Research Article Volume 2 Issue 1 - January 2016 DOI: 10.19080/NFSIJ.2017.02.555578 Nutri Food Sci Int J Copyright © All rights are reserved by Eric Batista Ferreira Acceptability and Cold Storage of Fresh-Cut Eggplant (Solanum Melongena L.) using Edible Coatings and Antioxidants Camila Sanches Manca 1 , Queisielle Magalhães Carvalho 1 , Mayara Carolina Orsini 1 , Eric Batista Ferreira 2 , Eduardo Valério de Barros Vilas Boas 3 and Flávia Della Lucia 1 * 1 Nutrition Faculty, Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil 2 Institute of Exact Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil 3 Department of Food Science, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil Submission: December 19, 2016; Published: January 17, 2017 *Corresponding author: Flávia Della Lucia, Nutrition Faculty, Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil, E mail: flavia@unifal-mg.edu.br Introduction Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) or aubergine, in especially is a climacteric fruit that belongs to the Solanaceae family and it is originally from India and China. They are an important food both from the economic and nutritional points of view, and are cultivated and consumed worldwide. They are a rich source of pro vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid and polyphenols. Due to these aspects, the eggplant exhibits a high antioxidant potential and consequently help to prevent chronic and degenerative illnesses as shown in clinical studies, and their increased consumption in recent years [1,7]. Eggplant is highly perishable due to the exposure of their internal cellular tissues caused by peeling and cutting that promote the increase of metabolism, respiratory rate, ethylene production, water loss, softening and microbial contamination, so promoting chemical reactions that cause modifications, consequently, they reduce its lifetime [3,4]. These aspects have demanded studies in order to extend the storage life and to assure the quality of this product [5,6]. Due to these factors, the market for minimally processed fruits and vegetables has significantly increased in recent years and their appeal derives from their convenience and the decrease of generated waste, therefore the use of alternative techniques aimed at preventing the waste of these fruits is necessary [7]. Several preservation technologies have been applied and among them there is the usage of edible coatings on vegetables, which aims to a functional performance, to preserve the texture and nutritional value, to reduce the respiratory rate and the ethylene production and moreover to limit the loss or the excessive gain of water and to preserve the freshness. These ingredients can be polysaccharides, proteins and lipids [3,8]. Edible coatings in association with acids has been used in some fresh-cut technology and shown to be effective. Citric acid is an acidulant commonly used in the food industry and the ascorbic acid, one of the main antioxidants used in vegetable products, has an important role in the enzymatic browning prevention due to its efficiency in containing the product metabolic reactions [9]. Actually, edible coatings have gained an enormous importance and they represent an alternative to reduce the harmful effects provoked by the fresh-cut process. The consumer, while assessing the product initially, verifies it by its visual aspect. Thus, the enzymatic browning that occurs in the fresh-cut fruits can jeopardize their acceptability. Browning is the most common and important symptom of chilling injury Nutrition & Food Science International Journal ISSN 2474-767X Summary Due to the global increasing demand for minimally processed market, the uses of alternative techniques aimed at reducing the browning and maintain nutritional quality is necessary. Therefore, we studied a method that meets the demand of consumers and results in better conservation of fresh-cut eggplants. The aim was to evaluate the acceptability and the cold storage of fresh-cut eggplants when edible gelatin and cassava starch coatings in association with antioxidants were used. The application of these edible coatings and antioxidants was efficient and it delayed withering and browning signals until 12day of cold storage maintaining its acceptability. Keywords: Cassava starch; Gelatin; Antioxidants; Acceptability; Quality Nutri Food Sci Int J 2(1): NFSIJ.MS.ID.555578 (2017) 001