Effect of rice starch based edible coating loaded with onion peel extract on post-harvest and sensory quality of green bell peppers.

The scope of this study was to enhance the shelf life of green bell peppers via application of rice starch based edible coating incorporated with onion peel extract (OPE). The physicochemical properties of uncoated (control) and coated bell peppers were evaluated at different intervals during storage at refrigeration temperature (4 ± 0.5°C) for 15 days. The results indicated that rice starch based edible coating considerably decreased the physiological weight loss while maintaining titratable acidity, total soluble solids, and pH of stored bell peppers. The coated bell peppers also had higher total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity when compared with control. The texture analysis after 15 days revealed that the coated samples were firmer (4.77 N) than the control (2.95 N). Also, the treated bell peppers received better sensory scores in terms of freshness, color, taste, and hardness leading to higher overall acceptability (5.2) in comparison to control sample (1.0). Consequently, the findings of this study suggested that preservation of green bell peppers with OPE enriched rice starchbased coating could delay the senescence process leading to their reduced postharvest loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]