Comparación de 4 tipos de recubrimientos a base de biopolímeros para mantener la calidad postcosecha del babaco (Carica pentagona).

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare 4 types of biopolymer-based coatings to maintain the postharvest quality of babaco fruit (Carica pentagona), which was carried out at the Livestock Sciences Collegue of the Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo. A completely randomized design was used to analyze the effect of cassava starches, The results were subjected to an analysis of variance and then to the Tukey test (P<0.05). Descriptive statistics were also used for the microbiological results and a non-parametric kruskal Wallis test for the sensory analysis. According to the results, the best treatment was observed in babacos with rice starch coating. It shows the lowest weight loss of 7.10%, a higher firmness of 5.74 (kg/cm squared), a lower maturity index, content of 0.041 g of malic acid, 5 degrees brix, a pH of 4.31, as for the microbiological analysis these presented values of molds and yeasts of 3, 97E+02 UP/cm cubic and in mesophilic aerobes of 5.03E+02 UFC/cm cubic maintaining innocuousness, while in the sensory analysis, its attributes (color, odor, flavor, and texture) had a valuation of Good with an acceptance of 88%, and its shelf life was 28 days. In addition, it presented the lowest production cost and high profitability. It is concluded that the use of rice starch in coatings maintains a good post-harvest quality of babaco fruit. The use of rice starch coatings is recommended, since it mitigates fruit ripening up to 28 days.