Effect of Aloe vera Gel and Gum Arabic Coating on Shelf Life and Nutrient Content of Green Capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.)

Capsicum, a common name of ( Capsicum annuum L.), is an annual herbaceous plant of the Capsicum genus belonging to the Solanaceae family. India contributes to one fourth of the world production of capsicum with an average annual production of 0.9 million tons. About 1.67 million metric tons of capsicums were produced in India during the period of 2013 - 2014. According to data given by FAO: Food Waste Campaign, fruits and vegetables contribute to about 45 per cent of the food losses, which accounts to almost half of what is produced. Since capsicums are highly perishable and harvested over a restricted period, therefore the need for proper storage facilities arises to regulate marketing and to provide high - quality p roduce throughout the year. Edible coatings are thin layer of edible materials which can be applied directly onto the surface of the food and that can be eaten as part of the whole product without bringing any undesirable change in the foodstuff. Use of ed ible coatings as an alternative post harvest preservation technique for fruits and vegetables has been gaining an increasing inte ; rest. Green capsicums were coated with two different coatings made of gum arabica and Aloe vera gel and were kept at refrigera ted and ambient storage for a period of 25 days and were observed for the post harvest quality characteristics. It was seen that these edible coatings were found to be effective and acceptable in extending the shelf life of capsicums in both refrigerated a s well as ambient conditions. However, the capsicums stored in refrigerator were found to be marketable for a longer period of time. The edible coatings showed remarkable retention of nutrients during storage. The protein, fat, calcium, phoporus, iron and vitamin C content of uncoated samples was significantly (p<0.05) lower than that of coated samples, at both ambient and refrigerated storage conditions.