Eco-Friendly Food Preserviour

Abstract

Chitosan (CS), an antibacterial biopolymer with the ability to form films, has been used topically to preserve foods like fruits, vegetables, and even seafood. We must look for more materials with these qualities if we are to have a variety of options for preservation. Sapindus mukorossi, often known as soap nut (SN), is a plant with similar characteristics. The main substance in soap nuts, known as saponin, is what gives them their antibacterial and film-forming properties. There are numerous reports that suggest saponin can be utilised for culinary purposes up to a point.2This study assessed the synergistic preservation effect of soap nut and chitosan aqueous solutions on fruits and vegetables. The antibacterial effects of CS, SN, and [CS+SN] are initially seen. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the first microorganisms against which the antibacterial effects of CS, SN, and [CS+SN] in film form were investigated. As anticipated, the film CS+SN demonstrated greater antibacterial action, with zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli of 25 mm and 23 mm, respectively. Spraying different regional fruits like lemons, bananas, tomatoes, and oranges with a known concentration of CS+SN allowed researchers to assess the substance\'s potential as a preservative. The control was water. Different concentrations of [CS+SN] -250ppm and 125ppm, together with CS-500ppm, SN-500ppm, and water, were compared. In comparison to control fruits, fruits sprayed with [CS+SN]-250ppm solution displayed a considerable delay in the change in weight loss, decay percentage, and pH. Additionally, it kept its visual quality better than CS, SN, and control samples.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Natural way of preserving food is the need of present situation as number of untreatable diseases is growing day by day.  The ill effects   of   utilizing   chemicals, synthetic polymers and radiations to preserve food are threatening     our     livelihood.     We     need alternative natural ways of preserving food for a sustainable living.  Traditionally salt, turmeric, tamarind, oil, and   lemon   were added to food in order to preserve them in the form of pickles. For preservation of fruits and vegetables which   are   easily   perishable   commodities topical application of preservative will  be preferred.  A  preservative  should  be  selected in  such  a  way  that  it  should  preserve  the colour, texture, flavour and nutrients present in the fruit or vegetable. At the same time it should be harmless even if it is present in it.  Biopolymers  are  being  explored  to  find  out their  potential  as  natural  preservative.  As they  can  form  film,  that  will  act  as  a  shield and protect the food from microbes. Chitosan  (CS),  the 3-8edible  polysaccharide, derived  from  marine  waste  is  being  studied for    this    purpose.    It    has 9antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It can be dissolved in vinegar, which is nothing but naturally     derived     acetic     acid.     Dilute solutions   of   chitosan   with   concentrations ranging  from  500-1000  ppm  to  1-2%  are utilized.  These  solutions  can  be  sprayed  on the fruit or it can be dipped into the solution, to give a coating of chitosan. The  demerits  of  chitosan  is  that  if  high concentrations  were  used  the  film  restricts the   respiration   of   the   fruit.   In   order   to enhance its property and also to utilise a new material  for  preservation,                           soapnut (SN),     with     botanical     name     Sapindus mukorossi  is  used.  Many  research  works have been published on the 10-14antimicrobial   and   anticancer   activity   of Sapindus  mukorossi. But  not  even  a  single report    has    been    published    about    the preservative  effect  of  soapnut.  Traditionally this  natural  surfactant  has  been  used  for bathing  and  washing  purposes  as  it  exhibits amphiphilic nature. 15The hydrogel nature of chitosan   and   soapnut   will   be   an   added feature  to  enhance  their  activity  as  topical preservatives. In the present study for the first time soapnut (SN) solution was studied for its preservative effect along with chitosan (CS) solution.    They    were    used    as    topical preservative agents. The hydrogel 16-17nature of CS, SN, [CS+SN] was evaluated based on the  values  obtained  for the %  equilibrium water  content  of  the  materials  in  the  film form.  The  antimicrobial  effects  of  CS,  SN, [CS+SN]  films  were  also  evaluated  against Staphylococcus    aureus and Escherichia Coli. The  potential  of  [CS+SN]  as  topical preservative  in  different  concentrations  viz. 250  ppm  and  500  ppm  was  compared  with CS (500 ppm), SN (500 ppm) and water. For this  purpose  different regional  fruits  like lemon,   tomato,   orange   and   banana   were sprayed with the above mentioned solutions. Properties like change of weight loss, decay percentage    fruit    gloss    and pHwere evaluated at regular time intervals.

