LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7

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LWT - Food Science and Technology

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Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory

quality of fresh cut broccoli
Mara del R. Moreira a, b, *, Sara I. Roura a, b, Alejandra Ponce a, b
a
Grupo de Investigacin en Ingeniera en Alimentos, Facultad de Ingeniera, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Juan B. Justo 4302, CP: B7608FDQ, Mar del Plata,
Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
b
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientcas y Tcnicas (CONICET), Argentina

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The effects of chitosan edible coating on microbiological and sensory quality of refrigerated broccoli were
Received 6 September 2010 studied. The antimicrobial effects of chitosan on the native microora (mesophilic, psychrotrophic, yeast
Received in revised form and molds, lactic acid bacteria and coliforms) and on the survival of E. coli O157:H7 inoculated in broccoli
19 April 2011
were evaluated.
Accepted 22 April 2011
Chitosan treatments resulted in a signicant reduction in total mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria
counts with respect to the control samples during the entire storage period. There was an immediate
Keywords:
decontaminating activity of chitosan. At the end of the storage, yeast and molds was the most dominant
Edible lms
Minimally processed broccoli
ora representing the largest part of the total aerobic counts. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) numbers
Native microora remained relatively low during the whole storage in all samples. Chitosan coating inhibited the growth of
E. coli O157:H7 total coliform throughout the storage time. Also, chitosan treatments resulted in a bactericidal effect on
Antimicrobial activity E. coli endogenous and a signicant decreased in total E. coli counts (endogenous and O157:H7). The
Sensory quality application of chitosan coating on fresh cut broccoli inhibited the yellowing and opening orets. The
results of this experiment showed that the use of chitosan coating is a viable alternative in controlling
the microorganisms present in minimally processed broccoli, improving its sensory quality.
2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction Consumers demand less use of chemicals on minimally pro-

In recent years, the demand for broccoli for fresh or ready to eat
salad consumption has increased greatly. Consumer interest in
broccoli and many other vegetables reects their content of health-
promoting compounds, such as vitamins C, E and A, and particularly
because of their antioxidant properties (Vallejo, Garca-Viguera, &
Toms-Barbern, 2003). The main problem that makes fresh cut
broccoli a highly perishable product is the ease of microbial growth
(Rivera-Lopez, Vasquez-Ortiz, Ayala-Zavala, Sotelo-Mundo, &
Gonzalez-Aguilar, 2005). Cutting or slicing operations greatly increase
tissue damage and cause the released of intracellular contents
(Gonzlez-Aguilar et al., 2009). The release of cellular substrates
supports and increases the activity of pathogenic and saprophytic
microorganism. This fact explains the need to develop new technol-
ogies that reduce broccoli deterioration and safety problems.
* Corresponding author. Grupo de Investigacin en Ingeniera en Alimentos,
Facultad de Ingeniera, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP), Juan B.
Justo 4302, CP: B7608FDQ, Mar del Plata, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Tel.: 54 0223 481 6600; fax: 54 0223 481 0046.
E-mail address: moreira_maria@.mdp.edu.ar (M.delR. Moreira).
cessed fruits and vegetables so more attention has been paid to the
search for natural occurring substances able to act as alternative
antimicrobials (Moreira, Ponce, del Valle, & Roura, 2009; Roller,
2004). There has been a growing interest in recent times to
develop materials with lm-forming capacity and having antimi-
crobial properties which help improve food safety and shelf life.
Edible coatings, formed from Generally Recognized as Safe mate-
rials, offer several advantages over synthetic materials, such as
being biodegradable and environmentally friendly (Tharanathan,
2003). Moreover, some edible coatings have the potential to
improve food appearance and delay or inhibit the growth of
pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms as a result of their lag-
phase extension and/or their growth rate reduction (Dutta,
Tripathi, Mehrotra, & Dutta, 2009; Quintavalla & Vicini, 2002). In
this context, chitosan lms have shown great aptitude for their
application in food preservation (Dutta et al., 2009). Chitosan,
derived from chitin, is obtained from waste products of the shellsh
industry (Xu, Kim, Hanna, & Nag, 2005). Chitosan coatings have
been successfully used in agricultural and food applications, mainly
because of its antimicrobial and structural properties that allow its
use as an edible coating. A chitosan coating have the property to

0023-6438/$ e see front matter 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009

