rate, quality parameters, and anthracnose disease of mangoes. The optimal coating composition was 3.91% (w/v) pectin, 0.57% (w/v) glycerol, and 0.52% (w/v) OEO, with a desirability value of 0.8998. Model validation demonstrated that the measured values for all parameters fit the prediction interval of 95%, and the relative error varied between 0.88% and 12.28%. Validation experiments of the optimal coating compared to untreated mango and mango treated with a commercial fungicide showed that the optimal coating delayed ripening and effectively controlled the incidence of anthracnose for 18 days at 14°C and 85% relative humidity.

Permeability is a crucial parameter to describe the transport rate of a gas under pressure gradient, relevant to gas molecule movement in pores. The gas permeability of edible film, used on fresh or minimally processed fruits and vegetables, is an important parameter because it directly affects the product’s respiration rate and metabolic activity. The present study summarizes the principal methods for gas permeability measurement in edible films, considering methods developed at laboratory scale and the methods of the American Society for Testing and Materials Standards (ASTM), some of which have been adapted for edible films. The methods are classified as follows: gravimetric, differential pressure, and continuous flow. Gas permeability results depend heavily on the procedure achieved and laboratory conditions employed, as well as the preconditioning of the films before the tests.

There is a need for effective postharvest controls capable of inactivating bacterial foodborne pathogens, which can be applied to the organic and conventional apple industries. This study evaluated the efficacy of natural antimicrobials (essential oils or cultured dextrose) when incorporated into carnauba wax and applied to apples. Organic Gala apples were spot inoculated with a five strains/serovars cocktail (∼9 Log CFU/mL) of Listeria monocytogenes, Shiga-toxigenic E. coli O157:H7, or Salmonella. Inoculated apples were coated with organic carnauba wax containing a 1% and 2% (v/v) mixture of essential oils (EOs) in equal proportions (oregano, clove bud, cinnamon bark, and coriander seed) or commercially cultured dextrose at 0.5% (w/v). Apples coated with carnauba wax only and uncoated apples were used as control treatments. Apples were stored at 20 °C and sampled for up to 40 days. Five treatments with three biological replicates and three samples per replicate were used for each treatment (n = 9). A sensory discrimination test was used to identify differences between waxed apples for treatments with the greatest efficacy. Carnauba wax containing 2% EOs was the most effective treatment for inactivating target foodborne pathogens inoculated on apples for 40 days. This treatment showed 4.05, 1.38 and 2.81 Log CFU/apple reduction in L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7, and Salmonella, respectively, compared to uncoated apples. Carnauba wax containing 2% EOs showed significantly (P ≤ 0.001) lower populations of L. monocytogenes and Salmonella compared with 1% EOs, 0.5% cultured dextrose, or wax-only control. In contrast, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) for E. coli O157:H7. Sensory evaluation showed that panelists could detect differences for apples treated with wax containing 2% EOs, but not for 1% EOs compared to wax-only control. This study provides information to the organic and conventional apple industry about the efficacy of antimicrobial waxes to inactivate bacterial foodborne pathogens.

Mangoes are susceptible to bacterial and fungal contamination during storage and transportation. This study investigated the effectiveness of pectin-based coatings containing oregano essential oil (OEO) to reduce Salmonella enterica contamination and decrease anthracnose disease on whole mangoes. A cocktail of five strains of Salmonella spp. and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides strains was spot inoculated in mangoes to verify the antibacterial and antifungal activity of OEO. The inoculated mangoes were coated with pectin-based coatings containing 0, 0.5, 0.7, and 0.9% OEO. Coated fruits were stored for 11 days at 25 °C and 90% of relative humidity. All treatments with OEO effectively inhibited the growth of Salmonella, causing a reduction of 2.5 CFU/cm² compared to the control treatment (0% OEO). In addition, coatings effectively inhibited the growth of C. gloeosporioides on the mango surface after 9 days of storage to the same extent as the traditional Prochloraz fungicide. The efficacy of coatings treatments was between 88.06 and 96.68% compared to the control treatment. Sensory analysis showed that the OEO did not affect the quality attributes of coated mango. Results showed the potential benefits of applying the pectin-based coatings with OEO as an alternative to control S. enterica and C. gloeosporioides in whole mangoes.

This study developed an inoculum culture for semi-controlled coffee fermentation using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast, with coffee production by-products as carbon sources. The viability of the inoculum was optimized by using a mixture design to vary the proportions of coffee pulp (CP) and wastewater (CWW) in 0.25 increments; as a process variable, fermentation time ranged from 36 to 48 h for LAB and 12 to 36 h for yeast. Soluble solids (SS), pH, and titratable acidity (TA) were monitored, and the response variable was the variation in microbial viability. The optimized inoculums were used for coffee fermentation alone and in combination, and fermentation parameters and sensory evaluation were measured. The optimal by-product combination for LAB inoculum was 100% CP, with a 48 h fermentation, reaching a maximum of 7.8 × 10⁷ CFU/mL. The optimal formulation for yeast was 100% CWW for 36 h, achieving a maximum concentration of 8.3 × 10⁸ CFU/mL. Experimental results for both inoculums were fit to a quadratic statistical model with R² of 0.84 and 0.88 and Adj-R² of 0.77 and 0.83 for LAB and yeast, respectively. The optimized inoculums produced high sensory scores, particularly in balance, fragrance, and acidity. Using mixed inoculums, we achieved the highest fragrance/aroma score (8.25) and an improved balance, attributed to higher TA and lower pH, which are linked to enhanced flavor complexity. This demonstrates that by-product-based inoculums can not only increase microbial viability but also improve the sensory quality of coffee, supporting sustainable practices in coffee processing.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar la influencia de tratamientos osmóticos sobre la velocidad de congelación, pérdida de fase líquida (PFL), módulo elástico (ME) y esfuerzo del límite de fluencia (σL) en muestras de papaya (Carica papaya L.) almacenadas en congelación. La deshidratación se realizó con soluciones osmóticas de sacarosa de 45 y 55°Brix durante 30 y 90 min. Las muestras osmo-deshidratadas fueron congeladas a -40°C y almacenadas durante 10, 20, 30 y 60 días. Fruta fresca fue empleada como muestra control (No tratada). Los resultados mostraron que las muestras tratadas presentaron menores pérdidas de fase líquida respecto a las muestras control. El módulo elástico en las muestras tratadas presentó mayores valores en comparación con las muestras control. El esfuerzo del límite de fluencia disminuyó para todos los tratamientos durante el almacenamiento y las muestras tratadas mostraron valores superiores de σL respecto a las muestras no tratadas.