Deficiencies in postharvest technology and the attack of phytopathogens cause horticultural products, such as tomatoes to have a very short shelf life. In addition to the economic damage, this can also have negative effects on health and the environment. The objective of this work is to evaluate an active coating of sodium alginate in combination with eugenol-loaded polymeric nanocapsules (AL-NP-EUG) to improve the shelf life of tomato. Using the nanoprecipitation technique, NPs with a size of 171 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.113 and a zeta potential of −2.47 mV were obtained. Using the HS-SPME technique with GC-FID, an encapsulation efficiency percentage of 31.85% was determined for EUG. The shelf-life study showed that the AL-NP-EUG-treated tomatoes maintained firmness longer than those without the coating. In addition, the pathogenicity test showed that tomatoes with AL-NP-EUG showed no signs of damage caused by the phytopathogen Colletotrichum gloesporoides. It was concluded that the formulation of EUG nanoencapsulated and incorporated into the edible coating presents high potential for its application as a natural nanoconservative of fruit and vegetable products such as tomato.

The environmental issue of single-use plastic is extremely discussed due to waste accumulation and the consumption of non-renewable resources. This study aims to investigate the properties of bioplastic compared to petroleum-based plastic. Two stages of stretch blow molding were used to fabricate polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and bio-polyethylene terephthalate (Bio-PET) bottles. The shelf life extension of chili sauce paste stored in PET and Bio-PET containers with an oxygen scavenger at 45 ℃ in an accelerated condition was investigated. After twelve weeks, the chili sauce paste stored in the container bottle was observed. PET and Bio-PET bottles without oxygen scavengers were also determined as a control for comparison. The result showed that both PET and Bio-PET bottles with oxygen scavengers could prolong the quality of chili sauce paste similarly, meaning that PET could be replaced by Bio-PET as a chili sauce paste container. Other properties, such as thickness gauge, color, leak test, drop test, and close-open force of the container bottle, were also verified to check the product quality standard.