Please cite this article in press as: Moreira, Mara del R., et al., Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory
quality of fresh cut broccoli, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009
2 M.delR. Moreira et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7
create a semipermeable barrier that controls gas exchange and
reduce water loss, thereby maintaining tissue rmness and
reducing microbial decay of harvested vegetables for extended
periods (Devlieghere, Vermeulen, & Debevere, 2004; Dong, Cheng,
Tan, Zheng, & Jiang, 2004; Thommohaway, Kanlayanarat,
Uthairatanakij, & Jitareerat, 2007). The antimicrobial action of chi-
tosan is inuenced by intrinsic factors such as the deacetylation and
polymerization degree, the chemical or nutrient composition of the
substrate or both, and the environmental conditions (e.g. substrate
water activity or moisture) (Devlieghere et al., 2004). In this sense,
the highly deacetylated chitosan has more antimicrobial character
than those with a higher proportion of acetylated amino groups,
because of their greater solubility and charge density (Dutta et al.,
2009). Chitosan antimicrobial activity against bacteria could be due
to the polycationic nature of the molecule, which allows interaction
and formation of polyelectrolyte complexes with polymers
produced at the bacteria cell surface (Durango, Soares, & Andrade,
2006). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the antimi-
crobial effect of chitosan edible coatings on the evolution of the
native microora (mesophilic, psychrotrophic, yeast and molds,
lactic acid bacteria, coliforms) during refrigerated storage of fresh
cut broccoli. Also, the effects of chitosan coatings on the survival
and growth of E. coli inoculated in broccoli were evaluated. More-
over, as the sensory quality is the property with more impact on
purchase decision it is essential to evaluate how the coating
treatment impacts the sensory quality of the product.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Preparation of lm-forming solutions
Medium molecular weight Chitosan (deacetylation degree
(DD) 98%) was supplied by ACOFAR (Mar del Plata, Argentina),
and food grade glycerol from Mallinckrodt (Paris, KY, USA). Chito-
san solutions (2 g/100 mL) (Xu et al., 2005) were prepared by
dispersing chitosan powder in acetic acid solution (1 mL/100 mL)
with magnetic stirring at 23  C. To achieve complete chitosan
dispersion, the solution was stirred overnight at room temperature
and centrifuged to remove impurities. Then, it was sterilized at
121  C for 15 min (Park, Daeschel, & Zhao, 2004). Glycerol content
was added to achieve a glycerol/chitosan (Gly/CH) weight ratio of
0.28.
2.2. Plant material
Broccoli heads (Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica) were directly
obtained from a local producer in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Heads
were immediately transported to the laboratory within 1 h of
harvesting, in refrigerated containers with polyfreezer (refrigerated
gel for temperature control, Thermics Argentina SA). Before chito-
san lm application, heads were separated into orets and stems
and rinsed with chlorinated water (100 mL/L) during 3 min, then
washed by immersion in tap water for 1 min and drained.
2.3. Culture maintenance and inoculum preparation
E. coli O157:H7, ATCC 25158 (American Type Culture Collection),
provided by CIDCA (Centro de Investigacin y Desarrollo en Crio-
tecnologa de Alimentos, La Plata, Argentina) was used. A stock
culture was maintained on tryptic soy broth (Britania, Buenos Aires,
Argentina) at 4  C. Before it was used, the O157:H7 was cultured in
BraineHeart Infusion broth (BHI, Britania, Buenos Aires, Argentina)
for 24 h at 37  C. 0.1 mL of culture was transferred to 9.9 mL of BHI
at two consecutive 24-h intervals immediately before each
experiment.
Please cite this article in press as: Moreira, Mara del R., et al., Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory
quality of fresh cut broccoli, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009
2.4. Coating application
Broccoli orets were immersed in the lm-forming solutions for
180 s at 20  C. After edible coating application, broccoli orets were
dried by exposure to owing air at 30  C and 60% relative humidity
for 60 min in a controlled drying chamber (Pharma SCT, Argentina)
to set a coat of the lms on their surfaces. Fresh broccoli orets
immersed in distilled water and subjected to the same drying
conditions were used as control sample. For inoculation, 100 mL of
E. coli O157:H7 bacterial suspension in the form of spray (nal
pathogen concentration of approximately 3e4 log CFU/g) was
placed on broccoli orets. Pathogen inoculations were carried out
in two stages, immediately and after 24 h of chitosan coating
application. These last samples were kept in refrigerated conditions
during 24 h, prior to pathogen inoculation. Control samples were:
uncoated and non-inoculated broccoli and uncoated samples
inoculated at times 0 and 24 h. After treatments, broccoli orets
(with or without the pathogen inoculation) were placed in poly-
meric lm bags (PD960, CRYOVAC, Argentina) of 25 mm of thickness
(with an O2 permeability of 7000 cc/m2/d, CO2 permeability of
20,000 cc/m2/d, and water vapor permeability of 1 g/m2/d), placing
3 broccoli orets per bag (approximately 60e90 g). Bags were
