A comparative study of edible coatings and freshness paper on the quality of fresh North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) fruits using TOPSIS-Shannon entropy analyses

The North American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is a tropical fruit that is known to be the largest edible fruit native to the United States. The fruit has remained uncommercialized because of the rapid changes in quality that occur after the fruit is harvested. However, only a few studies have evaluated the quality of the fruit during postharvest storage. This study aimed to assess the effect of different concentrations of chitosan and sodium alginate coatings, and freshness paper treatments on the quality characteristics of pawpaw fruits during storage and use TOPSIS-Shannon entropy analyses to determine which treatment best maintains the quality of the fruits from three cultivars. The results show that the chitosan coatings were more effective in slowing moisture loss in Sunflower fruits than in Susquehanna and 10–35 fruits over time. Similarly, the freshness paper treatment controlled moisture loss more effectively than sodium alginate coatings. The 10–35 fruits with 1% chitosan coating had very little change in skin color and physical appearance compared to all the other treatments. The TOPSIS-Shannon entropy analyses showed that the 10–35 fruits with 1% chitosan had the most stable quality over time, followed by the Susquehanna and Sunflower fruits with 2% chitosan coatings. The experimental data from different cultivars, treatments, and storage conditions, proved the shelf-life of pawpaw fruit could be extended from 5 days to 15–20 days depending on the cultivar. These findings will enable the creation of markets for pawpaw fruits and allow countries that grow them to generate revenue from this underutilized specialty crop.