Active coating based on carboxymethyl cellulose and flaxseed mucilage, containing burdock extract, for fresh-cut and fried potatoes

An active coating made of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and flaxseed mucilage (FM) in equal amounts (1:1), along with various levels of nanoencapsulated burdock extract (NBE) ranging from 0 to 0.75 (g/g dry matter), was found to enhance the quality of fresh-cut potatoes (FCP) and fried potatoes (FP). Two groups of samples were treated: one was stored in a refrigerator (5 °C and 65% humidity) for 9 days, while the other was fried for 5 min at 170 °C. The FTIR analysis revealed physical contact between the nanocapsules and biopolymers without any new chemical bonding. During cold storage, the weight loss (from 1.23-3.56 to 2.84–10.54 g water/g product) and softening of FCP tissue were reduced. The antioxidant activity (AA) of FCP is maintained by preserving phenolic compounds and vitamin C. As the NBE level increased, the AA and the browning index in the samples increased (about 0.1 and 0.5 folds, respectively). For coated FP, the active coating helped to maintain moisture, reduced oil uptake and prevented the formation of acrylamide by about 0.63 folds. The overall findings demonstrated that the active coating made with FM and CMC, including 2 or 3 g NBE/g dry matter, can be utilized to improve fresh-cut potato quality and shelf life as well as assure the quality and safety of fried potatoes.