Abstract
This experiment investigated the impact of aloe vera gel and safe salts on the physical quality and physicochemical properties of minimally processed carrots during storage, aiming to determine the most effective edible coating postharvest treatment. The experiment employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Results indicated significant (p ≤ 0.01) effects of various treatments on the physical quality and physicochemical properties of carrots compared to untreated ones. Freshly harvested carrots were subjected to different treatments, including a control (T(1)), 30% aloe vera gel (T(2)), 1% NaCl (T(3)), and 1.5% NaHCO(3) (T(4)), combinations thereof, such as 30% aloe vera gel with 1% NaCl (T(5)) or 1.5% NaHCO(3) (T(6)), and 1% NaCl with 1.5% NaHCO(3) (T(7)), and a combination of 30% aloe vera gel with 1% NaCl and 1.5% NaHCO(3) (T(8)). Among the treatments, the combination of 30% aloe vera gel and 1% NaCl (T(5)) exhibited the most promising results after nine days of storage, with the lowest weight loss (1.19%), highest firmness (3.80 N), total soluble solids (TSS) content (8.40%), titratable acidity (0.477%), ascorbic acid content (9.02 mg/100 g FW), anthocyanin content (28.84 μg/g FW), phenol content (4.278 mg/100 g FW), and total sugar content (13.32%). This treatment effectively protected carrots from undesirable color, texture, and flavor changes during storage. The utilization of natural-source-based edible coatings containing health-promoting additives presents a viable strategy to enhance both the internal and external qualities of minimally processed carrots. Overall, the edible coating comprising 30% aloe vera gel and 1% NaCl emerges as a promising approach for preserving the quality of minimally processed carrots.