Effect of polysaccharide derived from <i>Osmunda japonica Thunb</i> ‐incorporated carboxymethyl cellulose coatings on preservation of tomatoes

Polysaccharides from Osmunda japonica Thunb (Op) exhibit a wide range of biological activities including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a type of cellulose derivative that can form dense films. CMC can slow the respiratory transpiration of tomatoes and reduce water evaporation. Coatings of CMC (0.7% concentration) with various levels of Op (0.02%, 0.04%, 0.06%, 0.08%, and 0.1%) were used to preserve tomatoes at room temperature. The treatment, weight loss, hardness, titratable acidity (TA), respiratory intensity, and concentrations of ascorbic acid, polyphenol oxidase, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated in tomatoes after 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 days of storage. Compared with untreated tomatoes, the tomatoes with Op-incorporated CMC coatings had reduced respiratory intensity, weight loss and ascorbic acid loss, increased TA, controlled MDA, and inhibited the decay of tomatoes. Therefore, the use of Op-incorporated CMC coatings extended the shelf life and maintained the quality of postharvest tomatoes. Practical applications In the past decades, the use of edible coatings has attracted widespread interest in extending the shelf life of particularly perishable foods. Currently, applications of edible coatings have been proven to be promising as a tool to improve the quality and extend the shelf life of various fruits. But there have been no reports on the effect of Op-incorporated CMC treatment on the postharvest quality of tomatoes during storage. The purpose of this work is to investigate the efficiency of Op-incorporated CMC treatment to extend shelf life and provide theoretical guidance for the preservation of tomatoes.