Abstract:

This study was performed to investigate the effect of refrigeration, and freezing-point storage and chitosan coating
individually or in combination with each other on active components and antioxidant activity of blueberries. The results
showed that all freezing-point storage, chitosan coating and their combination effectively retarded the decrease in total
anthocyanins, vitamin C, total phenols and flavonoids and maintained antioxidant capacity in blueberries compared with the
control (direct refrigeration). There were positive correlations of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) scavenging
capacity with the contents of total anthocyanins, total phenols and total flavonoids. The combined treatment was more
effective than either treatment alone. Therefore, chitosan coating combined with freezing-point storage can be the method of
choice for maintaining active components and antioxidant capacity of blueberries.

Key words: blueberry, chitosan coating, freezing-point storage, active compounds, antioxidant capacity