Utilization of chitosan-based coating enriched with Syzygium aromaticum, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Thymus satureioides essential oils mixture for strawberries with extended shelf life

The short postharvest life of strawberries is a major problem for both manufacturers and consumers. In the present work, chitosan (CS) and chitosan enriched with S. aromaticum, C. zeylanicum, and T. satureioides essential oils mixture (CS-EOs) were utilized as a coating for strawberries to extend their postharvest life. According to the obtained results, the coated fruits showed an acceptable total sensory quality (TSQ ≥ 5), were brighter and redder, and had maintained titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), and pH values during the 13 days of storage. Furthermore, coatings mitigated the decrease of weight and anthocyanin content by 2-folds on the 13th day and extended considerably the postharvest life of strawberries, especially in the case of the CS-EOs coating. Concerning the total phenolic level, the strawberries coated with CS-EOs exhibited greater values by 1.5-fold during storage time. Overall, these encouraging results suggest that the developed CS and CS-EOs coating could be applied in the food industry to extend the postharvest life and maintain the quality of the susceptible fruits.