sealed (SERVIVAC, Argentina) and stored in a refrigerated chamber
at 5e7  C for 20 days. Broccoli orets from ve bags were sampled
immediately (day 0) and after 4, 7, 10, 14 and 20 d of storage. Two
bags were used for microbiological analysis and three bags for
sensory analysis.
2.5. Microbiological studies
For the microbiological analysis, about 10 g of broccoli from each
bag were macerated in 90 mL phosphate buffer solution (0.1 moL/L)
and were homogenized with a Stomacher 400 Circulator
Homogenizer (pH 7.2) in agreement with Ponce, Fritz, Del Valle, and
Roura (2003). Serial dilutions (1:10) of each homogenized sample
were made in the same diluents and surface spread in duplicate. The
enumeration and differentiation of microorganisms were
performed according to Ponce, Roura, del Valle, and Fritz (2002) by
using the following culture media and culture conditions:
mesophilic aerobic bacteria on Plate Count Agar (PCA) incubated at
30e32  C for 48e72 h; psycrotrophic bacteria on the same medium
incubated at 5e7  C for 5e7 d; Enterobacteriaceae and total coli-
forms in Mac Conkey agar incubated at 30e32  C for 24 h. Molds and
yeast were counted in Yeast-Glucose-Chloramphenicol (YGC)
medium incubated at 25  C for 5 d. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were
counted in Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) medium (Man, Rogosa, &
Sharpe, 1960) incubated at 30  C for 24 h. The viable E. coli counts
were moni-tored as follows: 0.1 mL sample of each treatment was
spread on the surface plating on eosin methylene blue (EMB) and
the colonies were counted after incubation at 37  C for 24e48 h.
EMB is a selective medium that allows the characterization of typical
E. coli colonies, only those greenish with metallic brightness were
taken into account. All culture mediums were from Britania, Buenos
Aires, Argentina. Microbial counts were performed by duplicate, in
three independent experimental runs.
2.6. Qualitative sensory evaluation
At each storage time, three individual bags of coated and
uncoated broccoli were subjected to a panel of testers to evaluate
sensory quality in fresh broccoli samples. A panel comprised of nine
members of the UNMdP Food Engineering Group, aged 30e50
years, and with sensory evaluation experience in vegetable quality,
was trained and carried out the evaluation of broccoli quality.
Evaluations were performed immediately after broccoli removal
 M.delR. Moreira et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7
from storage conditions. The coded (3 digit) samples were pre-
sented one at the time in random order to the members who sat at
a round table and made independent evaluations. Sensory quality
indices such as color, texture, brightness, oret opening, aroma and
browning were evaluated. The intensity of the attributes evaluated
was quantied on a scale from 1 to 5 as described by Olarte, Sanz,
Echvarri, and Ayala (2009): color was rated using 5 dark green,
uniform color, 3 light green and 1 showing yellowish orets.
Brightness was rated using 5 bright, glossy surface, 3 lighter
bright and 1 opaque surface. Texture was rated using 5 crispy,
3 rubbery and 1 very soft. Florets opening was rated using
5 very tight and rm heads, 3 slightly loose but acceptable
and 1 very loose and limp. Aroma was rated using 5 no off-
odor, 3 slight but obvious off-odor and 1 strong off-odor.
Browning was rated using 5 no browning, 3 moderate
browning and 1 extreme browning. The texture was evaluated by
the fracture of broccoli stems with the ngers as described by Rico
et al. (2007). The limit of acceptance was three (Kader, Lipton, &
Morris, 1973) indicating that a score below 3 for any of the attri-
butes evaluated was deemed to indicate end of shelf life.
2.7. Statistical analysis
Each assay was performed in duplicate on three separate
experimental runs. Differences among samples were tested by
analysis of variance (one way ANOVA) using a statistical package
(MATLAB). Wherever differences are reported as signicant, a 95%
condence level was used (Khuel, 2001, 37pp.).
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Microbiological quality
The effects of chitosan coatings on the growth of different
microbial populations and on the survival of E. coli O157:H7 inoc-
ulated on the surface of fresh cut broccoli are shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
The pathogen inoculation was performed immediately and 24 h
after to chitosan coating application.
Fig. 1 (A, B and C) shows the evolution of mesophilic, psychro-
trophic and yeast and molds populations during broccoli storage.
Immediately after coating was applied, there was a signicant
(P < 0.05) bactericidal effect of chitosan (with reductions of
1.5e2.5 log CFU/g) on mesophilic aerobic bacteria, respect to
uncoated sample. This difference was maintained until the end of
the storage (20 d). In the same way, samples treated with chitosan
and inoculated with E. coli O157:H7, 24 h after lm application
showed a signicant reduction (P < 0.05) in mesophilic bacteria
counts (2.0e2.5 log CFU/g) respect to control samples, during whole
storage period (Fig. 1A). On the other hand, broccoli samples coated
with chitosan and inoculated with pathogen immediately to lm
application, showed a slightly inhibitory effect (reductions of
0.7e0.8 log CFU/g). At 10 d of storage this effect became signicant
