Aloe vera gel coating as a postharvest application to reduce spintern browning and to extend the shelf of rambutan fruits

Abstract: Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.) is an attractive tropical fruit due to its hairy appearance, red and yellow pericarp shades, and green-tipped hair-like spinterns. The fruits are highly perishable, non-climacteric and the browning of spintern and pericarp reduce their marketability and limit shelf life The present study evaluated the efficacy of aloe gel coating in reducing the spintern browning of rambutan fruits for extended shelf life. The study used medium-sized rambutan fruits, harvested at commercial maturity (red pericarp). After cleaning and sanitising (ozonation two ppm), fruits were dipped in aloe gel (10, 25, 50%) for five minutes and stored in CFB boxes at room temperature. Physiological loss in weight increased during the storage and 50% aloe gel lost the least weight (18.19%) and retained the total soluble solids (17.98 Brix), acidity (0.40%), moisture content (79.05%), total sugar (20.75%), reducing sugar (3.14%), ascorbic acid (22.69 mg 100g^-1), total phenols (3.48 mg 100g^-1), and antioxidant activity (68.85%). The aloe gel (50%) coated rambutan fruits packaged in ventilated polypropylene and stored under refrigerated conditions (12±10 C) had the lowest physiological loss in weight of 9.33%, the highest total soluble solids (16.96 Brix), acidity (0.30%), moisture content (80.08%), total sugar (17.67%), reducing sugar (2.84%), and ascorbic acid (19.42 mg 100 g-1) content, the lowest browning score, and the highest organoleptic qualities and shelf life.