Efficacy of chitosan as a transparent edible coating in extending the shelf life of fresh-cut peaches /by Christina Bawana.

Fresh-cut fruits go through a rapid deterioration immediately after the cells have been damaged and exposed to oxygen, moisture, and light. Chitosan has shown positive traits as an edible coating to extend the shelf-life of fruits by preventing oxidation, preserving firmness, controlling moisture loss, and reducing microbial growth. Chitosan solutions at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5% were used along with a control sample for this study to compare their effectiveness to extend the shelf life of fresh- cut peaches. The results showed that samples treated with chitosan were significantly (??<0.5) lower in microbial growth. The study also showed that chitosan treated samples were not significantly (??