Application of Calcium Chloride Inhibits Physicochemical Changes of Fresh-Cut Tropical Fruit

¹ Food Technology and Agriculture Product Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Warmadewa University, Denpasar 80235, Indonesia
² Food Security Research Laboratory, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: suriati@warmadewa.ac.id

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of calcium chloride application on the physicochemical properties of fresh-cut tropical fruits during storage. Specifically, calcium chloride was applied to fresh-cut mango, mangosteen, and rambutan, and their physical changes were monitored over a 9-day storage period. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of calcium chloride concentration and immersion time on inhibiting the physicochemical changes of fresh-cut tropical fruits. The acidity, vitamin C, moisture content, total solids, weight loss, texture, colour (L*a*b*), and browning index of coated and uncoated samples are determined during the storage process at 3, 6, and 9 days, respectively. Subsequently, the fresh-cut mangoes are prepared with seedless cuts, while mangosteen and rambutan are simply prepared by removing the fruit skin. The results showed that layered formulations have the potential to increase the shelf life and maintain the quality of fresh-cut mango and rambutan for 6 days and mangosteen for 9 days. The calcium chloride coating with a concentration of 1% and an immersion time of 10 minutes is most effective compared to other treatments.