Effect of Electrospun Hexanal Nano-fibre Matrix on Quality Parameters of Tomato Fruits during Storage

Effect of Electrospun Hexanal Nano-fibre Matrix on Quality Parameters of Tomato Fruits during Storage | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Effect of Electrospun Hexanal Nano-fibre Matrix on Quality Parameters of Tomato Fruits during Storage Kwaghgba Elijah Gbabe, Mike Ojotu Eke, Dinnah Ahure, Imoleayo Gabriel Adarabierin, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4749771/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The present work developed a novel hexanal nano-fiber matrix by electrospinning for the noncontact packaging of tomato fruits to extend shelf-life during storage. It solves the problem of colourspots and easy evaporation of the compound on the surface of fruits. Scanning electron microscope revealed nanowires of diameter ranging from 195.5–345.8 nm. Transmission electron microscope images showed a clear view of the hexanal molecules with individual fiber diameter ranging from 244.4 ­ 151.2 nm. FT-IR spectrum also confirmed the successful loading of hexanal into the nanofiber matrices with characteristic peak at wave number of 1692 cm − 1 . Application of the hexanal nano-fiber matrix onto green tomato fruits of 85% maturity under ambient conditions demonstrated an extension of shelf-life up to 32 days as compared to 18 days for control/untreated fruits. The treated fruits demonstrated better/higher quality attributes compared to control fruits, including lower physiological loss in weight, higher firmness, lower percentage decay, higher pH, and better colour. Thus, it can be the go-to product for many African countries where assurance of electricity supply for running cold rooms especially in the rural areas is lacking. This can contribute towards ensuring food and nutrition security in the tropic countries. Food security Shelf life Postharvest loss Hexanal nano-fiber Electrospinning Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12 Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15 Figure 16 Figure 17 Figure 18 Figure 19 Figure 20 INTRODUCTION Tomatoes are highly perishable due to their climacteric pattern of respiration but they are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, which are often lacking in other vegetables [ 1 ]. They are also effective in treating stomach, liver, and spleen disorders however; excessive consumption has been reported to reduce sexual desire [ 2 ]. Tomato is one of the vegetables with the highest production both in the world and Nigeria. The tomato industry is one of the sub-sectors where Nigeria is highly advantaged. According to Chidiet al. [ 3 ], Nigeria is ranked as the second largest producer of tomato in Africa and thirteenth largest in the world producing 1.701 million tonnes of tomato annually at an average of 25–30 tonnes per hectare. However Nigeria still imports processed tomato paste to the tune of 65,809 tons valued at N11.7 billion ( $ 77.167 million) annually because about 50% of tomatoes produced are lost due to poor storage systems, poor packaging/transportation and lack of processing enterprises among others leading to high postharvest losses along the value chain[ 2 ].Agricultural experts say that continual loss of tomato produce due to undeveloped technologies usually leads to persistent price increases in the fruits due to constant demand. When the produce is in season, the prices are relatively stable but once they are beginning to go out of season the prices shoot up and this is made worse by the inability of farmers and traders to preserve the surplus usually harvested but is allowed to rot away. Extending the shelf-life of these fruits is very important for domestic and export marketing. Generally, shelf-life of tomato is extended by low temperature storage for several weeks. Balogun et al. [ 1 ] reported that storage at 13°C is needed for prolonging the shelf-life and increasing vitamin content of fruits without softening. Several postharvest technologies have been developed and applied to extend the shelf-life of tomato to reduce postharvest losses. These technologies include active modified atmosphere [ 4 ] dynamic controlled atmosphere [ 5 ], ethylene inhibition technology, heat treatments, edible coatings, preservation by chemical and natural compounds [ 6 ], and hexanal technology [ 7 ]. The use of hexanal technology offers humanly safe and cleaner preservation. The technology is environmentally friendly and economically viable [ 8 ]. Hexanal is a naturally occurring volatile compound that is produced when plant tissues are wounded Paliyath et al. [ 9 ]. It acts on phospholipase D to inhibit membrane degradation, which toughens the fruit skin and extends the shelf-life of fruits [ 10 ]. Hexanal has a molecular formula of C 6 H 12 O and a molecular mass of 100.1 g/mol. Hexanal exists in a liquid state at room temperature (25 ºC) and has a lower melting point of -20 ºC and a higher boiling point of 120 ºC. It has a very low vapour pressure of 10 mmHg at 20 ºC, and thus easily volatilizes when the temperature rises [ 9 ]. Hexanal is found in nearly 300 natural sources including apple, apricot, banana, sweet and sour cherries, citrus peel oil and juices, berries, guava [ 7 ]. Pre-harvest and postharvest applications of hexanal have shown encouraging results in extending the shelf-life of several fruits such as apple, banana, cherry, peach, strawberry; as well as vegetables, such as broccoli, tomato, and several fresh-cut vegetables. It is also viable for flowers, such as carnation and rose [ 11 – 16 ]. However, it has been reported that the direct/contact application of hexanal formulations on agricultural produce leave some traces (colourspots or patches) on the fruits hence, the need to develop an alternative way of application also the volatile nature of the compounds that make it evaporate easy have called for ways of sustained release to the fruit. The present work develops a hexanal nano-fiber matrix on aluminum sheet by electrospinning for noncontact exposure on tomato fruits to extend shelf-life without leaving traces on the samples. To the best of our knowledge, this noncontact method of hexanal nanomatrix delivery on tomato fruits for shelf-life extension would be reported for the first time in this work. It is hoped that the present research work would extend the literature for the novel delivery of hexanal for shelf-life extension of tomato fruits. Materials and Methods 2.2 Chemicals Hexanal (98% pure), polyvinyl alcohol, β-cyclodextrin, and sodium hypochlorite were purchased from Sigma Aldrich chemicals, India. All the chemicals were food grade absolute. 2.3 Fabrication of nano - fiber matrix by electrospinning Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solutions were prepared at 7% w/v by dissolving PVA in 10 mLs of distilled water at 60 \(\:℃\:\) using borosil hot-plate magnetic stirrer for 4 h under 300 rpm. β-cyclodextrin solution was prepared by dissolving 5 g of β-cyclodextrin in 10 mLs of distilled water at 60 \(\:℃\) under stirrer at 300 rpm for 4 h. The prepared PVA and β-cyclodextrin solutions were mixed and 2 mLs of hexanal was added to the solution and stirrer at 300 rpm for 2 h. Mono-axial delivery method of electrospinning was used for fiber development. The mixed solution was put into a 2.5 mLs plastic syringe fitted with a syringe holder on the electrospinning machine (model ESPIN-NANO, Physics Equipment's and Company, Chennai). The syringe was fixed horizontally with a syringe pump, and the electrode of the high voltage power supply was connected to the metal needle tip. Applied voltage was 26 kV. The solution flow rate was varied from 0.2 mL/h. The working distance between the needle tip and the aluminum template of size 30 \(\:\times\:\) 30 cm 2 was 15 cm. Figure 1 depicts image of the fabricated hexanal nano­fiber matrix. 2.4 Characterization of the synthesized nano-fiber matrix The prepared materials were characterized using scanning electron microscope (Quanta 250, FEI, Netherlands), transmission electron microscope (FEI Technai Sprit, Netherlands), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (Nicolet Is10, Thermo Scientific). This research work was carried out at the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore, India. 2.5 Preservation of tomato fruits using hexanal nano-fiber matrix The tomato fruits were sourced from a farmer in Tamil Nadu (10º18′20″ latitude and 77°62′12″ longitude) Coimbatore, India. The fruits were purchased on selective basis with 85% uniform maturity and transported to the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore, India. Before the treatments, fruits were cleaned with a disinfectant solution (2% sodium hypochlorite) for 5 min and shade dried. The fruits were divided into two lots (Lot 1 containing control/ untreated fruits and Lot 2 containing fruits treatedwith hexanalnano-fiber matrix exposure). The control fruits 3 kg were placed in a plastic crate of size 60 \(\:\times\:\) 40 \(\:\times\:\) 20 cm 3 for storage – Lot 1. For the Lot 2, the hexanal nano-fiber matrix was cut into pieces of size5 \(\:\:\times\:\:\) 5 cm 2 and placed directly on the inner top of the fruits packaging box (35 \(\:\times\:\) 25 \(\:\times\:\) 15 cm 3 ) containing 3 kg and then closed. As the fruits respired, they exhibit humidity that increased the relative humidity in the packaging environment which triggered the release of hexanal from the nano-fiber matrix and it’s taken in by the fruits (contactless treatment). Hexanal is known to inhibit the activities of phospholipase D enzymes which is responsible for ripening [ 9 ]. However, since it is an enzyme hexanal cannot completely stop it activities therefore ripening is delayed and shelf life is extended. The ambient temperature and relative humidity were measured using digital data loggers and found to be 30 ± 2˚C and 65 ± 2%, respectively. The number of days taken for the fruits to reach optimal edible ripe stage from the start date of experiment was counted and reported in days as the shelf-life. The experiment was replicated in triplicates to ensure accurate results. 2.6 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on quality parameters of tomato fruits 2.6.1 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on physiological weight loss Physiological weight loss was recorded by subtracting final weight from initial weight of the fruits and then expressed as percent weight loss with reference to the initial weight (Eq. 1). \(\:\text{P}\text{h}\text{y}\text{s}\text{i}\text{o}\text{l}\text{o}\text{g}\text{i}\text{c}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{l}\text{o}\text{s}\text{s}\:\text{i}\text{n}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\left(\text{%}\right)=\frac{\text{I}\text{n}\text{i}\text{t}\text{i}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\:\left(\text{g}\right)-\text{F}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\left(\text{g}\right)}{\text{I}\text{n}\text{i}\text{t}\text{i}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\:\left(\text{g}\right)}\times\:100\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:1\:\:\) 2.6.2 Change in firmness Fruits from each lot (Lot 1: control/ untreated, and Lot 2: treated) were assessed for firmness fruits using a penetrometer by penetrating to a depth of 1 cm. The values (kg) were converted and expressed as N/mm. 2.6.3 Percentage decay Fruit with more than 20% of the surface spoiled due to softening or microbial attack were considered as unacceptable and the decay percentage was calculated based on this parameter. The percentage decay (PD) was determined by removing the spoilt/decayed fruits and calculating as a ratio of the whole in percentage, according to Eq. 2. $$\:\mathbf{\%}\:\text{P}\text{D}\:=\frac{\text{N}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{d}\text{e}\text{c}\text{a}\text{y}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{f}\text{r}\text{u}\text{i}\text{t}\text{s}\:}{\text{T}\text{o}\text{t}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{n}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{f}\text{r}\text{u}\text{i}\text{t}\text{s}}\times\:100\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:\:2\:\:$$ 2.6.4 Colour Colours of fruits were assessed using a handheld colour spectrometer (HunterLab, MiniScanEZ, 4500 L). The samples were placed at the port of the instrument, ensuring the side of the sample facing the port. Care was taken to ensure the sample was flat against the port and the port was completely covered by the sample. The output values were interpreted as follows: The L* scale denotes Light versus Dark measurements, with lower values (0–50) indicating dark and higher values (51–100) indicating light. Thea* scale refers to Red versus Green measurements, with positive numbers indicating Red and negative values indicating Green. The b* scale denotes Yellow versus Blue measurements, with positive numbers indicating Yellow and negative numbers indicating blue measurements. 