Impact of honey treatments and soy protein isolate-based coating on fresh-cut pineapple during storage at 4 °C

This work investigates the effectiveness of various combinations of honey treatments at different concentrations (0 mL/L, 50 mL/L, 100 mL/L and 150 mL/L) and soy protein isolate (SPI) coating (0 g/L and 50 g/L) to maintain quality and prolong shelf life of fresh-cut pineapple stored at 4 °C for 16 days. Changes in headspace gases, color, phenolic content, microbiological and various other physiochemical attributes such as percentage weight loss, total soluble solids, pH, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and ripening index were measured throughout the storage life. SPI coating coupled with honey treatments synergistically caused greater retention of phenolic compounds. Storage time and treatments/coating had a significant effect on the headspace gas concentration of fresh-cut pineapple. Coatings helped to retard microbial growth, with 150 mL H/L of H2O + 50 g SPI/L of H2O yielding the best results. Ripening index increased initially and then decreased towards the end of storage. Remarkable differences were observed in chroma, hue angle and color change of control and coated/treated samples.