International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108

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International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijbiomac

Effect of gum Arabic, xanthan and carrageenan coatings containing

antimicrobial agent on postharvest quality of strawberry: Assessing the
physicochemical, enzyme activity and bioactive properties
Sajad Mohd Wani a, *, Amir Gull a, Tehmeena Ahad b, A.R. Malik c, Tariq Ahmad Ganaie d,
Farooq Ahmad Masoodi b, Adil Gani b
a
Division of Food Science and Technology, SKUAST-K, Shalimar Srinagar 19002, J&K, India
b
Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Kashmir, Hazratbal, Srinagar 190006, J&K, India
c
Division of Fruit Science, SKUAST-K Shalimar, Srinagar 190025, J&K, India
d
Department of Food Technology, IUST Awantipora, J&K 192122, India

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Effect of edible coatings of gum Arabic, carrageenan and xanthan gum containing lemon grass essential oil 1% w/
Edible coatings v on postharvest quality of strawberry was studied under refrigeration for a period of 12 days. Results showed all
Decay the three coatings maintained fruit quality parameters during storage compared to control. Among all the
Enzyme activity
coatings, carrageenan coated fruits showed delayed weight loss (10.1 to 8%), decay percentage (78.42 to
Antioxidant activity
Ascorbic acid
14.29%), retained ascorbic acid (0.15 to 0.27 g kg-1), antioxidant activity (18.17 to 25.85%), firmness (9.07 to
12.43 N), L* (32.38 to 40.42), a* (16.08 to 17.22) and b* (27.36 to 33.54). Carrageenan gum also showed lowest
cellulase activity (0.03 units h− 1 mg protein− 1), pectin methylesterase activity (1.13 A620 min− 1 mg protein− 1)
and β-galactosidase activity (0.51 μmol min− 1 mg protein− 1), while showed maximum reduction in poly­
galacturonase activity (0.07 units h− 1 mg protein− 1) at the end of storage. Carrageenan gum was found effective
in retention of anthocyanins and phenolic compounds during storage. Coatings loaded with antimicrobial agent
inhibited psychrophilic bacteria, yeast and mold growth. It is concluded that carrageenan gum could better retain
strawberry quality up to 12 days under refrigeration.

1. Introduction
Strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruit is native to the temperate
regions of the northern hemisphere. Grown in different regions of the
world, strawberry is commonly consumed as a whole or fresh cut dessert
fruit with a variety of pies, ice creams and pastry cakes. From the
nutritional point of view, it is a rich source of phytochemicals including
carotene, anthocyanins and vitamins especially vitamin C and E [1].
However, the availability of this fruit throughout the year is still a huge
challenge. Being among the highly perishable fruits because of its high
respiration rate, the growers suffer huge post-harvest losses [2]. Over
the years, there has been an upsurge in the use of edible biopolymer
coatings on different fruits and vegetables to delay spoilage, reduce
quality loss and protect against physical/mechanical damages [3]. The
edible coatings serve their purposes by delaying the respiration rate,
ripening, water loss and enzymatic browning besides keeping the
product firmness intact [4,5]. The edible coating acts as a semi perme­
able membrane around the fruit and therefore does not readily allow the
transfer of gases and moisture [6]. Edible coatings based on natural
polymeric materials including proteins, lipids and polysaccharides are
preferred over other chemical coatings because of the safety concerns of
the later in the biological systems [1,7].
Gum Arabic, xanthan and carrageenan gum are among the most
commonly used polysaccharides for food applications. Gum Arabic is
obtained from the stem and branches of Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal.
Generally, it is used as a food additive, because of high water solubility
and low viscosity [8]. The biggest advantage of gum Arabic over other
hydrocolloids is its film forming, encapsulation and emulsification
properties [9]. Carrageenan is naturally obtained from red seaweeds and
consists of long straight chains of d-galactopyranosyl. Apart from being
used in edible coatings, it is also used as a glazing agent in many fruits
and vegetables. Xanthan gum is produced by Xanthomonas campestris

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: wanisajad82@gmail.com (S.M. Wani).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2021.06.008
Received 13 February 2021; Received in revised form 29 May 2021; Accepted 1 June 2021
Available online 5 June 2021
0141-8130/© 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.
