Effect of chitosan treatment on strawberry allergen-related gene expression during ripening stages.

The effectiveness of a chitosan coating treatment on the allergen-related genes expression of three strawberry cultivars ( Fragaria  ×  ananassa Duch., namely cvs. "Sabrina", "Candonga" and "Jonica") harvested at three ripening stages was evaluated. Fruits were treated with a 1% chitosan coating and stored at 20 °C for 48 h. Three genes, encoding Fra a1, Fra a3 and Fra a4 allergens, were evaluated by real-time qPCR. The transcript levels of several genes showed different patterns during ripening stages in strawberry cultivars but were up-regulated by chitosan treatment.