COMPARISON OF SWEET ORANGE (CITRUS SINENSIS) AND LEMON (CITRUS LIMONUM) ESSENTIAL OILS ON QUALITIES OF FRESH-CUT APPLES DURING STORAGE

Abstract

Fresh-cut apple is one of the most popular minimally processed products with limited shelf-life. The objective of this research was to study the effect of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) and lemon (Citrus limonum) essential oils in pectin-based edible coatings on quality of fresh-cut Jazz apples. Apple pieces were coated with pectin (2 % w/v), whey protein (1 % w/v), and sweet orange essential oil or lemon essential oil (0.10 - 0.15 % w/v). Then, weight loss, color, firmness, microbial growth, and difference in sensory qualities were determined during storage at 4±2 °C. Coating with both sweet orange and lemon essential oils tended to reduce changes of fresh-cut apples in weight loss, color, texture and microbial counts when compared to uncoating or coating with pectin alone. In sensory evaluation, the panelists noticed slight differences between coated and uncoated samples on color and texture while the differences on apple flavor were not detected. Pectin-based edible coating with 0.10 % lemon essential oil provided potential results on preserving fresh-cut apples.