Improving Quality Management of ‘Ready-To-Eat’ Pomegranate Arils Using Aloe Ferox-Based Edible Coating Enriched With Encapsulated Raspberry Pomace

The labour-intensive process of extracting arils from the pomegranate fruit has given rise to the demand for ‘ready-to-eat’ pomegranate arils due to their aesthetic appeal and convenience in consumption. However, the arils are prone to rapid quality deterioration due to various factors such as microbial contamination and moisture loss; therefore, there is a need for techniques to preserve their quality. This study, thus, evaluated the use of an Aloe ferox (AF)-based edible coating enriched with encapsulated raspberry pomace powder (ERPP) to maintain quality and extend the shelf life of pomegranate arils (cv. Wonderful) during cold storage. Treatments included control (distilled water), AF (3%), AF (3%) + ERPP (0.3%), and AF (3%) + ERPP (0.6%). The findings demonstrated that all coating treatments showed improved effectiveness in minimizing weight loss and respiration rate while preserving texture, TSS, and TPC compared to the control treatment. Among the coating treatments, the combination of AF with 0.3% ERPP showed superior efficacy in preserving the quality of pomegranate arils compared to AF alone or AF with 0.6% ERPP. This eco-friendly coating shows potential for commercial application and warrants further investigation.