Abstract

A new edible coating was developed based on pectin and honey at various ratios with or without blanching pretreatment, which was done by an emerging thermal technology, i.e., electrical-based volumetric heating. The results showed that the water activity and the total bacterial count were the lowest in samples coated by a combination of pectin + honey as compared with the control group, indicating the former's effectiveness in improving the storage of dried fruit. The antioxidant properties of the dried pineapple samples were increased after coating. As for furaneol, results indicated similar quantitative data between all coated samples and the control. Furthermore, it was found that blanching could maintain the color of the fresh product and improve the antioxidative activity but reduce its yellowness when exposed to drying. In conclusion, our new edible coating approach could keep the flavor, color, texture, and also increase the antioxidant and anti-bacteria activities. Furthermore, this study is the first research combining edible coating with ohmic blanching on fruit processing.

Keywords：antimicrobials; edible active coating; quality; shelf-life; strawberry.