S.M. Wani et al.
and is mainly used as a stabilizer, a thickener or an emulsifier. Due to its
unique property of resistance to enzyme degradation, its coating on the
fresh cut and whole fruits provides enduring effect [10]. Therefore, its
application in food products can serve the purposes of shelf life
enhancement and glazing at the same time [11]. Enrichment of edible
coatings with plant based essential oils has been described as a good
alternative that can extend the postharvest shelf life of fruits [12]. As
reported by Laleh et al. [13], Giuffre and Nobile [14], Gago et al. [15],
El-Gioushy and Baiea [16] and Manzoor et al. [17] essential oils such as
Thymus vulgaris, bergamot fruit seed oil, lemongrass oil, vanillin exhibit
antimicrobial activity and improve the sensory attributes of foods as
well. To our best knowledge, this is the first report regarding the com­
parison of edible gums including gum Arabic, xanthan and carrageenan
gum for enhancing the shelf life and maintenance of postharvest quality
of strawberries. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of
different gum coatings incorporated with antimicrobial agent on
physico-chemical, enzyme activity and bioactive properties of straw­
berry fruit under refrigerated storage.
2. Materials and methods
2.1. Raw material and chemicals
Ripe strawberries ‘Chandler’ cultivar was procured from Sher-e-
Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences (SKUAST-K) J &K India,
which was harvested in the month of May 2019. The strawberries were
grown under protected conditions with sandy loam soil and an appli­
cation of organic manure @ 40 t/ha along with 150:100:100 kg N: P: K
per hectare. The field was irrigated regularly to keep soil moist and the
size of fruits at harvesting was 4.8 cm (length) with 4.3 cm (width).
Strawberries were selected based on uniformity of color, size and
Titre value × Normality of alkali × Volume made × Equivalent weight of acid × 100
%Acidity =
Aliquot of sample × Weight of sample taken × 1000
deprivation of fungal infection. All the chemicals used in the research
were of analytical grade.
2.2. Fruit coating
Prior to preparing the gum solutions, preliminary experiments were
conducted regarding the solubility of gums in aqueous solution. With
obvious differences in aqueous solubility of gums they could not pro­
duce optimum coating solutions at one universal concentration. Gum
Arabic at a concentration of <3% formed a thin coating. However, at
same concentration other coating materials yielded unbelievably thick
coatings. Therefore, use of one particular concentration for all the three
coating treatments was not possible and different concentration of each
gum was required to construct the coating dispersion. For the prepara­
tion of the coating solutions gum Arabic (GA) 3%, carrageenan (CA)
0.5% and xanthan XG 0.1% w/v was used. In order to achieve complete
dispersion, mixtures were solubilised in distilled water using magnetic
stirrer (7000 rpm) for 5 min. Antimicrobial agent lemon grass essential
oil (LEO) was then added to each coating solutions at concentration (1%
v/v).
2.3. Coating application
Bright red color strawberries were dipped for 3 min in 1% sodium
hypochlorite solution for surface disinfection, washed with distilled
water and air dried. Strawberry fruit were categorized into four groups
with 30 fruits per treatment for each storage interval. After drying the
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International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108
fruits were immersed into different coating solutions GA 3%, CA 0.5%
and XG 0.1% containing 1% w/v lemon grass essential oil (LEO) for
about 2 min. After immersion the solution was allowed to drip off, the
fruits were then subjected to air drying at room temperature (20 ◦ C).
Fruit lot without any treatment dipped in distilled water was designated
as control. Finally, samples were packaged in polyethylene pouches (64
μm thickness) for storage under refrigeration at 4 ◦ C. Both coated and
control fruits were analyzed up to 12 days of storage at an interval of 4
days.
2.4. Physicochemical properties
2.4.1. Weight loss
It was calculated as loss in weight of the strawberry fruits during
storage in each package and the values were reported on a percentage
basis. Five fruit per replication were taken and measurements for each
fruit were performed in triplicate.
2.4.2. Total soluble solids (TSS)
The juice from five strawberries was extracted using juice mixer
grinder (M/S Balaji Enterprises, Saharanpur, India) and filtered. About
40 mL juice was obtained. The TSS of strawberry juice was analyzed
using a hand refractrometer (Atago Co., Tokyo, Japan). The results were
denoted in ◦ Brix and measurements were performed in triplicate.
