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Antioxidants are primarily responsible for the beneficial health effects of foxtail millet. This study evaluated a foxtail-millet-based composite antioxidant nutritive flour consisting of fermented foxtail millet, coarse grains, and fruit powders. The composition of the antioxidant nutritive flour was optimized, and it was found to be rich in antioxidant nutrients, such as phenolics (2.27 g/100 g), vitamin C (0.21 g/100 g), and polysaccharides (0.35 g/100 g). The results revealed that this composite nutritive flour has enhanced in vitro and in vivo physicochemical properties and higher antioxidant activities than commercial nutritive flour. The total antioxidant capability, superoxide dismutase (SOD) capability, and superoxide radical scavenging abilities were 0.84 mM Trolox equivalents/g, 38.29 U/g, and 42.02%, respectively. The activity of the antioxidant enzyme SOD and glutathione peroxidase increased, whereas malondialdehyde levels decreased in the liver, heart, and kidney of mice treated with the nutritive flour, indicating the potential antioxidant activity of this fermented foxtail-millet-based nutritive flour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study evaluates the effectiveness of thermosonication treatment on the physicochemical and anti‐nutritional properties of blood fruit beverage. The study has revealed that physicochemical properties such as pH, titratable acidity, color difference, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid content, total polyphenols, total anthocyanins, total flavonoids, and DPPH retained as the fresh juice. Similarly, anti‐nutritional components such as phytate, saponin, alkaloids, tannin, and oxalates were lowered significantly by the TST (Thermosonication treatment) TST‐1 (40°C/30 min), TST‐2 (42°C/27 min), TST‐3 (44°C/24 min), TST‐4 (46°C/21 min), TST‐5 (48°C/18 min), TST‐6 (50°C/15 min), and TST‐7 (52°C/12 min). Thermosonicated beverages had an extended shelf life of 4 weeks at 4°C with desirable physicochemical quality, and the storage study has exhibited minimal quality changes. The results obtained from this study may help the fruit beverage industries design similar processing of blood fruit beverages on a large‐scale production. Practical applications: Commercialization of blood fruit juice by value addition and lowering of its anti‐nutritional components may result in its availability all over the world along with its nutritious intake and healthy living among people. Thermosonically treated blood fruit juice with the unique parameter combination have resulted in better retention of phytonutrients as well as reduction in its anti‐nutritional factors, thereby offering excellent product quality as compared to the conventionally pasteurized beverages. This might increase the potential for commercialization of blood fruit and also result in the development of a trusted area for startup of this beverage industries, such as iron‐rich fruit beverage (58.16 mg/100) which will again promote better nutritional status, malnutrition free, and better livelihood in the local areas with ample blood fruit availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the vacuum drying of the Kadam fruit was performed, and the functional properties of the Kadam fruit powder were estimated. The drying conditions were optimized using the Response Surface Methodology for minimum color change and maximum vitamin C retention. The functional properties of the Kadam fruit powder dried at the optimized conditions (bed thickness 3.67 mm, drying temperature 65°C, drying pressure 160 mmHg, and blanching temperature 100°C) were observed as; tapping density 4.23 ml/g, oil retention capacity 5.7 ml/g, water retention capacity 16 ml/g, water‐solubility 0.5%, emulsion activity 0.5%, and emulsion stability 0.85%. The optimum dried fruit powder had vitamin C content (508 mg/100 g), color change (6.32), and effective moisture diffusivity (2.16 × 10−7 m2/min). This study showed that the vacuum drying of the Kadam pulp minimized the thermal degradation of the color and vitamin C. Practical applications: Kadam fruit is a good source of minerals and bioactive compounds but is highly under‐utilized due to its taste and lack of awareness in the population. Preparation of fruit powder can add value to under‐utilized Kadam fruit. Kadam fruit powder can be used in many food products as functional ingredients. Also, incorporating Kadam powder in food formulations can increase calcium content and dietary fiber. The vacuum drying method helped minimize the thermal degradation of the color and Vitamin C of the Kadam fruit powder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of exogenous icariin (0.005% and 0.01%) on mango cultivar 'Zill' fruit during 25°C storage was investigated in this study. The results showed 0.005% icariin treatment could delay the decline of fruit firmness and yellowing process of flesh tissues, inhibit the conversion of soluble sugar, synthesis of carotenoids and degradation of vitamin C, and reduce the disease spots, and to maintain the appearance and nutrient quality. Moreover, the treatment could improve the disease resistance of fruit by inhibiting catalase (CAT) activity in the early stage of storage, but promoting peroxidase (POD) activity in the later stage. Furthermore, icariin treatment reduced the activities of polygalacturonase (PG) and pectate lyase (PL), thus attenuated the degradation of cell wall and decelerated the softening process. The above results indicate 0.005% icariin treatment could extend the shelf life of postharvest mango and present application value for fruits preservation. Practical applications: Mango is a highly perishable fruit and undergoes a rapid ripening process after harvest. Icariin is the main active ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine Herba epimedin 'Yinyanghuo'. The efficacy of icariin in mammals has been widely studied, while its' preservation functions in food were rarely reported. Our results suggested that icariin treatment could delay the ripening and senescence, and enhance disease resistance of postharvest mango, which is expected to be a promising approach for fruit preservation in further industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop and examine the potential effect of Amla essential oil‐based nano‐coatings at different concentrations 0.