2.6.5 Estimation of pH and titratable acidity A digital pH meter (Model pH 211, HI Hanna Instruments, Italy) was used to measure the pH of the tomato juice while titratable acidity (expressed as citric acid %) was determined by titrating 5 mLs of tomato juice with 0.1N sodium hydroxide using phenolphthalein as an indicator [ 17 ]. Acidity was computed and expressed as per cent citric acid. 2.6.6 Total soluble solids (TSS) TSS in degree \(\:\:^\circ\:\) brix was directly measured using Abbe refractometer (Model: Bellingham & Stanley Limited, England) by placing a drop of supernatant on the prism of refractometer. The TSS values were noted through the eyepiece and expressed as °brix [ 18 ]. This was repeated thrice and the mean value noted and recorded as the refractive index. 2.7 Statistical analysis All data obtained in the study were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine significant differences between the means. Significance was accepted at P < 0.05. Results and Discussion 3.1 Surface morphology Figure 2 a shows SEM images of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix. Nanowires could be seen at the surface. The diameter of the nanowires ranged between 195.5 and 345.8 nm. 3.2 Transmission electron microscope Figure 2 b showed TEM image of the synthesized hexanal nano-fibre matrix. The bulge on the nanowire exhibited a diameter of 244.4 nm. The inflammation could be traced to the swelling property of PVA [ 19 , 20 ]. The nano-fibre consist of two concentric circles of which the inner one represents the hexanal molecules. The hexanal portion was found to be 151.2 nm out of the total diameter of 244.4 nm of the nano-fiber. This result agrees with other literature reports [ 21 , 22 ]. 3.3 Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy The FTIR spectrum of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix is depicted in Fig. 3 . The absorbance bands for OH, CH 2 , C-C and O-H are the characteristic spectral features of β-cyclodextrin. The mode at 1640 cm − 1 could be traced to the aldehyde functional group, which often appear as a shoulder peak to the right side of the alkyl C–H stretching. The carbonyl stretching C = O of saturated aldehyde appeared from 1356 cm − 1 . The band for β-cyclodextrin was observed at 1593 and 657 cm − 1 , while the band for PVA was seen at 796 cm − 1 , and that of hexanal located at 1692 cm − 1 , thus confirming the various components present in the synthesized nano-fiber matrix. Ranjan et al. [ 23 ] reported similar findings in FT-IR results, which confirmed the presence of the requisite components in the fiber matrix. The result also agrees with findings of Vivek [ 24 ] and Sambasivam et al. [ 25 ]. 3.4 Effect of hexanal nano-fiber matrix on the shelf-life of tomato fruits The effect of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix on the shelf-life of tomato fruits studied for 3-day intervals is illustrated in Figs. 4 – 12 . It could be seen that application of the hexanal nano-fibre matrix extended the shelf-life of tomato fruits for thirty-two days (Fig. 13 b), whereas the control/untreated fruits stayed good/attractive up to the 18th day only (Fig. 11 a). The fruits were stored at ambient conditions of temperature of 30 ± 2°C and relative humidity of 62 ± 2%. The results showed that the tomato fruits preserved with hexanal nano-fiber matrix demonstrated longer shelf-life than the control fruits. The data agrees with the observations of Anusuya et al. [ 12 ] for a pre-harvest spray and Jincy et al. [ 26 ] for post-harvest dip treatments with hexanal formulation. This data closely coincided with other observations [ 16 , 27 – 30 ] on the shelf-life elongation of fruits, such as pepper, banana, orange and mango using hexanal formation. The results showed that the treated fruits demonstrated a longer shelf-life than control. 3.5 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on the quality parameters of tomato fruits 3.5.1 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on physiological loss in weight (PLW%) on tomato fruits The effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on the PLW is presented in Table 1 . Table 1 . Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on PLW, firmness, percent decay and pH of tomato fruits during storage. Table 1 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on PLW, firmness, percent decay and pH of banana fruits during storage Sample PLW Firmness Percent Decay pH Control 7.94 ± 1.681 a 16.81 ± 1.529 a 10.22 ± 2.841 a 5.1 ± 0.034 a Treated 2.61 ± 0.381 b 22.48 ± 0.454 b 2.11 ± 0.494 b 5.02 ± 0.028 a LSD* F(1, 40) = 9.5336, p = 0.004 F(1, 40) = 12.6391, p = 0.001 F(1, 40) = 7.9048, p = 0.008 F(1, 40) = 3.6149, p = 0.064 Notes: - LSD*: Least significant difference (P < 0.05), (a, b): columns with different and the same superscript letters indicate statistical significance and non-significance, respectively, F: is a measure of variances of the group mean, P: is probability not due to chance (P > 0.05) or due to chance (P < 0.05) A 5% weight loss in fruits is considered to be the maximum acceptable limit above which the fruit shows shriveling and become unmarketable [ 31 ]. The weight of the tomato fruits gradually declined during storage for both control and treated fruits. Mean physiological loss in weight in control fruits was 7.94% whereas for the treated fruits was 2.61% (Fig. 14 ). There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in physiological weight loss between the control and treated tomato fruits (Table 1 ). Weight loss was much more evident in the control fruits. There was more than 5% weight loss in the control fruit; whereas, the fruit treated with hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix maintained lower weight loss during the storage period and helped in maintaining the marketability of the tomato fruit. This is in agreement with previous studies wherein hexanal formulation significantly decreased the weight loss of treated fruits as compared to control [ 32 ]. Biochemical changes induced after the application of hexanal may have helped preserve the membrane integrity and cell structure resulting in reduced catabolic processes and quality losses [ 33 , 34 ]. Also, Balogun et al. [ 1 ] reported a gradual loss in the weight of tomatoes during storage at ambient temperature. Reduction of weight loss by hexanal has been shown in other fruits such as sweet cherry [ 11 ] tomato [ 35 ] and guava [ 32 ]. Thus, suggesting that hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix is a potential alternative mechanism for sustained hexanal delivery. 3.5.2 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on firmness of tomato fruits Result of effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on firmness of tomato fruits is presented in Fig. 14 and Table 1 . Firmness is one of the most important quality parameters which is closely associated with ripeness and shelf life of the fruit and vegetables. A continuous and gradual decline in fruit firmness was observed in control and treated fruits during the storage period. Fruit treated with hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix showed enhanced firmness than the control fruit (Fig. 14 ). There was a significant difference in firmness of the treated and control fruits (Table 1 ). Treated fruits firmness reduced to 21.3N/mm on day eighteenth whereas that of control fruits had reduced to 5.1N/mm on the same day. Higher firmness in hexanal treated fruits could be due to the inhibition of Phospholipase D, enzymes by hexanal thus slows down ethylene stimulation of fruit ripening and softening processes thereby maintaining the membrane integrity. Also, Tiwari and Paliyath [ 33 ], Cheema et al. [ 35 ], Gill et al. [ 32 ] found similar results in sweat cherries, tomato and guava using hexanal formulation. However, the drawbacks for their methods were appearance of spots/patches on the surface of the fruits, making it unattractive. 3.5.3 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on percentage decay (%) of tomato fruits Figure 16 illustrates the results of effect of hexanal nano­fibre matrix treatment on percentage decay of tomato fruit. Fruit with more than 20% of the surface spoiled due to softening or microbial attack were considered as unacceptable and based on this percentage decay was calculated. The effect of hexanal electrospun nano ­ fiber on decay fruits was investigated. Less decay %was observed in fruit treated with hexanal than in the control (Fig. 15 ). There was a significant difference in the decay percentages between the control (10.22 ± 2.841 a ) and treated (2.11 ± 0.494 b ) fruits (Table 1 ). The fruits in control showed 10.22% decay on the sixth day whereas hexanal electrospun nano ­ fiber treated fruits exhibited only 2.11% decay. This could be as a result of the antibacterial properties of hexanal that acts against fruits bacterial as reported by Kaur et al. [ 15 ] and Thavong et al. [ 36 ]. This also agrees with Gill et al. [ 32 ] that guava fruits treated with (0.015% V/V) hexanal showed minimum decay incidence, reduced PMF activity, increased firmness, total soluble solids, acidity, pectin and phenol contents and also maintained quality up to 4 weeks. Increased spoilage in control may be due to early ripening. 3.5.4 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on change in pH of tomato fruits Figure 17 shows the effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on pH of tomato fruits. The pH and total titratable acidity are important postharvest quality attributes in the assessment of fruit ripening quality. Thus, the pulp pH could be used as an index of ripening. The pH of the tomato fruit pulp was found to progressively increase with the storage period (Fig. 16 ). The pH values of the control fruits increased from 4.8–5.3 on the 18th day of storage, whereas that of treated tomato fruits increased from 4.8–5.1. There was more increased in the control fruits than in the treated fruits, signifying more ripening. Agbabiaka et al. [ 37 ] reported similar pH values within the range of 4.90 to 5.40. Changes in pH may be due to metabolic activities of tomato fruit. It was observed that the treated fruits retained lower pH even at the final stage of storage (32th day), as also reported by Subramanian et al. [ 38 ]. This change in the pH may be due to lesser rate of respiration and metabolic activity [ 35 ]. The pH was not statistically significant. 