Application of Gum Arabic and Methyl Cellulose Coatings Enriched with Thyme Oil to Maintain Quality and Extend Shelf Life of “Acco” Pomegranate Arils

The effects of gum arabic (GA; 1.5% w/v) and methyl cellulose (MC; 1% w/v) enriched with thyme oil (TO; 0.25 and 0.5% v/v) on the quality of “Acco” pomegranate arils were studied. Coating treatments, namely, MC, MC + TO(0.5%), MC + TO(0.25%), GA, GA + TO(0.5%) and GA + TO(0.25%) were applied on arils by dipping, and evaluations were made on physicochemical and microbiological quality, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of arils stored (5 ± 1 °C, 95 ± 2% RH) for 16 days. Dipping arils in GA or MC, both containing TO (0.5% v/v) significantly (p < 0.0001) reduced weight loss and enhanced antioxidant activity (FRAP) (p = 0.0014). However, dipping arils in GA combined with TO (0.25% v/v) had the highest influence on reducing aril respiration rate compared with other treatments. Overall, results showed that application of coatings (GA + TO(0.5%) and GA + TO(0.25%)) reduced total yeast and mould and total plate counts and maintained quality up to 8 days of storage. These findings suggest that either GA + TO(0.5%) or GA + TO(0.25%) coatings have the capability to extend storage life of “Acco” pomegranate arils.