(P < 0.05) with reductions of 2.0e2.5 log CFU/g, compared to control
sample. Then, this inhibitory effect was maintained until the end of
storage. In general, mesophilic bacteria counts in all samples coated
with chitosan were signicantly lower (P < 0.05), respect uncoated
broccoli, during 20 d of storage. The reductions in mesophilic counts
in broccoli exerted by chitosan coating were considerable, when
compared to other methods applied to reduce the microbial load in
foods. In according with our results, Durango et al. (2006) reported
a satisfactory performance of chitosan coatings applied on carrot, in
controlling mesophilic aerobes, with a reduction of 1.3 log CFU/g at
the end of the storage. Fig.1B shows the effect of chitosan coatings on
the growth of psychrotrophic bacteria. Similar to that observed with
mesophilic aerobic bacteria, immediately to the lm application,
Please cite this article in press as: Moreira, Mara del R., et al., Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory
quality of fresh cut broccoli, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009
3
chitosan exerted a signicant reduction (P < 0.05) on psycrotrophic
count, respect to uncoated samples. A bacteriostatic effect exerted
by chitosan was observed, from the beginning to day 10 of the
storage. Then, this population increased their number by
2.5e3.0 log CFU/g. Nevertheless, psycrotrophic counts in chitosan
coated samples always remained 1.2e1.5 log CFU/g lower respect to
control sample until to the end of storage. Similar results were
observed in broccoli coated with chitosan and inoculated with
pathogen immediately to lm application. On the other hand, in
samples treated with chitosan and inoculated with the pathogen at
24 h after lm application the inhibitory effects was less signicant
(P > 0.05), evidencing only up to 4 day of storage and then dis-
appeared. Results revealed that the application of the chitosan
coating signicantly (P < 0.05) reduced mesophilic and psychro-
trophic counts respect to the control samples, during whole storage
period with an immediate decontaminating activity of chitosan
(Fig. 1A and B). Similar results were reported by Devlieghere et al.
(2004) working with lettuce dipping in chitosan solution, and by
Geraldine, Ferreira Soares, Botrel and, Goncalves (2008) working
with minimally processed garlic and fresh cut cantaloupe and
pineapple. The control of decay in coated broccoli could be attribute
to the modied atmosphere originated by the edible coating
generating a gas selective permeability as well as the antimicrobial
effect of chitosans positively charged amino groups which interacts
with negatively charged microbial cell membranes, leading to the
leakage of proteinaceous and other intracellular constituents of the
microorganisms (Dutta et al., 2009).
In the case of yeast and molds (Fig. 1C), at the beginning of the
storage, chitosan exert a slightly (P < 0.05) inhibitory effects, with
reductions of about 0.8e1.0 log CFU/g, compared to control sample.
This reduction was observed also in samples coated with chitosan
and inoculated with E. coli O157:H7. Up to day 14 no signicant
differences (P > 0.05) were found in the yeast and molds counts
between chitosan treated and untreated samples. At the end of the
storage, yeast and molds was the most dominant ora and repre-
sented the largest part of the total aerobic count. On the contrary,
Park, Stan, Daeschel, and Zhao (2005) found a signicant effect of
chitosan in delaying fungal growth of fresh strawberries. Also,
Durango et al. (2006) founded an important fungicidal action of
chitosan applied on minimally processed carrot. The inhibitory
effect of chitosan on some fungi could be attributed to alterations in
the functions of the cellular membranes. The lowest inhibitory
effect of chitosan coating observed on broccoli orets could be due
to the fungal ora would be more resistant to antimicrobials
treatment, respect to other fruits and vegetables.
Fig. 2 (A, B and C) shows the evolution of LAB, coliform and total
E. coli counts in chitosan treated samples with and without E. coli
O157:H7 inoculation. LAB number remained relatively low
(2.5e4.0 log CFU/g) during the whole storage period in all samples.
Moreover, there were no signicant differences between treated
and untreated samples. From this result can be predicted that LAB
seemed not to be important for the broccoli deterioration and could
not exerted any biocontrol mechanisms over other bacterial pop-
ulations (Fig. 2A). In agreement with our results, Devlieghere et al.
(2004) reported that LAB was not important causing deteriorate in
strawberries treated with chitosan.
The chitosan application exerted a signicant reduction
(P < 0.05) of 1.5 log CFU/g on total coliform counts, throughout the
storage time (Fig. 2B), exerting a bacteriostatic action. Up to 7 d of
storage, the antibacterial effect was more signicant (P < 0.05) in
broccoli samples coated with chitosan and inoculated with path-
ogen at 24 h after the lm application. In samples inoculated with
E. coli O157:H7 immediately after of lm application, the inhibitory
effect was more evident between 10 days and the end of the
storage. Ouattara, Simard, Piette, Bgin, and Holley (2000) and
4 M.delR. Moreira et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7