2.4.3. Titratable acidity (TA)
Titratable acidity (TA) was measured by titrating 10 mL of already
prepared strawberry juice with NaOH (0.1 N). Phenolphthalein was used
as indicator and results were expressed as % citric acid. Measurements
were performed in triplicate.
(1)
2.4.4. Decay percentage
Five fruits per treatment were taken to measure decay percentage.
Fruits which showed visual decay were removed and counted. Each time
analysis was performed in triplicates. The decay percentage was calcu­
lated by the following formula:
Number of decayed fruits
Decay percentage (%) = × 100 (2)
Initial number of all fruits
2.4.5. Firmness
Strawberry firmness was determined using texture analyzer (TA-
XT2, Stable Micro systems, UK) equipped with aluminium probe (5 mm)
diameter. The penetration depth was 5 mm and the cross-head speed
was 5 mm s− 1. Firmness of strawberry (five fruit per replication) was
measured as the maximum penetration force (N) during tissue tear. Each
result was the mean of ten determinations.
2.4.6. Ascorbic acid
Ascorbic acid content of strawberry juice was determined as per the
method of Roe [18] and AOAC [19] with slight modification. Briefly
200 mg fruit pulp was extracted with 8% metaphosphoric-glacial acetic
acid solution centrifuged at 7000 rpm. The supernatant collected was
added with known amount of metaphosphoric-glacial acetic acid solu­
tion, dinitrophenylhydrazine (2%) and thiourea (10%) solutions. The
mixture was incubated at 35 ◦ C (2 h). To abort the reaction 3 mL of
S.M. Wani et al.
sulphuric acid was added. Reaction mixture optical density was
measured at 540 nm. Ascorbic acid content was evaluated from a stan­
dard curve prepared from pure ascorbic acid. Analysis was performed in
triplicates.
2.4.7. Antioxidant activity
The antioxidant activity of strawberry fruit during storage was
measured by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method of
Brand-Williams [20] with slight modifications. Fruit pulp 1 g was ho­
mogenized with methanol and the extract was centrifuged at 7000 rpm
for 10 min. After centrifugation the mixture was filtrated and clear su­
pernatant was collected. Extract 0.1 mL was added with 3.9 mL of DPPH
followed by incubation period of 30 min in a dark room. Finally, the
absorbance of mixture was measured at 515 nm using a UV–visible
spectrophotometer with methanol as blank. DPPH radical scavenging
activity was expressed as the percentage inhibition of DPPH radical.
Absorbance of control − Absorbance of sample
AA (%inhibition) = × 100
Absorbance of control
(3)
2.5. Color
Strawberry surface color values were measured directly using hunter
lab colorimeter (USA Virginia Hunter Lab Colorimeter). Five fruits per
replication from each coated and uncoated fruit were evaluated. Mea­
surements were performed in triplicates.
2.6. Enzyme activity
2.6.1. Extraction for polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulose
Extraction of polygalacturonase (PG) and cellulose was done with
slight modification to the method of Srivastava and Dwivedi [21]. About
2 g strawberry fruit tissue was homogenized with 20 mL of (20 mM)
phosphate buffer pH 7.0 then filtered. The blend was filtered and
centrifuged for about 35 min at 7000 rpm. The filtered supernatant was
used for determination of PG and cellulase activity.
2.6.2. PG assay
PG activity of strawberry was analyzed by using the method of Sri­
vastava and Dwivedi [21]. The mixture comprised of 200 mM sodium
acetate (0.5 mL), sodium chloride (200 mM), polygalacturonic acid (0.5
mL) and enzyme extract (0.5 mL) in total volume of 1 mL was kept in
water bath at 30 ◦ C for 50 min followed by addition of dinitrosalicylic
acid (DNS). The standard used was D-galacturonic acid and one unit of
enzyme activity was defined as the amount of enzyme required to
liberate 1 mol of galacturonic acid min− 1 under the condition of the
enzyme assay.
