Introduction:

The avocado (Persea americana Mill) is an ancient tropical fruit belonging to the Lauraceae family. Its climacteric nature makes it a food with a relatively short shelf life. The ethanolic extract of propolis is actively used as an edible coating on many fruits and vegetables, including avocado, to delay their senescence and preserve their post-harvest quality.

Objective:

To analyze the available scientific evidence on the antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract of propolis in avocados.

Materials and Methods:

An exhaustive search of scientific publications was carried out in databases with wide coverage and a methodology on stages was adopted for a systematic review of qualitative synthesis.

Results and Discussion:

Respiratory activity, fresh weight loss and hydrogen potential were found to be the main variables influenced by the antioxidant activity of the extract on avocado. Such parameters are mainly affected by the creation of a modified atmosphere generated by the edible film around the fruit, which reduces its respiratory rate, delaying its oxidation and the evolution of its maturity.

Conclusions:

The application of ethanolic propolis extract as an enriching agent for edible coatings is effective in improving certain physicochemical parameters of avocado and prolonging its postharvest shelf life. The percentage of concentration influences the bioactivity of the extract, with the treatments with the lowest concentration being the ones that offer the greatest number of beneficial results.

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