Long-term quality retention and decay inhibition of chestnut using thymol loaded chitosan nanoparticle

Xiaohong Guo; Lijun Chu; Tingting Gu; Sonia Purohit; Liping Kou; Boce Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131781

Long-term quality retention and decay inhibition of chestnut using thymol loaded chitosan nanoparticle

Food Chem. 2022 Apr 16:374:131781. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131781. Epub 2021 Dec 7.

Authors

Xiaohong Guo¹, Lijun Chu¹, Tingting Gu², Sonia Purohit³, Liping Kou⁴, Boce Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China.
² Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32608, United States.
³ Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA 01854, United States.
⁴ College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China. Electronic address: kouliping@nwsuaf.edu.cn.

PMID: 34896943
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131781

Abstract

Thymol (TMO) was loaded into chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) to inhibit chestnuts decay during storage. Three chestnut treatments were evaluated, including the CK (uncoated control), CSNPs (coated with chitosan nanoparticles), and TMO-CSNPs (coated with thymol-loaded chitosan nanoparticles). Quality assessments of chestnuts were conducted periodically for up to 180 days, which included starch content, amylase activity, water content, respiration rate, weight loss rate, microbiological indicators, decay rate, and quality evaluation. Results indicated that TMO-CSNPs had significantly less nutrient loss in soluble sugar (10.61%) and starch content (27.72%) compared with CK, which was attributed to low metabolic activities as evident in low amylase activity and respiration rate. Moreover, TMO-CSNPs significantly inhibited the growth of mold and yeast (4.17 log CFU g^-1 on day 180) and kept the lowest decay rate (5.33%). This study demonstrates the potential of food nanomaterial as an alternative strategy to promote food security and supply chain resilience.

Keywords: Chestnut quality; Chitosan nanoparticle; Decay inhibition; Long-term storage; Thymol.

MeSH terms

Antioxidants
Chitosan*
Nanoparticles*
Nanostructures*
Thymol

Substances

Antioxidants
Thymol
Chitosan