2.6.3. Cellulase assay
Cellulase activity of strawberry sample was analyzed with slight
modifications to the method of Srivastava and Dwivedi [21]. Reaction
mixture consisting of 50 mM sodium acetate buffer, 1.0% CMC and
enzyme extract (1.0 mL) was incubated at 37 ◦ C for 8 h. Incubated
mixture was then added with substrate and enzyme activity was deter­
mined by calculating reducing groups released from CMC. One unit of
enzyme activity was the amount of enzyme required to form 1 μ mol of
reducing groups hr− 1 g− 1 of original fresh weight sample.
2.6.4. Extraction and assay of pectin methyl esterase
Extraction of pectin methyl esterase was done with slight modifica­
tion to the method of Hangermann and Austin [22]. The reaction
mixture consisted of pectin solution (0.02% pH 7.5), sodium chloride
(0.10 M) and bromothymol blue (0.02%), distilled water (0.5 mL) and
0.1 mL enzyme extract was incubated. Absorbance of mixture was
measured immediately and after 4 min at 620 nm. Difference between
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International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108
initial and final absorbance was used as measure of PME activity. The
enzyme activity was expressed as A620 min− 1 mg protein− 1.
2.6.5. Extraction and assay of β-galactosidase
Extraction of β-Galactosidase was done with some modification to
the method of Biswas [23]. The reaction mixture contained 0.50 mL
sodium acetate (0.1 M; pH 5) and 0.05 mL p-nitrophenyl-D-galactoside
(10 mM). To initiate the reaction mixture, 0.80 mL enzyme extract was
added followed by incubation for about 15 min. Blank sample was
prepared by replaced enzyme extract with buffer. About 5 mL NaOH
(0.1 M) was added to the mixture to terminate the reaction. The enzyme
activity was calculated as μ mole of p-nitrophenol formed min− 1 mg− 1
protein.
2.7. Bioactive compounds
2.7.1. Determination of individual polyphenol
2.7.1.1. Sample preparation. HPLC of the samples was performed using
the method of Hussain et al. [24] with slight modification. About 100 g
fruit pulp was extracted three times with 80% methanol using sample to
solution ratio of 1:3. The extracts so obtained were filtered through 0.2
μm filters pooled together and concentrated at temperature of 40 ◦ C
using rotary vacuum evaporator. This concentrated extract was desig­
nated as whole concentrate. Extracts were then stored in a deep freezer
prior to HPLC analysis. A 1.0% solution (w/v) of concentrated extracts of
all the samples was prepared in methanol (HPLC grade) before injecting
it to HPLC system.
2.7.1.2. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-
HPLC). An RP-HPLC system (1200 Series, Agilent Technologies, Ger­
many) equipped with a quaternary pump a degasser, manual injector
and a diode array detector (DAD) was used to separate the analytes. The
C18 column (Eclipse Plus Zobrax, 100 mm × 4.6 mm, 3.3 μm) was
thermostatically controlled at 35 ◦ C, the flow rate was kept constant at 1
mL min− 1 and the sample injection volume was 20 μL. DAD detector was
used for the identification of the phenolic compounds. The mobile phase
solvents consisted of distilled water, acetonitrile, orthophosphoric acid,
acetic acid and methanol. Detection and quantification was performed
at 280 nm for cyanidin-3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-malonyl-glu, pelar­
gonidin 3-rutinoside, catechin, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin 3-
rutinoside, pelargonidin 3-acetyl-glu and 320 nm for quercetin 3-glucu­
ronide, quercetin 3-pentoside, kaempferol coum-hexoside, kampferol 3-
glucoside. Peak purity was studied with the ChemStation software. A
multi-segmented gradient starting with 80% B (1.5% orthophosphoric
acid in distilled water), 10% C (100% methanol) and 10% D (10 mL
acetic acid + 34 mL acetonitrile + 1.5 mL orthophosphoric acid + 54.5
mL ultra-pure water) and ending with 33% B, 40% C and 27% D at min
30. From time 30 to 35 there is decrease in solvent B from 33 to 10%,
increase of solvent D from 27 to 50% and maintaining solvent C at 40%.
From time 30 to 40 min. There is increase of solvent B and C from 10 to
20% and 40 to 60% respectively and decrease of solvent D from 50 to
20%. Finally, from 40 to 45 min, there is increase of solvent C from 60 to
80% and decrease of solvent D from 20 to 0% maintaining B at 20%. The
phenolic compounds were identified by comparing retention time of
analytes with that of reference compounds. Results were reported as mg
kg− 1 DW (dry weight).
