Extension of guava shelf life through the application of edible coating formulated with mango and lemon leaves extracts

Innovative green encapsulation techniques using natural plant bioactives provide a sustainable method for extending the shelf life of fruits. Given the inherent perishability of climacteric fruits like guava, characterized by accelerated respiration and ethylene production during ripening, our study is planned to explore the efficacy of incorporating leaf extracts of Mangifera indica L. and Citrus limon L. in combination with Gum Arabic (GA) for bioactive encapsulation of guava fruits. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used and a total of 15 experimental runs were set. Mango leaf extract (MLE) and lemon leaf extract (LLE) were employed at concentrations ranging from 500 to 2000 mg/L, while Gum Arabic (GA) was utilized in concentration ranging from 5% to 15%. The concentrations of MLE, LLE and GA were stored at 10±1 °C and 40–45% relative humidity for further usage. The selected analysis like total chlorophyll, and carotenoid content, ascorbic acid content, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity are chosen as responses. Central experimental runs like R2, R11 and R14 (1250 mg/L MLE, 1250 mg/L LLE and 10% GA) remained effective in terms of physical appearance and quality of guava. At the same time, R1 (2000 mg/L MLE, 1250 mg/L, and 15% GA), R7 (500 mg/L MLE, 1250 mg/L LLE and 15% GA), R13 (2000 mg/L MLE, 500 mg/L, and 10% GA) and R15 (1250 mg/L MLE, 2000 mg/L LLE and 5% GA) were not effective at preserving the fruit quality as compared to other treatments. The control is below in all quality attributes as compared to all fifteen treatments. It is concluded that the combined impact of MLE and LLE along with GA had good potential for preserving guava fruits for longer period as compared to control, where no treatment was given.