Abstract

Leren (Calathea allouia) tuber is very palatable with high carbohydrate content, protein, fiber, minerals, essential amino acids but low levels of lipids. However, it's quickly decomposed during post-havest. Chitosan has been demonstrated to be an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic fungicides for the management of post-harvest diseases on horticultural crop products. Objective of this study focused on the efficacy of chitosan coating in different concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2 and 0.25%) on leren tubers during six months of storage at ambient temperature. In every two month-interval, treated leren tubers were randomly sampled to estimate weight loss (%), firmness (%), decay percentage and soluble solid (oBrix). This study was conducted in 2019 in Labone Scientific Co. Ltd, Vietnam. Our results showed that 0.2% of chitosan coating could effectively preserve the physico-chemical attributes of leren tubers during six months of storage. Chitosan had a potential as a substitute for synthetic fungicides to reduce post-harvest losses in leren tubers.