3.5.5 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on change in total soluble solids content of tomato fruits Fig. 17. Shows the effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on TSS of fruits. The total soluble solids content of tomatoes fruits increased during the storage period for control and treated. Maximum TSS content of 13.4° Brix was recorded at eighteenth day for control and11.4 ° Brix for treated fruits on the same day. The hexanal nano ­ fiber treatment did not show any significant (P < 0.05) effect on the TSS between the control and treated fruits (Table 2 ). The developed hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix showed lower increase in TSS content79.96% compared to control of 113.23%. Naik et al. [ 39 ] reported that the increase in TSS of tomato fruits could be due to excessive moisture loss which increases concentration as well as the hydrolysis of carbohydrates to soluble sugars. Similar result was published by Kumar et al. [ 40 ] in tomato. Table 2 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on TSS, TA and total colour index of tomato fruits. Sample TSS TA Colour Total colour index Control 11.08 ± 0.593 a 1.02 ± 0.062 a 7.56 ± 2.369 a -1.43 ± 1.463 a Treated 10.11 ± 0.441 a 1.87 ± 0.05 b 12.86 ± 1.609 a -2.56 ± 0.607 b LSD* F(1, 40) = 1.732, p = 0.196 F(1, 40) = 52.117, p = 0.0 F(1, 26) = 3.274, p = 0.082 F(1, 26) = 7.998, p = 0.009 LSD* Least Significant Difference (P < 0.05), columns with different and the same letters indicate statistical significance and non-significance 3.6.6 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on change in titratable acidity (citric acid/ percent) on tomato fruits. A decline TA was recorded across the storage period for control and treated fruits. Reduction in TA during ripening is an expected event, as it renders the fruit less acidic and sour. Since organic acid such as citric acid and malic acid are primary acid during respiration, a reduction in acidity is expected in fruit ripening, according to Ugonna et al. [ 41 ]. Titratable acidity in tomato fruits gradually decreased with time during the ripening period with significant difference between the treated and the control fruits (Table 2 ). This is an indication that the hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix had a positive effect on the titratable acidity. The faster the reduction in acidity the faster the senescence. The presence of hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix might therefore reduce the rate of respiration and delay the use of organic acids which will result in lower loss of acidity in ripped tomato thereby delaying ripening in the fruits. 3.5.7 Effect of hexanal nano ­ fiber matrix treatment on change in colour of tomato fruits Figure 19 . Illustrates the effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on the colour of tomato fruits, whereas, Fig. 21 shows the effect of hexanal treatment on total colour index of the tomato fruits. Changes in the colour intensity and quality are the major parameters to indicate the maturity and quality of fresh tomato and development of red colour is considered as an index of repining. The colour values (L*, a* b*) of the hexanal treated tomato was found to increase (during storage) for both the control and treated fruits (Fig. 19 ). The change in colour values of L* and a* could be attributed to the lightness of fruits, loss of chlorophyll content on ripening, and increment in b* value due to an increase in carotenoids contents of the fruit on ripening. The hexanal treatment had a significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect on the total colour index values (L*, a*, b*) of tomato fruits during storage (Fig. 20 ). The chroma value measured as a* indicated the intensity of greenness. The value tends towards less negative, showing the progression in ripening. The hexanal treated fruits showed lower (more negative) values indicating delayed ripening, hence its efficacy on fruits preservation. This agrees with the observation reported by Anusuya et al. [ 12 ] and Gill et al. [ 32 ]. The reduced red colour intensity in treated tomato fruits is a clear indication that ripening processes were inhibited by the hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix. Conclusion In summary, this study developed and applied a novel hexanal nano-fiber matrix in the packaging of tomato fruits. The synthesized nanomatrix was characterized using SEM, TEM, and FT-IR measurements, which confirmed the entrapment of hexanal molecules in the nano-fiber matrix. The fabricated nanomatrix exhibited amorphous crystal structure and nanowire morphology. The FT-IR spectrum revealed several bands that correspond to the molecular bonds of the various components of the nanomatrix. The characteristic peak of hexanal was detected in the region of 1894-1147cm − 1 . Shelf-life studies showed that the fabricated hexanal nano-fiber matrix extended the shelf-life of tomato fruits up to 32 days under ambient conditions unlike the control fruits which stay good for 18 days. Effect of the hexanal nano-fibre matrix treatment on quality parameters of the treated tomato fruits demonstrated better/higher quality attributes, such as lower PLW, higher firmness, lower percentage decay, lower pH, lower TSS and higher TA, and best colour. These suggested that the prepared hexanal nano-fiber matrix is very effective for the preservation/storage of tomato fruits to extend shelf-life. It is hoped that the efficacy of the novel hexanal nano-fiber matrix for shelf-life extension of tomato fruits can have significant economic and environmental benefits, especially in African countries like Nigeria where uninterrupted/steady public electricity supply for running cold rooms is lacking. Hence a farmer that takes his treated tomato fruits to the market and could not sale can still wait for 32 days with the fruits still maintaining higher firmness and TA, less PLW, percentage decay, pH, TSS and better colour which are indices of fresh fruits. Declarations Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. Author Contribution K.E. Gbabe: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Software, Writing- Original draft preparation. M.O. Eke: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing- reviewing and editing. D. Ahure: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing- reviewing and editing. I.G. Adarabierin: Software. P. R, Jubu: Software, Writing- reviewing and editing. M. A. Omodara: Writing- reviewing and editing. K.S. Subramanian: Methodology, Visualization, Supervision. M. Prasanthrajan: Methodology, Supervision. J. Mohanraj: Formal analysis. Acknowledgement The authors would like to extended appreciation to Mekthaddy Empowerment Foundation and Center for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University Makurdi and Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute. We appreciate the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore, India. Data availability Data will be made available on request. References Balogun AA, Ariahu CC, Ikya JK (2019) Quality Evaluation of Fresh Tomato Stored in Evaporative Coolers. Asian Food Sci J 11(3):1–8 Article no. AFSJ.50371. 10.9734/AFSJ/2019/v11i330063 Safiyaa M, Jamila Y, Woldemariam W (2016) Effect of Hot Water Treatments on Shelf Life of Tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum Mill). J Nat Sci Res 6, 17 Chidi A (2012) Tomato, Nutritious Vegetable: Huge Investment Opportunity. 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US patent # 6. 514(914):249 Paliyath G, Pinhero RG, Yada RY, Murr DP (1999) Effect of Processing Conditions on Phospholipase D Activity of Corn Kernel Subcellular Fractions. J Agric Food Chem 47:2579–2588 Sharma M, Jacob JK, Subramanian J, Paliyath G (2010) Hexanal and 1-MCP Treatments for Enhancing the Shelf life and Quality of Sweet Cherry ( Prunusavium L). Sci Hortic 125:239–247 Anusya P, Nagaraj R, Janavi GJ, Subramanian KS, Paliyath G, Subramanian J (2016) Pre-harvest sprays of hexanal formulation for extending retention and shelf-life of mango (Magiferaindica L.) fruits. Scientia Horticulturarae 210:221–230 El Kayal W, Dowling C, Paliyath G, Sullivan JA, Subramanian J (2017) Effect of Preharvest Application of Hexanal and Growth Regulators in Enhancing Shelf-life and Regulation of Membrane Associated Genes in Strawberry. Hortic Res 4:1109–1120 Kumar SK, El Kayal W, Sullivan JA, Paliyath G, Jayasankar S (2018) Pre-harvest application of hexanal formulation enhances shelf life and quality of ‘Fantasia’ nectarines by regulating membrane and cell wall catabolism-associated genes. Scientia Horticultura 229(4):117–124 Kaur S, Arora NK, Gill KBS, Sharma S, Gill MIS (2019) Hexanal formulation reduces rachis browning and post-harvest losses in table grapes cv. ‘Flame Seedless ’ Scientia Horticultura 248(1):265–273 Baltazari S, Gholami M, Kavousi M (2023) Effect of hexanal on postharvest quality and antioxidant activity of peach fruit. Sci Hort 277:109890 AOAC. (2005) Official methods of analysis of the association of official analytical chemists, 22nd Ed, Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington D.C. Padda MS, Amarante RM, Garcia DC, Slaughter, Mitcham EJ (2011) Methods to analyze physico-chemical changes during mango ripening: A Multivariate Approach. Postharvest Biol Technol 62:267–274 Deitzel J, Kleinmeyer M, Harris J, Tan D, N., B (2001) Effect of Processing Variables on the Morphology of Electrospun Nanofibers. Polymer 42:261–272 Asli CA, Uyar T (2013) Green and One-step Synthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Incorporated into Electrospun Cyclodextrin Nanofibers. RSC Adv 3(26):10197–10201 Jan N, Amreena KS, Subramanian S, Ganapathy J, Mohanraj, Govindaraju K (2022) Nano-fiber enabled regulated release of hexanal vapor and its impact on shelf life of mango fruits. Polym Bull. 1–17 Pradeep D, Subramanian K, S. and, Malaichamy K (2019) Development and characterization of cellulosic nanofibre matrix loaded with hexanal. International Journal of Chemical Studies 2019; 7(4): 71–74 Ranjan S, Chandrasekaran R, Paliyath G, Lim LT, Subramanian J (2020) Effect of Hexanal Loaded Electrospun Fiber in Fruit Packaging to Enhance the Post-Harvest Quality of Peach. Food Packag Shelf life 23;100447 Vivek R (2015) Hexanal and βCyclodextrin Complex for Slow Release of Hexanal to Enhance Shelf-life of Mango ( Mangiferaindica ), Thesis, TNAU, Coimbatore Sambasevam T, Kavirajaa P, Sharifah M, Norazilawati M, Atiqah I (2013) Synthesis and Characterization of the Inclusion Complex of β-cyclodextrin and Azomethine. Int J Mol Sci 14(2):3671–3682 Jincy M, Djanaguiraman M, Jeyakumar P, Subramanian K, Jayasankar S, Paliyath G (2017) Inhibition of Phospholipase D Enzyme Activity through Hexanal Leads to Delayed Mango (Mangiferaindica L.) Fruit Ripening through Changes in Oxidants and Antioxidant Enzymes Activity. Sci Hort 218:316–325 Cheema A, Paliyath G, Padmanabhan P, Amer A, Parry MJ, Lim L, Subramanian J (2018) Postharvest hexanal vapor treatment delays ripening and enhances shelf life of greenhouse grown sweet bell pepper. Postharvest Biol Technol 136:80–89 Muthuvel I, Srivignesh S, Mutharasu P, Kavino M, Subramanian KS (2019) Shelf-Life Extension of Banana (Musa Spp.) Using Hexanal Formulation as a Post-Harvest Dip. 38(6):1–12 Samwel J, Msogoya T, Kudra A, Mtui H, Baltazari A, Sullivan J, Subramanian J, Mwatawala M (2020) Pre-Harvest Field Application of Enhanced Freshness Formulation Reduces Yield Loss in Orange. Chem Biol Technol Agric 7(1):1–5 Preethi P, Soorianathasundaram K, Sadasakthi A, Subramanian K, Paliyath G, Subramanian J (2018) Influence of Hexanal Formulation on Storage Life and Post-harvest Quality of Mango Fruits. J Environ Biol 39:1006–1014 Wills RB, McGlasson D, Graham, Joyce D (1998) Postharvest: An Introduction to the Physiology and Handling of Fruit, Vegetables and Ornamentals (4th edition). CAB International, Wallingford Oxen 10 8 DE, U.K., pp: 262 Gill KS, Dhaliwal HS, Mahajan BV, Paliyath G, Boora