Argentina is the world's leading exporter of pears and a significant player in the apple business. One of this sector's most important problem, which focuses largely on the Upper Black River Valley, is the loss of fruit quality in post-harvest.
"The main cause of loss in this stage is the superficial scald presented as a fuzzy brown discoloration on the fruit's skin, as the product stops complying with the quality required to market it in international markets," said the experts of the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI).
Thus, these researchers developed a coating for the fruits based on a natural substance - soy protein, which allows producers to replace the commercial formulations containing diphenylamine (DPA) and ethoxyquin (ET), as the European Union (EU) has severely restricted their use as food additives.
Natural polymers, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids, protect food from microbiological damages and changes in their sensory attributes and are used as edible coatings to preserve the food's nutritional quality. They also can be formulated with active ingredients, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal additives that extend the food's shelf life.
Argentina produces 1.8 million tons of apples and pears, in almost equal proportions. Most of the pear production is exported and 22% of the apple production is exported.
Argentina is the biggest exporter of pears, with 460,000 tons. It is followed by China 430,000 tons and the European Union with 260,000 tons. Russia is the largest importer, followed by the European Union.
As world leaders in the production of these fruits, the INTI deemed it was necessary to develop a natural coating, which was performed by incorporating ascorbic acid (AA) as an antioxidant additive.
The results showed that the incorporation of AA can be a viable replacement/ alternative to the additives that are currently used and whose maximum allowed limits have been seriously diminished by the EU.
Source: clarin.com