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% (v/v) on Amla fruits stored in the room conditions (29 ± 2°C and 45%RH) for 15 days. Nanoemulsions were formulated by ultrasonication with Amla essential oil along with modified corn starch (2% w/v) and Tween 80 (5% v/v). All the shelf‐life parameters were analyzed at an interval of 3 days. Results have shown that nano‐coatings have a positive and significant effect on delaying browning and total yeast and mold count. Fruits having nano‐coatings effectively retained their antioxidant activity along with bioactive components in comparison with the uncoated fruits. Particle size, Zeta potential, and polydispersity index of the best‐performed nano‐coating having 10% (v/v) of Amla essential oil were also evaluated. Thus, our findings suggest that Amla essential oil‐based nano‐coatings had a promising effect on enhancing the shelf life of Amla fruits. Novelty impact statement: The fruits coated with nanoemulsions maintained good fruit quality with a lower decay percentage, the least degradation of ascorbic acid and chlorophyll, and high retention of antioxidant activity and bioactive compounds. The application of Amla essential oil‐based nano‐coatings had a promising effect on fungal decay, weight loss, firmness, browning index, and other color attributes of fruits. Amla essential oil‐based nano‐coatings had a promising effect on enhancing the shelf life of Amla fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Darkening resulting from ascorbic acid (AA) degradation during storage of diced peaches packed in flexible retortable pouches was identified as an area of concern in meal ready‐to‐eat individual military rations. First, we tested the replacement of AA by L‐ascorbyl‐2‐phosphate (A2P) and the potential antibrowning effect of Pycnogenol, a blend of plant‐derived flavonoids, in peach systems packed in retortable pouches. Neither A2P nor Pycnogenol significantly improved color or AA stability. Although significant statistical differences were observed in color variation, they were not so apparent visually. Next, we investigated the effects of fruit sources, calcium chloride, and α‐glucosyl rutin (α‐GR) on browning reactions. After storage at 40°C for 270 days, pouches that were made of individually quick frozen (IQF) peaches and syrup with α‐GR had a lower rate of browning and loss of AA than other treatments. Thus, α‐GR is suggested to prevent color deterioration and improve shelf life of diced peaches. Novelty impact statement: Color deterioration can limit shelf life of processed fruits. This study shows that α‐glucosyl rutin successfully reduced color deterioration and loss of ascorbic acid in diced peaches in syrup packed in flexible retortable pouches. Therefore, the application of this water‐soluble flavonoid is suggested to improve quality and shelf life of processed peach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jujube fruit, well‐known for its nutraceutical potential such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, organic acids, and phenolic compounds, is being explore as a functional ingredient in a wide array of health foods and drinks. It should be noted that there were no reported data about characteristics of the functional beverage of jujube. Therefore, in this study, it was prepared using jujube concentrate (40, 50, 60 ml), water (60, 50, 40 ml), citric acid (0.0, 0.08, 0.06, 0.1% wt/vol), and sugar (0, 7, 8, 9% wt/vol) in different ratios. Then, different factors including physicochemical parameters, bioactive compounds, sensory acceptability, instrumental color, and microbial quality, of jujube beverages were periodically analyzed during 4 months. The results indicated that the storage at 4°C caused a slight increase in total phenolic and total flavonoid contents for up to 30 days, but a significant (p <.05) decrease was observed in both parameters after a 120‐day storage. In addition, the content of vitamin C decreased (by 22.60%–43.81%) significantly (p <.05) at 4°C as the storage progressed. The formulated beverage containing three parts of jujube concentrate, two parts of water, and 0.1% citric acid exhibited superior sensory and microbial quality characteristics compared to the other samples. Practical applications: Due to nutritional and technological effects of the bioactive compounds, in the present research, we produced a value‐added functional beverage using jujube concentrate, sugar, and citric acid in different concentrations resulting in a "ready‐to‐drink" product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of salicylic acid (SA), Aloe vera gel (AV), and SA + AV on quality parameters of strawberry over 15 days. Weight loss, decay, and firmness increased, while ascorbic acid (AAC), total anthocyanin (TAC), total phenolic (TPC) contents, total antioxidant activity (TAA), and sensory attributes decreased significantly during the storage time in all samples. All treatments suppressed water loss, decay, and firmness and maintained higher AAC, TAA, and TPC compared to the control. AAC loss followed a first‐order kinetic model, but TPC and TAC loss followed a zero‐order kinetic until day 5 or 10 and a first‐order reaction until the end of storage. Most of the recorded quality attributes were better preserved in the SA + AV samples, followed by the AV and then the SA treatments. The data of this study confirmed that the postharvest application of 1 mM SA + AV can improve the quality attributes of strawberry during storage. Practical applications: As strawberry is mainly lost during the postharvest period, it is important to take proper strategies to overcome this problem. The results of the present study showed that the coating of the strawberry fruit with AV + SA (especially at 1 mM) retained fruit firmness, AAC, TPC, sensory attributes, and TAA and delayed strawberry decay as well. Besides, the