Comparison of some edible coatings and paper bag on preservation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) during storage

ABSTRACT- To investigate the effect of some edible coatings on weight loss and storage life of two thorny cucumber cultivars including Tiba’ and ‘Kurage’ cultivars, this research was conducted in a factorial experiment using a completely randomized design with three replications. The experiment comprised five treatments including three edible coatings (olive oil, almond oil and liquid paraffin), packing in brown paper bag without any edible coating and control treatment. All of the treated samples were placed in a thin plastic container having eight holes and control samples were placed in a plastic box solely. Packages were stored at 10 ºC and 85-90% RH for 14 days. The results showed that ‘Tiba’ cultivar had higher firmness than ‘Kurage’ cultivar. Cucumbers coated with almond oil had the least weight loss in comparison with other coating materials, but the differences between two cultivars were not significant. The highest color difference was belonged to the paper bag treatment which had the significant difference with control and the other coating treatments. Cucumbers placed in paper bag resulted in the highest greenness value. In conclusion, both thorny cucumber cultivars covered with coating materials showed the best appearance and luster shape which was related to the effects of edible coatings on reducing water loss, chlorophyll degradation and softening.