2.8. Microbiological assessment
Strawberry fruit 10 g was taken out of each pouch and mixed with 90
mL sterile saline solution and then homogenized for about 10 min. After
homogenisation 1 mL of each sample was transferred to plate count agar
(PCA) containing petri dishes and incubated at 5 ◦ C for 7 days to
determine the psychrophilic bacterial count. For determination of mold
S.M. Wani et al. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108

and yeasts count, the sample was transferred to petri dishes containing
chloramphenicol glucose agar (CGA) and potato dextrose agar (PDA).
Serial 10 dilutions were made in each treatment. Finally, petri plates
were incubated at 37 ◦ C for 7 days. Analysis was performed in replicates;
results were expressed in log10 cfu/g.
differences were obtained by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)
followed by Duncan's multiple range test (P ≤ 0.05) using Statistica V.7.
software (StatSoft, India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India).
3. Results and discussion

3.1. Physicochemical properties

2.9. Statistical analysis
The results of physicochemical properties such as weight loss, total
The experiments were carried out in triplicates. The significant
soluble solids, titratable acidity, decay percentage, firmness, ascorbic
acid and antioxidant activity of control and coated strawberry are shown
Table 1 in Table 1. Weight loss of fruits occurs mainly due to evaporation of
Effect of biopolymer coatings on physicochemical properties of strawberries.
water from fruit skin to the surrounding environment. Among fruits
Storage Control Gum Carrageenan Xanthan strawberries are more prone to weight loss because of the presence of
days Arabic
thin skin protective layer. Results indicated significant increase in
Weight loss (%) 0 0.0 ± 0.0 ± 0.0 ± 0.0dA 0.0 ± weight loss of strawberry fruit with advancement of storage period as
0.0dA 0.0dA 0.0dA control fruit exhibited maximum weight loss 10.1% at 12th day of
4 2.2 ± 2.1 ± 2.0 ± 1.2cB 2.2 ±
storage, while as coating treatments showed lower weight loss in the
1.8cA 1.3cA 1.3cA
8 9.5 ± 6.3 ± 5.0 ± 1.0bD 5.5 ± range of 2.0 to 9.1% at 12th day of storage period. Among treatments
1.2bA 1.3bB 1.0bC carrageenan gum showed lowest weight loss 8.0% followed by gum
12 10.1 ± 9.0 ± 8.00 ± 1.3aC 9.1 ± Arabic and xanthan gum at 12th day of storage. Reduction in weight loss
1.5aA 1.2aB 1.3aB
of fruits could be due to the formation of film by applied coatings on the
TSS (%) 0 7.00 ± 7.00 ± 7.00 ± 1.1dA 7.00 ±
1.2dA 1.1dA 1.2dA
fruit skin thus serving as semipermeable barriers, thereby restricts
4 9.50 ± 8.10 ± 8.00 ± 1.1cC 7.20 ± moisture transfer thus delays water loss [25].
1.1cA 1.1cB 1.1cD Effect of coatings treatments on total soluble solids of strawberry
8 11.00 ± 9.89 ± 9.10 ± 1.1b 8.40 ± fruit during storage are shown in Table 1. Control strawberry fruit
1.1B 1.2b 1.1b
showed gradual increase in TSS and maximum TSS value recorded at the
12 12.20 ± 10.40 9.50 ± 1.1aD 10.20 ±
1.2aA ± 1.1aB 1.1aC 12th day of storage was 12.20% which could be due to starch degra­
Titratable 0 1.45 ± 1.45 ± 1.44 ± 0.0aA 1.46 ± dation and moisture loss of fruits during storage Dave et al. [26].
