Effect of edible coating on physical and chemical properties of potato tubers under different storage conditions

Storage is known to change the physical and chemical properties of produce. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of applying edible coatings on freshly harvested potatoes under different storage conditions. The effects of seven edible coating combination formulations with zein, alginate, potato starch, and essential oil on three potato tuber cultivars, Rio Grande Russet (RG), Yukon Gold (YG), and Purple Majesty (PM), were studied over two seasons (2017 and 2018). The treated tubers were stored in three conditions: high relative humidity storage conditions (HRHSC) at 90% ± 5% RH and 5 °C ± 1 °C; low relative humidity storage conditions (LRHSC) at 55% ± 5% RH and 5 °C ± 1 °C; and room temperature. Most of the edible coatings used for potatoes have limited effects on quality properties in the HRHSC, reasonable effects in RG and PM (weight loss and firmness) in LRHSC, and noticeably favorable effects at room temperature in RG and PM (weight loss and sprout inhibition). Alginate with essential oil and potato starch with alginate formulation significantly improved sensory properties in all cultivars. There was no significant change in the levels of total phenolics and reducing sugars due to the application of coatings.