An edible collagen-based coating prolongs the shelf life of prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica) minimally processed

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effect of an edible coating formulated with a mixture of collagen and glycerol to prolong the shelf life of three varieties of minimally processed prickly pear under refrigerated conditions. In the first stage of the research, the raw material (prickly pears) was characterized physico chemically. In the second stage, a flow chart of the technological process of applying the edible coating was designed: reception of raw material, selection, and classification, washing and disinfection, cutting, immersion in edible coating, drying, packaging (PET) and storage (2 °C). In the third stage of the research, the study of the shelf life of the prickly pear was considered, storing the samples under refrigerated conditions for a period of 20 days, evaluating the variation in weight loss, °Brix, pH, titratable acidity percentage, firmness and vitamin C content, antioxidant activity and total polyphenols in prickly pear slices, using a 3x2 factorial statistical design which studied the effects of 2 factors in 9 runs, with 3 replications, concluding that the shelf life of minimally processed prickly pear is 12 days at 2 degrees temperature.