RS (2015) Enhancing Postharvest Shelf-life and Quality of Guava ( Psidiumguajava L.) cv. Allahabad Safedaby Pre-harvest Application of Hexanal Containing Aqueous Formulation. Postharvest Biol Technol 112:224–232 Tiwari K, Paliyath G (2011) Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Microarray analysis of ripening-regulated gene expression and its modulation by 1-MCP and hexanal. Plant Physiol Biochem 49(3):329–340 Paliyath G, Subramanian J (2008) Phospholipase D Inhibition Technology for Enhancing Shelf life and Quality. In: Paliyath G, Murr DP, Handa AK, Lurie S (eds) Postharvest Biology and Technology of Fruits, Vegetable, and Flowers, I st ed. Wiley-Blackwell, USA, pp 195–239 Cheema A, Padmanabhan P, Subramanian J, Blom T, Paliyath G (2014) Postharvest Biology and Technology Improving Quality of Greenhouse Tomato (SolanumLycopersicum L) by Pre- and Postharvest Applications of Hexanal-Containing Formulations. Postharvest Biol Technol 95:13–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2014.03.012 Thavong P, Archbold DD, Pankasemsuk T, Koslanund R (2010) Hexanalvapours suppress spore germination, mycelial growth and fungal-derived cell wall degradingenzymes of postharvest pathogens of longan fruit. ChiangMai J Sci 38(1):139–150 Agbabiaka TO, Saliu BK, Sule IO, Oyeyiola GP, Odedina GF (2015) Microbial deterioration of tomato fruit (lycopersiconesculentum) sold in here popular markets in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Fountain J Nat Appl Sci 4(1):10–18 Subramanian KS, Kanmani V, Muthuve I, Sundaresan S, Janaki JG, Sullivan JA, Paliyath G, Subramanian J (2017) Post-harvest Dip of Enhanced Freshness Formulation to Extend the Shelf life of Banana (Musa acuminata cv. Grand Naine) in India. Tropical Agriculture 95 Special Issue 1 Naik DM, Muhekar VK, Chandel CG, Kapse BM (2013) Effect of prepackaging on physico-chemical Changes in tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum Mill) during storage. Indian Food Pack. 9–13 Kumar SK, El Kayal W, Sullivan JA, Paliyath G, Jayasankar S (2018) Pre-harvest application of hexanal formulationenhances shelf life and quality of ‘Fantasia’ nectarinesby regulating membrane and cell wall catabolism-associatedgenes. Scientia Horticultura 229(4):117–124 Ugonna CU, Jolaoso MA, Onwualu AP (2015) Tomato value chain in Nigeria: Issues, challenges and strategies. J Sci Res Rep 7(7):501–515 Article no. JSRR.2015. 231 ISSN: 2320 – 0227 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4749771","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":333750509,"identity":"c649a538-4193-4fca-94d5-9293405ac8e4","order_by":0,"name":"Kwaghgba Elijah Gbabe","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACCQY2IGnBw9jAw/gAyJUhVosESAuzAYhBtBYg5mEDkwR1yEc3P3vwoUJChrn97LGqGzUWPAzsh49uwKfF8M4xc8MZZ4AO68lLu51zDOgwnrS0G3i1zEgwk+ZtA/klx+x2DhtQiwSPGQEt6d+k//4Daul/Y1ac848ILfISOWbSjA1ALTNyzJhz24jQYiBzptyw5xhIyxtj6dw+CR42Qn6Rn92+7cGPGht7w/4cw8853+rk+NkPH8NvywGYpxqgDDZ8ysG2wFTKE1I5CkbBKBgFIxcAAOgEQZO4VXt+AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Center for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University Makurdi,","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kwaghgba","middleName":"Elijah","lastName":"Gbabe","suffix":""},{"id":333750510,"identity":"0f3a32ca-960c-4c4d-b916-2f3f6f52de6e","order_by":1,"name":"Mike Ojotu Eke","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Center for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University Makurdi,","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mike","middleName":"Ojotu","lastName":"Eke","suffix":""},{"id":333750511,"identity":"3567741b-3543-4fd1-b790-0ab6533d9081","order_by":2,"name":"Dinnah Ahure","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Center for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University Makurdi,","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dinnah","middleName":"","lastName":"Ahure","suffix":""},{"id":333750512,"identity":"70b2ee79-9a28-4c82-a29e-2bb2ff03b4a2","order_by":3,"name":"Imoleayo Gabriel Adarabierin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute Ilorin, Kwara state Nigeria,","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Imoleayo","middleName":"Gabriel","lastName":"Adarabierin","suffix":""},{"id":333750513,"identity":"859f33dd-5cda-437b-9113-e1b430efa832","order_by":4,"name":"Peverga Rex Jubu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Joseph SarwuanTarka University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Peverga","middleName":"Rex","lastName":"Jubu","suffix":""},{"id":333750514,"identity":"8cc3ca5e-56ca-478e-beda-f6b42803fef3","order_by":5,"name":"Michael Ayodele Omodara","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute Ilorin, Kwara state Nigeria,","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Michael","middleName":"Ayodele","lastName":"Omodara","suffix":""},{"id":333750515,"identity":"b71b8c2e-568f-4af4-bd3b-dd85abf5db99","order_by":6,"name":"Kizhaeral Sevathapandian Subramanian","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kizhaeral","middleName":"Sevathapandian","lastName":"Subramanian","suffix":""},{"id":333750516,"identity":"c35a0899-55ce-45be-8c59-0e98a7eac4ad","order_by":7,"name":"M. 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12:38:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4749771/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4749771/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":62653233,"identity":"a214ebdf-7f7e-4122-9a29-919e59e94698","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":18062,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eImage of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/1f9e30d32d0f745b42dd4397.jpg"},{"id":62654270,"identity":"dfb7c94a-971d-4307-a323-56a3cdb38c70","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:22:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":126152,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e(a)SEM 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tomato fruits, and (b)Treated fruits on the day 1.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/a74be1b111e3bb79fee0f375.jpg"},{"id":62654271,"identity":"0ba3ca43-2bd9-4cd6-a529-282b50ddc1fc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:22:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":105094,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAppearance of the (a) Control tomato fruits, (b)Treated fruits on the day 3.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/ed66ae947fc6b96704c2b07d.jpg"},{"id":62653251,"identity":"e7222364-c746-421e-b38b-e704c6f9ba10","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":108754,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAppearance of the (a) Control tomato fruits, (b)Treated fruits on the day 6.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/2130a6d46b75af3c8a407e29.jpg"},{"id":62653237,"identity":"817a504b-b393-43e9-a772-875893739fc8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":105709,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAppearance of the (a) Control tomato fruits, (b)Treated fruits on the day 9.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/32e2d3fc6603a1833a0975ea.jpg"},{"id":62653596,"identity":"2215a188-1380-40a8-a43a-f4c85d2d297a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:14:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":90223,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAppearance of the 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of the (a) Control tomato fruits, (b)Treated fruits on the day 18.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"10.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/65ab73d2986442a55cf8a7b3.jpg"},{"id":62653243,"identity":"8d17d001-aba5-4ca2-9db9-f169a7153572","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":11,"title":"Figure 11","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":81309,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAppearance of the (b) Treated tomato fruits day 21, (b)Treated fruits on the day 24.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"11.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/95568004a3a787afbb4753e5.jpg"},{"id":62653244,"identity":"c36a9356-aa13-4e0b-a159-cb0c9a84ef66","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":12,"title":"Figure 12","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":78913,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eAppearance of the (b) Treated tomato fruits day 27, (b)Treated fruits on the day 32.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"12.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/19df04cf6e9f1d0fee988560.jpg"},{"id":62653245,"identity":"0d1e242c-161e-457d-883f-b89e3e8413c4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":13,"title":"Figure 13","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":30994,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix treatment on PLW of tomato fruits. The bars in the line graph represent the standard error of three replicates.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"13.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/2a59552c3cfab9df4c711414.jpg"},{"id":62653252,"identity":"70097508-d0b4-4f86-8b23-a3ad210e606a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":14,"title":"Figure 14","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":34565,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal electrospun nano­fiber matrix treatment on firmness of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"14.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/8496fd5ad04121d772c19579.jpg"},{"id":62653242,"identity":"85b20d51-fdc5-42e3-85c2-bf8a36a8de0c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":15,"title":"Figure 15","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":32113,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on percentage decay of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"15.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/7c9f42f49884df2c9e29d78b.jpg"},{"id":62653246,"identity":"209ac154-dab2-4b25-b719-8e4e94da39f3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":16,"title":"Figure 16","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":43479,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on pH of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"16.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/5feb70b28e30b7c59de0dcb5.jpg"},{"id":62653238,"identity":"4a8a69ab-abe6-4d09-aefa-57e5f00b58e0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:35","extension":"jpg","order_by":17,"title":"Figure 17","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":35150,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on total soluble solid of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"17.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/0405c0c7b70fdb72721134be.jpg"},{"id":62653253,"identity":"296ae7db-fa8a-486f-ae6a-1c16fa145a57","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":18,"title":"Figure 18","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":34916,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal on titratable acidity of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"18.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/c45db15a7a115e9ad596b56c.jpg"},{"id":62653247,"identity":"26211a2d-c1a6-4bf8-818c-80611344a2fa","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":19,"title":"Figure 19","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":42544,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on change in colour of tomato fruits\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"19.