Study of palm oil, palm wax and chitosan coating effects on shelf-life of Syzygium samarangense

Abstract

The aim of this study is to improve the shelf life of Syzygium samarangense, a type of wax apple stored at room temperature (28 ° C) through palm wax, palm oil and chitosan coating. In this study, the fruits was coated and analyzed to determine the effects of coating on weight loss, storage day, Total Soluble Solid (TSS) and chroma a value (redness). The weight loss was determined by using analytical weight. Palm wax is a good moisture barrier for wax apple. Storage day was evaluated based on overall visual appearance and market acceptability. Palm wax and palm oil coatings shows extended storage life of Syzygium samarangense. The same goes with the TSS percentage determination. Palm wax and palm oil coatings lowered the rate of sugar loss in wax apple. The redness of the wax apple can be increase by palm oil coating. Since the palm wax is sticky and hard to handle, palm oil coating is more preferable as the source of coating material to improve the shelf life of Syzygium samarangense.