Abstract
Utilization of essential oils alone or incorporation with edible films is an appropriate technique to conserve the quality attributes and reduce post-harvest deterioration in fresh vegetables and fruits. Strawberries, being perishable fruits have a short shelf life, and using essential oils is considered one of the most suitable methods to prolong their shelf life during storage. The current study assessed the impact of different essential oils, including lemon oil (L), orange oil (O) and mandarin oil (M) on the physicochemical and microbial load of strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa cv. Festival) stored at 2 ± 1 °C and 95% relative humidity (RH) for 18 days. The differences in the physicochemical and microbial properties of strawberries were assessed by determining the following parameter changes: weight loss, decay percentage, firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, color, anthocyanins, vitamin C, total phenol, total antioxidant, catalase activity, polyphenol oxidase activity, sensory evaluation, microbial content, total coliforms, molds, and yeasts. The results of this study indicated that the fruits treated with all essential oils treatments (L, O and M) had higher total antioxidant content and physicochemical properties than untreated fruits, due to protection against the microbial growth of molds, and yeasts. At the end of the storage period, the treated fruits showed a greater acceptance and sensory attributes than the untreated fruits. Furthermore, the correlation study showed a significant and negative relationship between the total antioxidant of treated fruits and following quality attributes including, weight loss, decay percentage, respiration rate soluble solids content, polyphenol oxidase activity, molds, and yeasts. It is noteworthy that all the essential oil treatments extended the shelf-life of strawberries and delayed their deterioration up to 18 days.
Highlights
Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are in high demand because of their richness in minerals, vitamins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds that play a vital role in the human diet and health [1]
Fresh strawberry fruits (Fragaria × ananassa) of the variety Festival were harvested at commercial stage (75% of fruits surface with red color) from a private farm located in Cairo, Egypt
The findings suggest that application of essential oils coatings significantly reduced the respiration rate of fruits in a similar method to storage under a controlled atmosphere
Summary
Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) are in high demand because of their richness in minerals, vitamins, anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds that play a vital role in the human diet and health [1]. The fruits of strawberries are consumed fresh or processed in juices. Strawberries are considered a perishable fruit and extremely sensitive to microbial contamination that can affect their quality traits and diminish nutritional value. Agronomy 2020, 10, 1466 inhibitors, and dicarboximide, were shown to be extremely effective against a wide range of pathogens in fruit and vegetables [2], their potential negative impact on the environment and human health has encouraged scientific researchers to find alternative natural agents to inhibit undesired microbial growth, prevent food spoilage and preserve fruit quality during storage. The continued and repeated addition of fungicides has led to the development of resistant strains from fungi [2,3]
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