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/e39b88635002a56578fa2694.jpg"},{"id":62653248,"identity":"c20a449a-0c45-4d6d-bae8-4716e6c1973e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:06:36","extension":"jpg","order_by":20,"title":"Figure 20","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":45569,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on total colour index of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"20.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/a52f4fcce508d9917b63d99d.jpg"},{"id":62655084,"identity":"1e1150cc-7901-4f2f-bd24-abe18a867e98","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-17 01:30:37","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2176358,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4749771/v1/c32c455d-39c4-4dd2-8cdf-38a6cf891ce2.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Effect of Electrospun Hexanal Nano-fibre Matrix on Quality Parameters of Tomato Fruits during Storage","fulltext":[{"header":"INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eTomatoes are highly perishable due to their climacteric pattern of respiration but they are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, which are often lacking in other vegetables [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. They are also effective in treating stomach, liver, and spleen disorders however; excessive consumption has been reported to reduce sexual desire [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Tomato is one of the vegetables with the highest production both in the world and Nigeria. The tomato industry is one of the sub-sectors where Nigeria is highly advantaged. According to Chidiet al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e], Nigeria is ranked as the second largest producer of tomato in Africa and thirteenth largest in the world producing 1.701\u0026nbsp;million tonnes of tomato annually at an average of 25–30 tonnes per hectare. However Nigeria still imports processed tomato paste to the tune of 65,809 tons valued at N11.7\u0026nbsp;billion (\u003cspan\u003e$\u003c/span\u003e77.167\u0026nbsp;million) annually because about 50% of tomatoes produced are lost due to poor storage systems, poor packaging/transportation and lack of processing enterprises among others leading to high postharvest losses along the value chain[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e].Agricultural experts say that continual loss of tomato produce due to undeveloped technologies usually leads to persistent price increases in the fruits due to constant demand. When the produce is in season, the prices are relatively stable but once they are beginning to go out of season the prices shoot up and this is made worse by the inability of farmers and traders to preserve the surplus usually harvested but is allowed to rot away. Extending the shelf-life of these fruits is very important for domestic and export marketing. Generally, shelf-life of tomato is extended by low temperature storage for several weeks. Balogun et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e] reported that storage at 13°C is needed for prolonging the shelf-life and increasing vitamin content of fruits without softening. Several postharvest technologies have been developed and applied to extend the shelf-life of tomato to reduce postharvest losses. These technologies include active modified atmosphere [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e] dynamic controlled atmosphere [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e], ethylene inhibition technology, heat treatments, edible coatings, preservation by chemical and natural compounds [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e], and hexanal technology [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. The use of hexanal technology offers humanly safe and cleaner preservation. The technology is environmentally friendly and economically viable [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHexanal is a naturally occurring volatile compound that is produced when plant tissues are wounded Paliyath et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. It acts on phospholipase D to inhibit membrane degradation, which toughens the fruit skin and extends the shelf-life of fruits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. Hexanal has a molecular formula of C\u003csub\u003e6\u003c/sub\u003eH\u003csub\u003e12\u003c/sub\u003eO and a molecular mass of 100.1 g/mol. Hexanal exists in a liquid state at room temperature (25 ºC) and has a lower melting point of -20 ºC and a higher boiling point of 120 ºC. It has a very low vapour pressure of 10 mmHg at 20 ºC, and thus easily volatilizes when the temperature rises [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. Hexanal is found in nearly 300 natural sources including apple, apricot, banana, sweet and sour cherries, citrus peel oil and juices, berries, guava [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. Pre-harvest and postharvest applications of hexanal have shown encouraging results in extending the shelf-life of several fruits such as apple, banana, cherry, peach, strawberry; as well as vegetables, such as broccoli, tomato, and several fresh-cut vegetables. It is also viable for flowers, such as carnation and rose [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR12 CR13 CR14 CR15\" citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e–\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. However, it has been reported that the direct/contact application of hexanal formulations on agricultural produce leave some traces (colourspots or patches) on the fruits hence, the need to develop an alternative way of application also the volatile nature of the compounds that make it evaporate easy have called for ways of sustained release to the fruit.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe present work develops a hexanal nano-fiber matrix on aluminum sheet by electrospinning for noncontact exposure on tomato fruits to extend shelf-life without leaving traces on the samples. To the best of our knowledge, this noncontact method of hexanal nanomatrix delivery on tomato fruits for shelf-life extension would be reported for the first time in this work. It is hoped that the present research work would extend the literature for the novel delivery of hexanal for shelf-life extension of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Materials and Methods","content":"\u003ch2\u003e2.2 Chemicals\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eHexanal (98% pure), polyvinyl alcohol, β-cyclodextrin, and sodium hypochlorite were purchased from Sigma Aldrich chemicals, India. All the chemicals were food grade absolute.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.3 Fabrication of nano\u003c/b\u003e-\u003cb\u003efiber matrix by electrospinning\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePolyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solutions were prepared at 7% w/v by dissolving PVA in 10 mLs of distilled water at 60 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:℃\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eusing borosil hot-plate magnetic stirrer for 4 h under 300 rpm. β-cyclodextrin solution was prepared by dissolving 5 g of β-cyclodextrin in 10 mLs of distilled water at 60 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:℃\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e under stirrer at 300 rpm for 4 h. The prepared PVA and β-cyclodextrin solutions were mixed and 2 mLs of hexanal was added to the solution and stirrer at 300 rpm for 2 h. Mono-axial delivery method of electrospinning was used for fiber development. The mixed solution was put into a 2.5 mLs plastic syringe fitted with a syringe holder on the electrospinning machine (model ESPIN-NANO, Physics Equipment's and Company, Chennai). The syringe was fixed horizontally with a syringe pump, and the electrode of the high voltage power supply was connected to the metal needle tip. Applied voltage was 26 kV. The solution flow rate was varied from 0.2 mL/h. The working distance between the needle tip and the aluminum template of size 30 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\times\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e 30 cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e was 15 cm. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e depicts image of the fabricated hexanal nano­fiber matrix.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.4 Characterization of the synthesized nano-fiber matrix\u003c/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe prepared materials were characterized using scanning electron microscope (Quanta 250, FEI, Netherlands), transmission electron microscope (FEI Technai Sprit, Netherlands), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (Nicolet Is10, Thermo Scientific). This research work was carried out at the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore, India.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e2.5 Preservation of tomato fruits using hexanal nano-fiber matrix\u003c/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe tomato fruits were sourced from a farmer in Tamil Nadu (10º18′20″ latitude and 77°62′12″ longitude) Coimbatore, India. The fruits were purchased on selective basis with 85% uniform maturity and transported to the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore, India. Before the treatments, fruits were cleaned with a disinfectant solution (2% sodium hypochlorite) for 5 min and shade dried. The fruits were divided into two lots (Lot 1 containing control/ untreated fruits and Lot 2 containing fruits treatedwith hexanalnano-fiber matrix exposure). The control fruits 3 kg were placed in a plastic crate of size 60 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\times\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e 40 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\times\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e 20 cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e for storage – Lot 1. For the Lot 2, the hexanal nano-fiber matrix was cut into pieces of size5\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\:\\times\\:\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e5 cm\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e and placed directly on the inner top of the fruits packaging box (35 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\times\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e 25 \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\times\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e 15 cm\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e) containing 3 kg and then closed. As the fruits respired, they exhibit humidity that increased the relative humidity in the packaging environment which triggered the release of hexanal from the nano-fiber matrix and it’s taken in by the fruits (contactless treatment). Hexanal is known to inhibit the activities of phospholipase D enzymes which is responsible for ripening [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. However, since it is an enzyme hexanal cannot completely stop it activities therefore ripening is delayed and shelf life is extended. The ambient temperature and relative humidity were measured using digital data loggers and found to be 30 ± 2˚C and 65 ± 2%, respectively. The number of days taken for the fruits to reach optimal edible ripe stage from the start date of experiment was counted and reported in days as the shelf-life. The experiment was replicated in triplicates to ensure accurate results.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on quality parameters of tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6.1 Effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix on physiological weight loss\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhysiological weight loss was recorded by subtracting final weight from initial weight of the fruits and then expressed as percent weight loss with reference to the initial weight (Eq.