II. MATERIALS AND METHOD

Lemon, orange, banana, tomato, and sapindus mukorossi (soap nut) were bought at grocery stores in Chennai, India. Chitosan (MMW) was obtained from Aldrich (CAS 44-8869) and utilised as received with a deacetylation percentage of 75–85% and a Brookfield viscosity of 20 cps. Purchased from Merck (India), acetic acid (glacial, 99–100%) and sodium bicarbonate were used without further purification. Throughout the investigation, all solutions were prepared using double-distilled water.2% w/v of chitosan was dissolved in 0.5M of aqueous acetic acid, and the mixture was stirred at 65°C for 16 hours to create a homogenous stock solution. Using double distilled water, diluted solutions with concentrations of 125, 250, and 500 ppm were created from the stock. The pericarp of Sapindus Mukorossi was dried out in the sun to make the soapnut solution (SN). It was processed via a laboratory mill to create a fine powder with a 40 mesh size.    Overnight stirring was used to create an aqueous solution of the Sapindus Mukorossi at 20% w/v.  To remove all unextractable material, the extract was filtered through a plastic tea strainer.The gravimetric method was used to assess the extract's water soluble matter content percentage.   The pH of the SME solution remained constant (7.2) both before and after extraction, and it was discovered to contain 8% solid. Following the preparation of a 1% w/v stock solution, additional dilutions of 125, 250, and 500 ppm concentrations were made.

III. PREPARATION OF [CS+SN] SOLUTION

The [CS+SN]  solution were  prepared  by simply     mixing     chitosan     and     soapnut solutions. It the  data  on  the preparation   of different   concentrations   of [CS+SN]solutions    using    CS    and    SN solutions. Chitosan + Soapnut Chitosan (CS) Soapnut (SN)[CS+SN]125 125 ppm125 ppm[CS+SN]250 250 ppm250 ppm. Preparation of [CS+SN] Preparation   ofCS,   SN   and   [CS+SN] films:15ml  of 1%  w/v  of  CS,  SN  and  [CS+SN] solutions were  stirred  separately  in  three different  beakers  along  with  0.1  ml  of  25% glutaraldehyde,   adjusted to   pH   7   with sodium  bicarbonate solutions were  cast  into films  and  dried  using  vacuum  desiccator. The  photographs  of  CS,  SN  and  [CS+SN]films. The  equilibrium  water  content  (EWC)  of CS,  SN  and  [CS+SN]  films were measured by    the    weight    difference    between    the swollen hydrogel  film and  the  dehydrated film as described previously.

A. Antibacterial activity

Nutrient  agar  was  prepared  and  poured  in the   sterile   Petri   dishes   and   allowed   to solidify.   24   h   growing bacterial   cultures (Staphylococcus   aureus and Escherichia coli)  were  swabbed  on  it.  Then,  the  test samples  was  been  placed  on  the  nutrient agar plate using sterile forceps. Chloramphenicol  was  used  as  standard.  The plates  were  then  incubated  at  37ºC  for  24h. After incubation the inhibition diameter was measured. Topical    application    of CS,    SN    and [CS+SN] solutions on the fruits. Regional  fruits  like  lemon,  orange,  banana and tomato were washed with tap water and the    excess    water    on    the    surface    was absorbed  by  tissue  paper.  The  fruits  were placed  into  a  500  ml  plastic  container.    The CS-500ppm,  SN-500  ppm, [CS+SN]-125  & 250  ppm and  water were  sprayed  onto  the fruits  until  wet. Such  spraying  was done  in every   alternate   day.   The observation   of morphological   features, fruits   decay   over time  was  recorded  in  a  notebook  and  also photographed every day by a digital camera.

???????B. Fruit Quality Studies

1. Decay Percentage: The    decay    percentage    of    coated    and uncoated  fruit  was  calculated  as  the  number of decayed fruit divided by initial number of all fruit multiplied by 100.1
2. Weight Loss: The fruit samples  (3fruit)were  weighed  at day 0 and at the end of each storage interval. The   difference   between   initial   and   final weight   of   fruit   was   considered   as total weight  loss  at  each  of  the  storage  interval and   calculated   as   percentage   on   a   fresh weight basis.
3. Determination of Fruit Gloss: Fruit    visual    appearance    was    evaluated subjectively  by  5  persons.  Fruits  gloss was evaluated on a 0 to 10 scale in which 0 = no gloss and 10 = very glossy.
4. pH: The  change  in  the  pH  of  the  fruits  used  for evaluation  was  measured  from  the  juices obtained from the fruits at regular intervals.  Results and Discussion Chitosan exhibits hydrogel properties due to the  presence  of  groups  like –OH  and           -NH2along   the   polymer   backbone.   This makes it hydrophilic and retains the water it. Soap  nut  which  is  an  amphiphilic  in  nature that is it can absorb both oil as well as water. So  in  order  to  evaluate  its  water  absorbing capacity  %  equilibrium  water  content  was calculated as given in Fig. 2.

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Conclusion

For the first time, the main hypothesis that the mixture of chitosan and soapnut solution will act as an environmentally benign, palatable preservative has been proven. This was demonstrated by using local fruits as models. Topical use of a 250 ppm solution of soapnut and chitosan has produced positive outcomes. This synergistic preservation effect is caused by the hydrogel, antibacterial, and film-forming properties of chitosan as well as soapnut. Out of the fruits used, orange has produced the best outcomes, followed by tomato, lemon, and banana, which has been preserved the least.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2023 Prof. Sandesh Gotekar, Aniket Waghmare, Archik Pakhare, Aniket Kumbharkar, Saurabh Upadhye. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.