Xingxing Feng, Shuyao Li, Zifan Sun, Heng Yuan, Ru Li, Nannan Yu, Yu Zhang, Xuehong Chen
Strawberries rapidly deteriorate postharvest, necessitating effective measures to extend their shelf life. This study focused on developing an eco-friendly chitosan-based protective film for strawberry preservation. Strawberries were treated with a coating solution containing varying concentrations of hawthorn leaf extract (HLE) (0.4%, 0.7%, 1.0%), 1.5% chitosan (CH), and 1% acetic acid. The results demonstrated that coating strawberry fruit with 1% CH-HLE notably delayed fruit spoliage. In-depth analysis revealed that, compared with the uncoated strawberry fruits, the 1% CH-HLE coating effectively reduced weight loss, the respiration intensity, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and superoxide anion (O2 ·- ) production...
February 18, 2024: Journal of Food Protection