Investigating the Protective Effect of Microcapsules Satureja hortensis and Calcium Propionate on the Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Pear Fruit "Spadona"

The encapsulation of bioactive compounds not only causes the slow and targeted release of these substances, but also increases the shelf life, improves the taste and aroma of fruits. In the current study, the microcapsules containing effective compounds of savory essential oil and calcium propionate as core, and shell of Hi-Cap 100 and maltodextrin, were prepared by spray-drying method, and compared with commercial formulation to evaluate their effects on the physical and chemical characteristics of pear fruit. The results of GC/MS analysis showed that O-cymene (25 %) and terpinolene (18.5 %) were the most important compounds in savory essential oil. The zeta potential value of the produced microcapsules was -35.23. The encapsulation efficiency was found to be 93.02%. The efficiency of this formulation with three different concentrations (1 g/L (T1), 2 g/L (T2), and 3 g/l (T3) were compared and contrasted with copper oxychloride on the pear fruit in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results of coliremetre evaluation using Image processing techniques showed that the effect of copper oxychloride treatment on any of the L*a*b* color parameters was not significant, while the effect of all three concentrations of the encapsulated powder were significant (p<0.05) on color parameters of pear fruits in T3 treatment compared to T1 and T2 treatments. Moreover, T3 had the greatest effect on fruit skin color, fruit texture color, quality and flavor index of fruit. It seemed that the prepared microcapsules not only prevented the spoilage of fruit in storage or cold storage, but also maintained the quality of the fruit and improved the taste and aroma of the fruit.