Attributes of Aloe vera gel and chitosan treatments on the quality and biochemical traits of post-harvest tomatoes

In this research paper, we report the efficiency of Aloe vera gel and chitosan, as edible coatings, in extending the post-harvest shelf-life of tomato fruits (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.), along with their biochemical attributes and antioxidative capacities. The tomato fruits were coated with A. vera gel or chitosan or a combination of both (A. vera + chitosan). Tomato fruits without any coating served as the control. Under all three coating treatments, the fruits showed a gradual increase in the total soluble sugar, total phenolic, and lycopene contents, and pectate lyase activity, and a gradual decrease in the titratable acidity and ascorbic acid content, as well as differentially induced antioxidative activities during cold storage, in comparison with the control fruits. The combined A. vera gel and chitosan treatment showed the best efficiency in delaying the ripening process and extended the fruit shelf-life up to 42 days.