Desarrollo de un recubrimiento comestible para fresa (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne) en base a almidón de papa china (Colocasia esculenta Schott) de la variedad blanca

Abstract

The aim of this research was to develop an edible coating for strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne) based on taro starch (Colocasia esculenta Schott). For this, physicochemical characterization of the corm, the determination of the proximal composition and functional properties of the starch, and the development of a coating based on taro starch, sorbitol (2 percent), potassium sorbate (0.02 percent) and citric acid (0.5 percent). An experimental design 22 was applied to evaluate the percentage of starch (A0: 1 and A1: 2 percent) and the immersion time (B0: 5 and B1: 10 min) in the physical-chemical quality of the coated strawberry, packed in containers of polyethylene terephthalate, and stored at 4 more 1 Celsius degrees for 16 days. The potato presented an average of 149.4 g weight, 6.8 cm longitudinal diameter and 4.1 cm equatorial, and 8.95 percent starch content. Starch had a granule size between 1.48 and 2.58 micromol, 8.57 percent moisture content, 2.18 percent protein content, 6.15 percent dietary fiber and a gelatinization temperature of 70.5 Celsius degrees. The best coating was the T2 treatment (1 percent starch and 10 min immersion) obtaining a lower weight loss of the strawberry at the end of storage, with a shelf life of approximately 7 days. It was concluded that the application of the coating provides a semi-permeable barrier to water vapor, retarding the strawberry fruit weight loss due to dehydration, and evidencing the potential of taro starch in edible coating manufacturing.