function of AV in keeping the quality parameters of the strawberry fruit was better than that of SA. When SA is to be used as a postharvest treatment, 2 mM SA might give better results in the retention of AAC, TAC, and TPC, and 1 mM SA might give fruits with more firmness and less decay. The results of this study showed that strawberry is a good source of AAC (276.35 mg/100 g) and TPC (1,146.69 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g) that declined to 186 and 480 mg/100 g, respectively, in the control sample after 15 days of storage, which were still high values. Meanwhile, in the samples treated with 1 mM SA + AV, AAC and TPC were 240 and 758.54 mg/100 g after 15 days of storage, respectively. In conclusion, the use of SA and AV, either alone or particularly in combination, may enhance the health aspects of strawberry through retaining AAC and TPC and therefore, increasing TAA of strawberry and also, maintaining a lower rate of weight and firmness loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bartlett pears harvested at commercial maturity (10.64 kg/cm2 flesh firmness and 3.15 starch iodine rating) were fumigated with 1‐methylcyclopropene (3.3%VP SmartFreshTM) in a concentration range of 100–1,000 nl/L inside airtight chambers. The fruit were stored under cold storage conditions (2 ± 1°C with 95 ± 2%) followed by ambient holdings after monthly intervals. Treated fruit had significantly (p <.05) highest flesh firmness, total soluble solid, ascorbic acid, phenols, sensory scores with lowest PLW, spoilage, calcium content, and respiration rate. Further, fruit treated with 1,000 nl/L 1‐MCP retained edible quality during the successive ambient holding period of 15, 9, 6, and 3 days after 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of cold storage. The untreated control fruit after 30 and 60 days of cold storage could be stored only up to 9 and 3 days under ambient holding conditions and lost their sensory acceptability after 90 days of cold storage. Practical Applications: Response of pear fruit to 1‐MCP treatments is highly variable based on storage atmosphere, mode of application, and concentration of the active ingredient. In our findings, we reported that fumigating freshly harvested pears with 800, 900, and 1,000 nl/L 1‐MCP for 24 hr in airtight chambers retained highest fruit quality. Further, fumigation facilities can be established near production areas and fruit can be treated with 800 nl/L 1‐MCP with a shelf life of 15, 9, 6, and 3 d after 30, 60, 90, and 120 days of cold storage. Threshold acceptability values for the most important quality parameters, namely, TSS, firmness, and PLW were standardized which can be used in the future to predict the shelf‐life period of the fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pullulan, a bio‐polysaccharide, is being currently known as an edible coating shelf‐life extension of fruits and vegetables. In this examination, edible coating method was optimized using the RSM technique and pullulan‐based active edible coating formulations with Calcium chloride (1% w/v) and lemon juice (2% v/v) were coated on the Rastali and Chakkarakeli bananas and put away at 25 ± 1°C, 70% RH, for 20 days. Results have demonstrated that optimized coating emulsion at 60°C, dipping time for 10 min, and 10% w/v pullulan concentration was best for minimum (5.466%) weight loss. Further, physico‐chemical properties for all coating solutions were compared with control (p <.05). This new edible coating formulation had shown low (64.92) color saturation, less (212.17) browning Index, 15% decreased peel‐pulp ratio, 19% reduced vitamin C content, 55% increased fruit firmness, and 12%–13% high total and residual sugar contents. Practical applications: Tropical fruits like nonclimacteric banana (Musa acuminate and Musa balbisiana) get easily deteriorated during longer distance commercial transport and storage in their postharvest periods. Improved postharvest practices results in reduction in losses, improve overall quality, extends shelf life, perishability, and higher profits for growers and marketers. Research highlighted in this article enables the researchers to identify the formulations made from pullulan‐based (fungal exopolysaccharide and potential food ingredient, Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) by USFDA) coatings for the evaluation of physicochemical, mechanical, and sensorial properties of coatings on bananas. Further, it investigated the evaluation of physical and biochemical parameters in understanding the process of shelf‐life extension. Edible films applied on fresh produce would be more helpful for the agriculturists to understand the preprocessing of fresh produce before distributing to the open markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was planned to formulate edible wax coating by utilizing date pit oil. Date pit oil was extracted from three date varieties (Aseel, Hallawi, and Dhakki) through solvent extraction method. One variety was selected on the basis of physicochemical analysis of date pit oil. The different treatments (T1, T2, T3, and T4) of wax coating were formulated by replacing water in standard wax formulation with date pit oil as 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%, respectively. The storage studies were carried out for 16 days; different fruit parameters like pH, weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity, fruit firmness, and vitamin C content were studied. Results indicated significant improvement in the shelf life of coated guava fruits as compared to uncoated guava fruits.T4 showed highest keeping quality as compared to T3, T2, and T1. Practical applications: This research work is novel in the field of edible coating by using date pit oil as natural barrier against environmental factors affecting the shelf life of guava fruit. There is immense potential in this new commodity to explore more applications of promising importance. Moreover, this study can be replicated for other fruits and vegetables to curtail postharvest losses and supplementing economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]