Preservación postcosecha de Carica papaya L. por recubrimiento con bioplástico desarrollado a partir de almidón, arcilla y ajo

The postharvest lifespan of some climacteric fruits such as papaya is relatively short and in the periods of commercial abundance of this fruit the quantities that are lost are of regrettable magnitudes. This has motivated diverse investigations focused on the development of strategies that allow extending the period of consumption of this fruit. In this study, bioplastics were developed from potato starch modified with clay and garlic. The capacity of the bioplastics elaborated to retard the natural maturation of the papaya was evaluated, resulting that the papayas covered with the bioplastics prototypes matured more slowly than the uncoated papayas, and the incorporation of garlic in the bioplastic maintained the papayas in a better state for 16 days.