Impact of thymol-embedded ethyl cellulose coatings on fresh-cut cucumber preservation quality

In this study, thymol was incorporated into ethyl cellulose films (EC) in different concentrations of 20, 40, and 60% (of the films dry matter). The films were then applied to the polyethylene cups with 50 g fresh-cut cucumber in each cup. According to the results, the incorporation of thymol into EC films decreased the water vapor permeability and opacity of the films (15.65 g.mm.m -2 . d -1 . kPa -1 and 0.486 reduction in EC-thymol60%, respectively). Meanwhile, a significant increase in the yellowness (0.27), lightness (1.23), and whitening index (2.05) of the EC films was observed along with the thymol addition. The composite EC films retained the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity, and decreased the weight loss (12% reduction in EC-thymol60%) and the microbial flora (1 log cycle reduction in all three treatments) of the fresh-cut cucumber samples with no adverse effect on the sensory attributes. A remarkable reduction in peroxidase activity (0.32 units/mg protein) occurred in the EC-thymol60% sample. The coated samples maintained acceptability for up to 7 days, while the control deteriorated after 3 days. Overall, results indicated that thymol-EC films demonstrated better function than the plain EC in some quality attributes, but these treatments were not sufficiently effective in controlling the microbial population.