\u0026nbsp;1). \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{P}\\text{h}\\text{y}\\text{s}\\text{i}\\text{o}\\text{l}\\text{o}\\text{g}\\text{i}\\text{c}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{l}\\text{o}\\text{s}\\text{s}\\:\\text{i}\\text{n}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\left(\\text{%}\\right)=\\frac{\\text{I}\\text{n}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{i}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\:\\left(\\text{g}\\right)-\\text{F}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\left(\\text{g}\\right)}{\\text{I}\\text{n}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{i}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\:\\left(\\text{g}\\right)}\\times\\:100\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:1\\:\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6.2 Change in firmness\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFruits from each lot (Lot 1: control/ untreated, and Lot 2: treated) were assessed for firmness fruits using a penetrometer by penetrating to a depth of 1 cm. The values (kg) were converted and expressed as N/mm.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6.3 Percentage decay\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFruit with more than 20% of the surface spoiled due to softening or microbial attack were considered as unacceptable and the decay percentage was calculated based on this parameter. The percentage decay (PD) was determined by removing the spoilt/decayed fruits and calculating as a ratio of the whole in percentage, according to Eq.\u0026nbsp;2.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\u003cdiv format=\"TEX\" class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e\n$$\\:\\mathbf{\\%}\\:\\text{P}\\text{D}\\:=\\frac{\\text{N}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{d}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{a}\\text{y}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{f}\\text{r}\\text{u}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{s}\\:}{\\text{T}\\text{o}\\text{t}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{n}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{f}\\text{r}\\text{u}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{s}}\\times\\:100\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:\\:2\\:\\:$$\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6.4 Colour\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eColours of fruits were assessed using a handheld colour spectrometer (HunterLab, MiniScanEZ, 4500 L). The samples were placed at the port of the instrument, ensuring the side of the sample facing the port. Care was taken to ensure the sample was flat against the port and the port was completely covered by the sample. The output values were interpreted as follows: The L* scale denotes Light versus Dark measurements, with lower values (0–50) indicating dark and higher values (51–100) indicating light. Thea* scale refers to Red versus Green measurements, with positive numbers indicating Red and negative values indicating Green. The b* scale denotes Yellow versus Blue measurements, with positive numbers indicating Yellow and negative numbers indicating blue measurements.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6.5 Estimation of pH and titratable acidity\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA digital pH meter (Model pH 211, HI Hanna Instruments, Italy) was used to measure the pH of the tomato juice while titratable acidity (expressed as citric acid %) was determined by titrating 5 mLs of tomato juice with 0.1N sodium hydroxide using phenolphthalein as an indicator [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Acidity was computed and expressed as per cent citric acid.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.6.6 Total soluble solids (TSS)\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTSS in degree\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\:^\\circ\\:\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003ebrix was directly measured using Abbe refractometer (Model: Bellingham \u0026amp; Stanley Limited, England) by placing a drop of supernatant on the prism of refractometer. The TSS values were noted through the eyepiece and expressed as °brix [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. This was repeated thrice and the mean value noted and recorded as the refractive index.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.7 Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll data obtained in the study were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine significant differences between the means. Significance was accepted at P \u0026lt; 0.05.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1 Surface morphology\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003ea shows SEM images of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix. Nanowires could be seen at the surface. The diameter of the nanowires ranged between 195.5 and 345.8 nm.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2 Transmission electron microscope\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003eb showed TEM image of the synthesized hexanal nano-fibre matrix. The bulge on the nanowire exhibited a diameter of 244.4 nm. The inflammation could be traced to the swelling property of PVA [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. The nano-fibre consist of two concentric circles of which the inner one represents the hexanal molecules. The hexanal portion was found to be 151.2 nm out of the total diameter of 244.4 nm of the nano-fiber. This result agrees with other literature reports [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3 Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe FTIR spectrum of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix is depicted in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. The absorbance bands for OH, CH\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, C-C and O-H are the characteristic spectral features of β-cyclodextrin. The mode at 1640 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e could be traced to the aldehyde functional group, which often appear as a shoulder peak to the right side of the alkyl C\u0026ndash;H stretching. The carbonyl stretching C\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;O of saturated aldehyde appeared from 1356 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. The band for β-cyclodextrin was observed at 1593 and 657 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, while the band for PVA was seen at 796 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, and that of hexanal located at 1692 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, thus confirming the various components present in the synthesized nano-fiber matrix. Ranjan et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e] reported similar findings in FT-IR results, which confirmed the presence of the requisite components in the fiber matrix. The result also agrees with findings of Vivek [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e] and Sambasivam et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4 Effect of hexanal nano-fiber matrix on the shelf-life of tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe effect of the electrospun hexanal nano-fiber matrix on the shelf-life of tomato fruits studied for 3-day intervals is illustrated in Figs.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig12\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt could be seen that application of the hexanal nano-fibre matrix extended the shelf-life of tomato fruits for thirty-two days (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig13\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003eb), whereas the control/untreated fruits stayed good/attractive up to the 18th day only (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig11\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003ea). The fruits were stored at ambient conditions of temperature of 30\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2\u0026deg;C and relative humidity of 62\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2%. The results showed that the tomato fruits preserved with hexanal nano-fiber matrix demonstrated longer shelf-life than the control fruits. The data agrees with the observations of Anusuya et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e] for a pre-harvest spray and Jincy et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e] for post-harvest dip treatments with hexanal formulation. This data closely coincided with other observations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR28 CR29\" citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e] on the shelf-life elongation of fruits, such as pepper, banana, orange and mango using hexanal formation. The results showed that the treated fruits demonstrated a longer shelf-life than control.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix on the quality parameters of tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5.1 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix on physiological loss in weight (PLW%) on tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on the PLW is presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on PLW, firmness, percent decay and pH of tomato fruits during storage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on PLW, firmness, percent decay and pH of banana fruits during storage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSample\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePLW\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirmness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercent Decay\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epH\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.94\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.681\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.529\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.22\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.841\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.1\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.034\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.381\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.454\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.494\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.028\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 40)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;9.5336,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 40) =\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.6391,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 40)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e=\u0026thinsp;7.9048,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.008\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 40)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.6149, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes: - LSD*: Least significant difference (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), (a, b): columns with different and the same superscript letters indicate statistical significance and non-significance, respectively, F: is a measure of variances of the group mean, P: is probability not due to chance (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) or due to chance (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA 5% weight loss in fruits is considered to be the maximum acceptable limit above which the fruit shows shriveling and become unmarketable [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. The weight of the tomato fruits gradually declined during storage for both control and treated fruits. Mean physiological loss in weight in control fruits was 7.94% whereas for the treated fruits was 2.61% (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig14\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e). There was a significant difference (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) in physiological weight loss between the control and treated tomato fruits (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Weight loss was much more evident in the control fruits. There was more than 5% weight loss in the control fruit; whereas, the fruit treated with hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix maintained lower weight loss during the storage period and helped in maintaining the marketability of the tomato fruit. This is in agreement with previous studies wherein hexanal formulation significantly decreased the weight loss of treated fruits as compared to control [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Biochemical changes induced after the application of hexanal may have helped preserve the membrane integrity and cell structure resulting in reduced catabolic processes and quality losses [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e]. Also, Balogun et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e] reported a gradual loss in the weight of tomatoes during storage at ambient temperature. Reduction of weight loss by hexanal has been shown in other fruits such as sweet cherry [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e] tomato [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e] and guava [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Thus, suggesting that hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix is a potential alternative mechanism for sustained hexanal delivery.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5.2 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix on firmness of tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eResult of effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on firmness of tomato fruits is presented in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig14\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e and Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirmness is one of the most important quality parameters which is closely associated with ripeness and shelf life of the fruit and vegetables. A continuous and gradual decline in fruit firmness was observed in control and treated fruits during the storage period. Fruit treated with hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix showed enhanced firmness than the control fruit (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig14\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e). There was a significant difference in firmness of the treated and control fruits (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Treated fruits firmness reduced to 21.3N/mm on day eighteenth whereas that of control fruits had reduced to 5.1N/mm on the same day. Higher firmness in hexanal treated fruits could be due to the inhibition of Phospholipase D, enzymes by hexanal thus slows down ethylene stimulation of fruit ripening and softening processes thereby maintaining the membrane integrity. Also, Tiwari and Paliyath [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e], Cheema et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e], Gill et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e] found similar results in sweat cherries, tomato and guava using hexanal formulation. However, the drawbacks for their methods were appearance of spots/patches on the surface of the fruits, making it unattractive.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5.3 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on percentage decay (%) of tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig16\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the results of effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fibre matrix treatment on percentage decay of tomato fruit.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFruit with more than 20% of the surface spoiled due to softening or microbial attack were considered as unacceptable and based on this percentage decay was calculated. The effect of hexanal electrospun nano\u003cb\u003e\u0026shy;\u003c/b\u003efiber on decay fruits was investigated. Less decay %was observed in fruit treated with hexanal than in the control (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig15\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e). There was a significant difference in the decay percentages between the control (10.22\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.841\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e) and treated (2.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.494\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e) fruits (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The fruits in control showed 10.22% decay on the sixth day whereas hexanal electrospun nano\u003cb\u003e\u0026shy;\u003c/b\u003efiber treated fruits exhibited only 2.11% decay. This could be as a result of the antibacterial properties of hexanal that acts against fruits bacterial as reported by Kaur et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e] and Thavong et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e]. This also agrees with Gill et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e] that guava fruits treated with (0.015% V/V) hexanal showed minimum decay incidence, reduced PMF activity, increased firmness, total soluble solids, acidity, pectin and phenol contents and also maintained quality up to 4 weeks. Increased spoilage in control may be due to early ripening.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec24\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5.4 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on change in pH of tomato fruits\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig17\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e shows the effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on pH of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pH and total titratable acidity are important postharvest quality attributes in the assessment of fruit ripening quality. Thus, the pulp pH could be used as an index of ripening. The pH of the tomato fruit pulp was found to progressively increase with the storage period (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig16\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e). The pH values of the control fruits increased from 4.8\u0026ndash;5.3 on the 18th day of storage, whereas that of treated tomato fruits increased from 4.8\u0026ndash;5.1. There was more increased in the control fruits than in the treated fruits, signifying more ripening. Agbabiaka et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e] reported similar pH values within the range of 4.90 to 5.40. Changes in pH may be due to metabolic activities of tomato fruit. It was observed that the treated fruits retained lower pH even at the final stage of storage (32th day), as also reported by Subramanian et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e]. This change in the pH may be due to lesser rate of respiration and metabolic activity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e]. The pH was not statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e3.5.5 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on change in total soluble solids content of tomato fruits\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFig. 17. Shows the effect of hexanal nano­fiber matrix treatment on TSS of fruits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe total soluble solids content of tomatoes fruits increased during the storage period for control and treated. Maximum TSS content of 13.4\u0026deg; Brix was recorded at eighteenth day for control and11.4 \u0026deg; Brix for treated fruits on the same day. The hexanal nano\u003cb\u003e\u0026shy;\u003c/b\u003efiber treatment did not show any significant (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) effect on the TSS between the control and treated fruits (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The developed hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix showed lower increase in TSS content79.96% compared to control of 113.23%. Naik et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e] reported that the increase in TSS of tomato fruits could be due to excessive moisture loss which increases concentration as well as the hydrolysis of carbohydrates to soluble sugars. Similar result was published by Kumar et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e40\u003c/span\u003e] in tomato.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix on TSS, TA and total colour index of tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSample\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTSS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTA\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eColour\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTotal colour index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eControl\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.593\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.062\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.369\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.43\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.463\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTreated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.441\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.86\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.609\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2.56\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.607\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 40)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.732, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.196\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 40)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;52.117, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 26)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.274, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.082\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF(1, 26)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;7.998,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.009\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLSD* Least Significant Difference (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), columns with different and the same letters indicate statistical significance and non-significance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003e3.6.6 Effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on change in titratable acidity (citric acid/ percent) on tomato fruits.