A 8,00

7,00

6,00

5,00
log CFU/g

4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 4 7 10 14 20
tim e (days )

B 8,00

7,00

6,00

5,00
log CFU/g

4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 4 7 10 14 20
tim e (days )

C 8,00

7,00

6,00

5,00
log CFU/g

4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 4 7 10 14 20
time (days)

control sample chitosan control sample + pathogen

chitosan + pathogen control sample + pathogen 24h chitosan + pathogen 24h

Fig. 1. Microbial evolution in minimally processed broccoli inoculated immediately and after 24 h of chitosan coating application. (A) mesophilic (B) psychrotrophics and (C) yeast
and molds. Data are the mean s.d. of 12 determinations (n 12).

Please cite this article in press as: Moreira, Mara del R., et al., Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory
quality of fresh cut broccoli, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009
 M.delR. Moreira et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7 5

A 8,00

7,00

6,00

5,00
log CFU/g

4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 4 7 tim e (days ) 10 14 20

B 8,00

7,00

6,00

5,00
log CFU/g

4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 4 7 10 14 20
tim e (days )

C 8,00

7,00

6,00

5,00
log CFU/g

4,00

3,00

2,00

1,00

0,00
0 4 7 10 14 20
tim e (days )
control sample chitosan control sample + pathogen
chitosan + pathogen control sample + pathogen 24h chitosan + pathogen 24h

Fig. 2. Microbial evolution in minimally processed broccoli inoculated immediately and after 24 h of chitosan coating application. (A) Lactic Acid Bacteria (B) coliforms and (C) total
E. coli counts. Data are the mean s.d. of 12 determinations (n 12).

Please cite this article in press as: Moreira, Mara del R., et al., Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory
quality of fresh cut broccoli, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009
6 M.delR. Moreira et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7

6 Colour 6 Brightness 6 Texture

5 5 5

4 4 4
Score

Score

Score
3 3 3 a
a a
2 2 2
a
1 1 1

0 0 0
0 4 7 10 14 20 0 4 7 10 14 20 0 4 7 10 14 20
time (days) time (days) time (days)

6 6
6 Florets opening Browning
Aroma
5 5
5

4 4 4

3
Score

Score

Score
3 3
b
2 2 2
b

1 1 1

0 0 0
0 4 7 10 14 20 0 4 7 10 14 20 0 4 7 10 14 20
time (days) time (days) time (days)
chitosan
control sample

Fig. 3. Sensory evaluation during storage of coated and uncoated broccoli samples. (A) color, (B) brightness, (C) texture, (D) orets opening, (E) aroma and (F) browning. Data are the
mean s.d. of 18 determinations (n 18). a, b means within a bar graph which are not followed by a common superscript letter are signicantly different (P < 0.05).

