Determining the effect of edible gelatin, agar-agar, and chitosan coatings on the storage of cucumber fruits

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.352396

Keywords:

cucumber, coated fruits, natural losses, gelatin, agar-agar, chitosan, edible compositions

Abstract

This study examines the technology of pre-treating cucumber fruits using edible coatings based on gelatin, agar-agar of various concentrations, as well as chitosan with the addition of garlic essential oil. The task addressed is to identify safer and more effective post-harvest treatment technologies for cucumbers, which could reduce produce losses during storage and extend their shelf life.

The materials under investigation were cucumber fruits, gelatin, agar-agar, chitosan, as well as garlic essential oil. The ratio of gelatin to agar-agar in the coating matrix gelatin:agar-agar was 100%:0; 0:100; 75%:25%; 50%:50%; and 25%:75%, with chitosan at 1%. The influence of this coating on water-holding capacity, physicochemical, structural-mechanical, and microbiological parameters of cucumber fruits was evaluated.

It was established that treatment with edible compositions significantly (НІР05 = 0.79) reduces natural weight loss of cucumbers during storage at a temperature of 15±1°C to a range of 3.1% to 3.6%. Weight loss in untreated fruits amounted to 4.7%. The agar-agar-based coating provided the lowest weight loss of 3.1%.

It was shown that daily weight loss of cucumbers ranged from 0.63% to 0.75% when treated with edible compositions. Untreated fruits lost up to 1.37% of their weight daily. The addition of 2% garlic essential oil to the coating inhibited the development of microorganisms by 1.5–1.7 times.

The study found that after 6 days of storage, the coated fruits exhibited 11.2% higher elasticity than the control group, and 18.5% higher at the end of the storage period. The effectiveness of the edible coating was confirmed by correlation coefficient r = 0.9317–0.9881

Author Biographies

Ludmila Pusik, State Biotechnological University

Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor

Department of Horticulture and Storage of Plant Products

Veronika Bondarenko, State Biotechnological University

PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Horticulture and Storage of Plant Products

Vlаdimir Pusik, State Biotechnological University

Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Professor

Department of Ecology and Biotechnology in Plant Production

Oksana Serhiienko, Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of National Agrarian Academy of Sciences

Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, Senior Researcher, Deputy Director for Scientific Work

Liudmyla Terokhina, Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of National Agrarian Academy of Sciences

PhD, Senior Researcher

Laboratory of Innovation and Investment Development of Vegetable Market and Intellectual Property

Maxim Gurin, Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of National Agrarian Academy of Sciences

PhD, Senior Researcher

Laboratory of the Nennlast and Seed Production of Vegetables and Melons

Oleksii Soldatenko, Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing of National Agrarian Academy of Sciences

PhD, Head of Laboratory

Laboratory of the Nennlast and Seed Production of Vegetables and Melons

Volodymyr Voitsekhivskyi, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine

PhD, Associate Professor

Professor B.V. Lesik Department of Storage, Processing and Standardization of Plant Products

Oksana Muliarchuk, Higher Educational Institution “Podillia State University”

PhD, Associate Professor, Head of Department

Department of Horticulture and Viticulture

Mykola Orlovsky, Stepan Gzhytskyi National University of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnologies of Lviv

PhD, Senior Lecturer

Department of Horticulture and Vegetable Growing named after Ivan Hulko

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Determining the effect of edible gelatin, agar-agar, and chitosan coatings on the storage of cucumber fruits

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Published

2026-02-27

How to Cite

Pusik, L., Bondarenko, V., Pusik, V., Serhiienko, O., Terokhina, L., Gurin, M., Soldatenko, O., Voitsekhivskyi, V., Muliarchuk, O., & Orlovsky, M. (2026). Determining the effect of edible gelatin, agar-agar, and chitosan coatings on the storage of cucumber fruits. Eastern-European Journal of Enterprise Technologies, 1(11 (139), 46–55. https://doi.org/10.15587/1729-4061.2026.352396

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 11 (139) (2026): Technology and Equipment of Food Production

Section

Technology and Equipment of Food Production

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Copyright (c) 2026 Ludmila Pusik, Veronika Bondarenko, Vlаdimir Pusik, Oksana Serhiienko, Liudmyla Terokhina, Maxim Gurin, Oleksii Soldatenko, Volodymyr Voitsekhivskyi, Oksana Muliarchuk, Mykola Orlovsky

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