\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA decline TA was recorded across the storage period for control and treated fruits. Reduction in TA during ripening is an expected event, as it renders the fruit less acidic and sour. Since organic acid such as citric acid and malic acid are primary acid during respiration, a reduction in acidity is expected in fruit ripening, according to Ugonna et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e41\u003c/span\u003e]. Titratable acidity in tomato fruits gradually decreased with time during the ripening period with significant difference between the treated and the control fruits (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). This is an indication that the hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix had a positive effect on the titratable acidity. The faster the reduction in acidity the faster the senescence. The presence of hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix might therefore reduce the rate of respiration and delay the use of organic acids which will result in lower loss of acidity in ripped tomato thereby delaying ripening in the fruits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec25\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003e3.5.7 Effect of hexanal nano\u003c/b\u003e\u0026shy;\u003cb\u003efiber matrix treatment on change in colour of tomato fruits\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFigure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig19\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e. Illustrates the effect of hexanal nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix treatment on the colour of tomato fruits, whereas, Fig.\u0026nbsp;21 shows the effect of hexanal treatment on total colour index of the tomato fruits.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChanges in the colour intensity and quality are the major parameters to indicate the maturity and quality of fresh tomato and development of red colour is considered as an index of repining. The colour values (L*, a* b*) of the hexanal treated tomato was found to increase (during storage) for both the control and treated fruits (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig19\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e). The change in colour values of L* and a* could be attributed to the lightness of fruits, loss of chlorophyll content on ripening, and increment in b* value due to an increase in carotenoids contents of the fruit on ripening. The hexanal treatment had a significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05) effect on the total colour index values (L*, a*, b*) of tomato fruits during storage (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig20\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e). The chroma value measured as a* indicated the intensity of greenness. The value tends towards less negative, showing the progression in ripening. The hexanal treated fruits showed lower (more negative) values indicating delayed ripening, hence its efficacy on fruits preservation. This agrees with the observation reported by Anusuya et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e] and Gill et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. The reduced red colour intensity in treated tomato fruits is a clear indication that ripening processes were inhibited by the hexanal electrospun nano\u0026shy;fiber matrix.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn summary, this study developed and applied a novel hexanal nano-fiber matrix in the packaging of tomato fruits. The synthesized nanomatrix was characterized using SEM, TEM, and FT-IR measurements, which confirmed the entrapment of hexanal molecules in the nano-fiber matrix. The fabricated nanomatrix exhibited amorphous crystal structure and nanowire morphology. The FT-IR spectrum revealed several bands that correspond to the molecular bonds of the various components of the nanomatrix. The characteristic peak of hexanal was detected in the region of 1894-1147cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. Shelf-life studies showed that the fabricated hexanal nano-fiber matrix extended the shelf-life of tomato fruits up to 32 days under ambient conditions unlike the control fruits which stay good for 18 days. Effect of the hexanal nano-fibre matrix treatment on quality parameters of the treated tomato fruits demonstrated better/higher quality attributes, such as lower PLW, higher firmness, lower percentage decay, lower pH, lower TSS and higher TA, and best colour. These suggested that the prepared hexanal nano-fiber matrix is very effective for the preservation/storage of tomato fruits to extend shelf-life. It is hoped that the efficacy of the novel hexanal nano-fiber matrix for shelf-life extension of tomato fruits can have significant economic and environmental benefits, especially in African countries like Nigeria where uninterrupted/steady public electricity supply for running cold rooms is lacking. Hence a farmer that takes his treated tomato fruits to the market and could not sale can still wait for 32 days with the fruits still maintaining higher firmness and TA, less PLW, percentage decay, pH, TSS and better colour which are indices of fresh fruits.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDeclaration of Competing Interest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eK.E. Gbabe: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Software, Writing- Original draft preparation. M.O. Eke: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing- reviewing and editing. D. Ahure: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Supervision, Writing- reviewing and editing. I.G. Adarabierin: Software. P. R, Jubu: Software, Writing- reviewing and editing. M. A. Omodara: Writing- reviewing and editing. K.S. Subramanian: Methodology, Visualization, Supervision. M. Prasanthrajan: Methodology, Supervision. J. Mohanraj: Formal analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe authors would like to extended appreciation to Mekthaddy Empowerment Foundation and Center for Food Technology and Research, Benue State University Makurdi and Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute. We appreciate the Centre for Agricultural Nanotechnology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore, India.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData availability\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eData will be made available on request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBalogun AA, Ariahu CC, Ikya JK (2019) Quality Evaluation of Fresh Tomato Stored in Evaporative Coolers. Asian Food Sci J 11(3):1\u0026ndash;8 Article no. AFSJ.50371. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.9734/AFSJ/2019/v11i330063\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.9734/AFSJ/2019/v11i330063\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSafiyaa M, Jamila Y, Woldemariam W (2016) Effect of Hot Water Treatments on Shelf Life of Tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum Mill). 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Postharvest Biol Technol 112:224\u0026ndash;232\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTiwari K, Paliyath G (2011) Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Microarray analysis of ripening-regulated gene expression and its modulation by 1-MCP and hexanal. Plant Physiol Biochem 49(3):329\u0026ndash;340\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePaliyath G, Subramanian J (2008) Phospholipase D Inhibition Technology for Enhancing Shelf life and Quality. In: Paliyath G, Murr DP, Handa AK, Lurie S (eds) Postharvest Biology and Technology of Fruits, Vegetable, and Flowers, I\u003csup\u003est\u003c/sup\u003eed. Wiley-Blackwell, USA, pp 195\u0026ndash;239\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCheema A, Padmanabhan P, Subramanian J, Blom T, Paliyath G (2014) Postharvest Biology and Technology Improving Quality of Greenhouse Tomato (SolanumLycopersicum L) by Pre- and Postharvest Applications of Hexanal-Containing Formulations. Postharvest Biol Technol 95:13\u0026ndash;19. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.postharvbio.2014.03.012\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.postharvbio.2014.03.012\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThavong P, Archbold DD, Pankasemsuk T, Koslanund R (2010) Hexanalvapours suppress spore germination, mycelial growth and fungal-derived cell wall degradingenzymes of postharvest pathogens of longan fruit. ChiangMai J Sci 38(1):139\u0026ndash;150\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAgbabiaka TO, Saliu BK, Sule IO, Oyeyiola GP, Odedina GF (2015) Microbial deterioration of tomato fruit (lycopersiconesculentum) sold in here popular markets in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Fountain J Nat Appl Sci 4(1):10\u0026ndash;18\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSubramanian KS, Kanmani V, Muthuve I, Sundaresan S, Janaki JG, Sullivan JA, Paliyath G, Subramanian J (2017) Post-harvest Dip of Enhanced Freshness Formulation to Extend the Shelf life of Banana (Musa acuminata cv. Grand Naine) in India. Tropical Agriculture 95 Special Issue 1\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNaik DM, Muhekar VK, Chandel CG, Kapse BM (2013) Effect of prepackaging on physico-chemical Changes in tomato (Lycopersiconesculentum Mill) during storage. Indian Food Pack. 9\u0026ndash;13\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKumar SK, El Kayal W, Sullivan JA, Paliyath G, Jayasankar S (2018) Pre-harvest application of hexanal formulationenhances shelf life and quality of \u0026lsquo;Fantasia\u0026rsquo; nectarinesby regulating membrane and cell wall catabolism-associatedgenes. Scientia Horticultura 229(4):117\u0026ndash;124\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eUgonna CU, Jolaoso MA, Onwualu AP (2015) Tomato value chain in Nigeria: Issues, challenges and strategies. J Sci Res Rep 7(7):501\u0026ndash;515 Article no. JSRR.2015. 231 ISSN: 2320\u0026thinsp;\u0026ndash;\u0026thinsp;0227\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Food security, Shelf life, Postharvest loss, Hexanal nano-fiber, Electrospinning","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4749771/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4749771/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe present work developed a novel hexanal nano-fiber matrix by electrospinning for the noncontact packaging of tomato fruits to extend shelf-life during storage. It solves the problem of colourspots and easy evaporation of the compound on the surface of fruits. Scanning electron microscope revealed nanowires of diameter ranging from 195.5\u0026ndash;345.8 nm. Transmission electron microscope images showed a clear view of the hexanal molecules with individual fiber diameter ranging from 244.4 \u0026shy; 151.2 nm. FT-IR spectrum also confirmed the successful loading of hexanal into the nanofiber matrices with characteristic peak at wave number of 1692 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. Application of the hexanal nano-fiber matrix onto green tomato fruits of 85% maturity under ambient conditions demonstrated an extension of shelf-life up to 32 days as compared to 18 days for control/untreated fruits. The treated fruits demonstrated better/higher quality attributes compared to control fruits, including lower physiological loss in weight, higher firmness, lower percentage decay, higher pH, and better colour. Thus, it can be the go-to product for many African countries where assurance of electricity supply for running cold rooms especially in the rural areas is lacking. This can contribute towards ensuring food and nutrition security in the tropic countries.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of Electrospun Hexanal Nano-fibre Matrix on Quality Parameters of Tomato Fruits during Storage","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-17 01:06:31","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4749771/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5c246be8-8f5f-40c0-ab59-e50022dc854c","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 17th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-08-17T01:06:33+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-17 01:06:31","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4749771","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4749771","identity":"rs-4749771","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}