Multifunctional coating composed of Eryngium campestre L. essential oil encapsulated in nano-chitosan to prolong the shelf-life of fresh cherry fruits

This study aims to fabricate Eryngium campestre essential oil (ECEO) encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (CHNPs) through an ion gelation method. The resultant CHNP-ECEO dispersions were characterized in terms of particle size, zeta potential and polydispersity index. To extend the shelf-life of sweet cherries, we have coated a thin layer of CHNP-ECEO on the surface of the fruits. The cherries coated with various concentrations of encapsulated ECEO, were assessed for their physicochemical characteristics (weight loss, pH, titratable acidity, respiration rate, firmness, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic contents) and microbial growth during the 21 days storage at 4 °C. The results showed a significant reduction of the microbial counts for all CHNP-ECEO coated cherries throughout the experiment. Besides, all CHNP-ECEO coated cherries exhibited a reduced titratable acid and weight loss compared to the control whereas the pH, firmness, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activity were changed in reverse direction and moderately increased. In conclusion, the coatings composed of CHNPs and ECEO were demonstrated to be efficient in controlling the microbial growth of the cherries and can be comparably applied for other types of fruits with similar compositions. [Display omitted] •Eryngium campestre essential oil (EO) was loaded into chitosan nanoparticles.•Fresh cherries were coated with chitosan nanoparticles containing encapsulated EO.•Nano-encapsulation of EO improved the quality and shelf life of cherries.•Edible coating did not confer an unacceptably intense color to the cherries.•Encapsulation of EO was effective in reducing the microbial count during cold storage.