The use of orange peel essential oil microemulsion and nanoemulsion in pectin‐based coating to extend the shelf life of fresh‐cut orange

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of pectin‐based edible coatings containing orange peel essential oil (OPEO) at 0.5 and 1.0% concentrations on quality parameters of orange slices stored at 4 °C for 17 days. The variations of pH and titratable acidity in coated samples containing microemulsion and nanoemulsion were significantly higher than the controls and pectin‐coated slices. The highest and lowest increases of the total soluble solids were observed in controls and 1% OPEO nanoemulsion samples, respectively. The weight and ascorbic acid losses of all coated samples were significantly lower than the controls. Higher antibacterial and antifungal effects were observed in the nanoemulsion‐coated samples. In sensory evaluation, no significant differences were observed in the samples coated with microemulsion and nanoemulsion. The results showed that the nanoemulsion‐based edible coatings containing OPEO can extend the shelf life of orange slices without any undesirable impacts on sensory attributes. Practical applications It is recommended to use edible coatings incorporated with essential oils to overcome the concerns of minimally processed fruit. Microemulsion and nanoemulsion of orange peel essential oil in pectin‐based coatings reduced the quality loss. Also, higher antimicrobial effects were observed in nanoemulsion‐coated orange slices.