Effectiveness of Aloe vera Gel Coating on the Shelf Life of Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Var. cerasiforme) Fruit Subjected to Preharvest Bagging

Cherry tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) is a popular and economically important fruit due to its nutritional value. However, cherry tomato is susceptible to environmental stress, which affects fruit quality. Preharvest bagging is an effective technique used to protect fruit from external factors such as pest infestation and adverse weather conditions, including strong winds and hail damage. However, it has the disadvantage of shortening fruit shelf life due to accelerated maturity. This study aimed to assess the effect of Aloe vera gel (AVG) coating on the postharvest quality of ‘Romanita’ and ‘Tinker’ cherry tomato fruit subjected to preharvest bagging during 18 days of shelf life at ambient conditions. Cherry tomato fruit clusters per cultivar were bagged using a transparent plastic with 20-mm density, harvested at the green maturity stage and thereafter coated with AVG coating (15%, 30%, and 45%). Uncoated fruit were used as control. The coated (AVG 15%, 30%, and 45%) fruit exhibited high firmness, titratable acidity (TA), total chlorophyll content (TCC), total phenolic content (TPC), and total antioxidant activity (TAA), and low total soluble solids (TSS) and lycopene content. Furthermore, the coatings reduced weight loss, and delayed color changes during shelf life compared with the control. Our findings indicated that AVG 45% coating was the most effective and significantly enhanced the overall quality of fruit compared with AVG 15% and 30% and control. Therefore, AVG coating can be applied to improve postharvest quality and extend shelf life of cherry tomato subjected to preharvest bagging.