Coatings role in the baby kiwi shelf life

Baby kiwi, also called hardy kiwi (Actinida arguta) is native to East Asia and currently commercialized in USA, Canada, Chile, New Zealand and Europe; however, it is still relatively unknown to consumers. In recent years, baby kiwi has gained popularity due to its nutraceutical superiority over the well-accepted green kiwi and its ease of consumption - when ripe, hardy kiwi is suitable for direct consumption without peeling. Hardy kiwi is typically harvested at commercial maturity, so weight losses and pulp hardness are the most difficult parameters in postharvest management of the supply chain and the availability of fruits in the fresh market. This work was focused on the hardy kiwi 'Hortgem Rua (R)', marketed under the Nergi (R) brand and cultivated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. The aim was to evaluate the application of two different coatings, C1 (commercial formulation in the absence of amines, made from natural shellac dissolved in ethyl alcohol) and C2 (commercial formulation based on sucrose ester), in the maintenance of shelf life up to 21 days at 2 and 24 degrees C. Qualitative analyses (weight loss, skin colour, texture profile analysis, soluble solid content and titratable acidity) were performed at harvest time (0 days) and every 3 days thereafter. The results indicate that the C1 coating was better for reducing moisture loss, maintaining pulp hardness and containing the evolution of soluble solid content throughout the shelf life at 24 +/- 1 degrees C of 'Hortgem Rua (R)'. However, there was no improvement in shelf life at 2 +/- 1 degrees C.