Authors Sharmin, M., Islam, M., & Alim, M.
Papaya (Carica papaya L.) belongs to the family of Caricaceae. Papaya is not a tree but an herbaceous succulent plant that possess self-supporting stems. It is a nutritious table fruit of high digestive value and rich in vitamins and minerals. Papaya fruits are rich in enzymes called papain and chymopapain . Due to poor keeping quality of papaya and difficulties of long-distance transportation and preservation facilities, a large amount of this vegetable wasted and spoiled. Reports claim that about 30-50% of the harvested papaya never reach the consumers mainly because of post-harvest spoilage. Aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis Miller) is a perennial plant of Liliaceae family with turgid green leaves joined at the stem in a rosette pattern. Aloe vera commonly known as Gheegwar/Ghritkumari . Recently, interest has increased in using aloe vera gel-based edible coating material for fruits and vegetables. This gel is tasteless, colorless, and odorless. This natural product is a safe and environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic preservatives such as sulfur dioxide. Aloe vera gel has been proven one of the best edibles and biologically safe preservative coatings for different types of foods because of its film-forming properties, antimicrobial actions, biodegradability, and biochemical properties. It is composed mainly of polysaccharides and acts as a natural barrier to moisture and oxygen, which are the main agents of deterioration of fruits and vegetables. Aloe vera gel coatings have a various favorable effect on fruits such as imparting a glossy appearance and better color, retarding weight loss, or prolonging storage/shelf-life by preventing microbial spoilage. The main purpose of this study was to assess the effect of aloe vera gel coating in extending the shelf-life of papaya including physico-chemical changes under different storage conditions. In this experiment the effects of aloe vera gel coating on storage behavior of papaya at room temperature (29″C-31″C) was studied. Physico-chemical parameters such as color, physical changes, moisture, ash, acidity, vitamin C, protein, fat and total soluble solids (TSS) of papaya and aloe vera was determined at 3 days interval during the storage period. Among the physico-chemical parameters, color, physical changes, total weight loss and TSS contents increased significantly, whereas moisture content, vitamin C and titratable acidity decreased during storage. Control and 0.5% aloe vera treated papaya decayed from 6 days onward and completely decayed within 12 days of storage. On the other hand, 1% and 1.5% aloe vera gel coated papaya maintained their shelf-life for 9 and 12 days, respectively. Some of 1.5% aloe vera coated papaya decayed after 15 days. Papaya treated with 1.5% aloe vera solution, maintained their color & physical changes compared to other treatments up to 12 days of storage. The overall results showed the superiority of 1.5% aloe vera gel coating in extending the shelf-life of papaya up to 15 days compared to that of 0.5%, 1% aloe vera gel coating and control papaya. The present study describes the preparation and potential application of aloe vera gel coatings for enhancing the postharvest life and quality of papaya.
