Influence of two different cocoa-based coatings on quality characteristics of fresh-cut fruits during storage

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of two different cocoa-based coatings on some quality characteristics of fresh-cut fruits (grape and apple) during storage. Apples were cut into small pieces before application of cocoa coatings, while for grapes whole berries were used. Fruit samples were immersed in the cocoa dipping to obtain a thin layer of coating and then left to solidify. Coated products were packed in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays under atmospheric conditions and stored for 10 days at 6 °C and analysed at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 days for water activity, moisture, colour, texture, cell viability, microbiological and sensorial quality. Cocoa coatings provided positive effects on sensory properties of analysed fruit samples during storage. In general, coated grapes maintained better quality and microbiological characteristics compared to coated apple samples and uncoated ones showed general better performances mainly in terms of firmness and microbiological spoilage. All coated samples showed a shelf-life similar to uncoated ones, in particular from a microbiological point of view, generally until the 3rd day of storage for apples and the 6th day for grapes. Moreover, coating B showed better performances compared to A in enhancement of the shelf-life of fruits.