Dutta et al. (2009) reported that chitosan inhibit various spoilage
and pathogenic bacteria, through its capacities to both bind water
and inactivate various enzymes, and through its ability to absorb
nutrients normally used by bacteria. Fig. 2C shows that E. coli
counts in control samples (uncoated and non-inoculated) were in
the range of 2.5e2.8 log CFU/g up to 10 d of storage and then
increased approximately 1 order log. During the storage, broccoli
samples coated with chitosan showed total absence of this path-
ogen endogenous. In samples coated with chitosan and inoculated
with E. coli O157:H7 after 24 h of contact between the coating and
the vegetable, chitosan exerted a signicant (P < 0.05) bactericidal
effects on E. coli growth. This effect was maintained during all
storage period. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of chitosan
in samples inoculated with pathogen immediately to lm appli-
cation was not signicant (P > 0.05). Zheng and Zhu (2003)
informed that the mechanisms of the antimicrobial activity of
chitosan were different for Gram-positive and Gram-negative
bacteria. The results found in this study denoted that the bacteri-
cidal action exerted by chitosan coating on E. coli was only effective
over endogenous E. coli and when the pathogen inoculation was
done 24 h after chitosan lm was applied.
3.2. Qualitative sensory evaluation
Fig. 3 shows the sensory evaluation results of broccoli samples.
During the storage, chitosan coated samples presented higher color
and brightness scores than control samples. Also, broccoli orets
coated with chitosan retained its typical green color. The application
of chitosan edible coating did not affect the texture and inhibited the
orets opening, being this an important quality improvement for
broccoli. There were no signicant differences in the avor of the
treated and untreated samples. Enzymatic browning was present in
control sample. In this sense, chitosan coating was effective in the
inhibition of the enzymatic browning along the storage. At the end of
storage, the score of all attributes in treated samples were above the
acceptability level. On the contrary, the sensory scores of the control
samples were at the acceptability limit between days 7 and 10 of
storage, with the only exception of aroma attribute. According to our
results, Dutta et al. (2009) reported that if edible coatings are to be
used as natural biopreservatives in minimally processed broccoli,
they should not introduce deleterious effects on the sensory attri-
butes of the products.
4. Conclusions
The results presented in this work showed that the use of chi-
tosan coating is a viable alternative in controlling the microbiota
present in minimally processed broccoli. The growth of total coli-
forms, psychrotrophic and mesophilic aerobes was substantially
inhibited by the application of the lm during whole storage
period. Also, chitosan treatments resulted in a bactericidal effect on
E. coli endogenous and a signicant decreased in total E. coli counts
(endogenous and exogenous). Chitosan lms were useful to coun-
teract accidental pollution with E. coli and this is very important
because this type of contamination can occur anywhere in the
supply chain. Broccoli samples coated with chitosan had acceptable
scores in all parameters examined until the end of storage, without
the appearance of undesirable odors, with higher quality levels
than control samples.
Based on the concept of protection barrier technology, the use of
chitosan coating may contribute to improve safety in minimally
processed broccoli thereby prolonging its shelf life. Coating could
be applied on minimally processed fruits and vegetables, combined
to other types of controls, such as quality raw material, hygienic
processing conditions and storage temperatures. The combination
of these treatments as hurdles barrier offers a greater potential for
shelf-life extension of minimally processed vegetables.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Inves-
tigaciones Cientcas y Tcnicas (CONICET), Agencia Nacional de
Promocin Cientca y Tecnolgica (ANPCyT) and Universidad
Nacional de Mar del Plata (UNMDP).

Please cite this article in press as: Moreira, Mara del R., et al., Effectiveness of chitosan edible coatings to improve microbiological and sensory
quality of fresh cut broccoli, LWT - Food Science and Technology (2011), doi:10.1016/j.lwt.2011.04.009
 M.delR. Moreira et al. / LWT - Food Science and Technology xxx (2011) 1e7
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