Quality maintenance of salacca fruit with a carnauba wax coating containing orange oil and detection of sensory perception improvement with electroencephalography to appraise brain responses

Abstract The objective of this work was to study the effect of carnauba wax containing orange oil on physical qualities (weight loss, color, and firmness) and sensory perception after consumption. First, the appropriate essential oil for use with salacca fruit was investigated. Then, the best pairing of carnauba wax and orange oil was employed to study salacca preservation. Carnauba wax (2.5%) containing orange oil at a concentration of 0.04–0.16% was coated on salacca and examined for weight loss, color and firmness after storage for 9 d. Sensory perception in terms of sensory acceptance, rejection threshold and prevalent attributes related to aroma profiles was evaluated. The human brain response during salacca consumption was examined by electroencephalography (EEG). The results illustrated that salacca treated with carnauba wax containing orange oil at a concentration of 0.08% could maintain the desired qualities and provide moderate organoleptic approval of salacca. In addition, EEG demonstrated that consumption of orange oil-treated salacca could increase the alertness state of brain function in the human response. This finding can be used to apply orange oil to salacca fruit to enhance flavor, which was shown to achieve better consumer approval based on human brain activity.