acidity (%) 0.3aA 0.0aA 0.0aA However, coating treatments significantly delayed increase in TSS of
4 1.02 ± 1.21 ± 1.19 ± 0.0bB 1.21 ±
strawberry fruits during storage. Among coating treatments, carra­
0.5bC 0.0bA 0.0bA
8 0.64 ± 0.85 ± 0.90 ± 0.0cB 0.95 ±
geenan and xanthan gum coated fruit exhibited lowest TSS value of 9.50
0.1dD 0.0cC 0.0cA and 10.20% at the 12th day of storage. Delay in TSS in coated strawberry
12 0.74 ± 0.79 ± 0.82 ± 0.0dA 0.77 ± fruit could be due to slow down in metabolic activity (respiration and
0.2cD 0.0dB 0.0dC ripening) of fruit [27,28]. Earlier Thakur et al. [29] also reported slower
Decay 0 0.00 ± 0.00 ± 0.00 ± 0.0D 0.00 ±
increase in TSS of banana fruits coated with biopolymer coatings.
percentage 0.0D 0.0D 0.0D
(%) 4 17.36 ± 6.78 ± 5.17 ± 0.9cB 5.26 ± Flavour of fruits is affected by acidity and it is a measure of organic
4.2cA 0.9cC 0.7cB acids such as malic, citric and tartaric acid [30]. Citric acid being the
8 55.42 ± 15.19 11.74 ± 39.62 ± major organic acid in strawberry fruit. There was decrease in TA during
5.5bA ± 5.2bC 2.4.bD 5.2bB
the storage in coated as well as control fruit, however coated fruit
12 78.42 ± 30.41 14.29 ± 22.38 ±
6.1aA ± 6.5aB 2.5aD 6.1aC
experienced slowest decrease (Table 1). TA of control fruit decreased
Firmness (N) 0 30.24 ± 28.99 30.54 ± 24.87 ± from 1.45 to 0.74% citric acid this could be as a result of natural ripening
3.4aA ± 3.2aB 3.4aA 4.0aC in fruit or due to the use of organic acids in the respiratory process which
4 23.23 ± 27.13 27.37 ± 27.41 ± in turn results in faster senescence [31]. Among coating treatments gum
3.5bC ± 2.8bB 3.0bA 3.4bB
Arabic and carrageenan significantly (P ≤ 0.05) delayed decrease in TA
8 15.00 ± 18.26 21.21 ± 19.88 ±
2.6cD ± 1.1CC 2.1cA 2.1cB 0.79% and 0.82% at 12th day of storage. Similar results in TA loss were
12 9.07 ± 10.34 12.43 ± 10.67 ± also reported in earlier study on fruits coated with starch and chitosan-
1.0dD ± 1.2dC 1.8dA 1.1dB bees wax [32,33].
Ascorbic acid (g 0 0.60 ± 0.61 ± 0.61 ± 0.6aA 0.60 ± Strawberry postharvest physiological activities and high perishable
kg− 1) 0.0aA 0.7aA 0.4aA
4 0.32 ± 0. 52 ± 0. 54 ± 0.53 ±
nature limit its shelf-life [32]. Both control and coated strawberry fruit
0.0bD 0.4bC 0.83bA 0.2bB showed increase in decay percentage during storage. But control fruit
8 0.25 ± 0. 38 ± 0. 39 ± 0.6cA 0.37 ± exhibited significantly (P ≤ 0.05) high decay percentage 78.42% at 12th
0.0cD 0.4cB 0.6cC day of storage. Although coating treatments displayed increase in decay
12 0.15 ± 0. 22 ± 0.27 ± 0.2dA 0.23 ±
percentage with storage but these significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the
0.0dD 0.2dC 0.1dB
Antioxidant 0 36.19 ± 36.47 36.82 ± 36.35 ± decay percentage compared to control. The decay percentage incidence
activity (% 4.7aD ± 4.8aB 4.4aA 4.4aC of coated fruit was in the range 5.17 to 30.41% at 12th day of storage.
inhibition) 4 27.60 ± 31.67 32.64 ± 33.19 ± Among coatings 0.5% carrageenan significantly reduced the decay
3.3bD ± 3.2bC 3.2bB 3.2bA percentage 14.29% at the end of storage period compared to other
8 22.17 ± 25.73 28.63 27.61 ±
coatings and control. This could be due to barrier properties of coatings
±
3.2cD ± 3.3cC 3.4cA 3.3cB
12 18.17 ± 22.64 25.85 ± 23.84 ± by forming film around fruit surface which restricts the invasion of
2.5dD ± 3.2dC 3.3cA 3.2cB pathogen infection thereby decreased the decay percentage.
All values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
Means in the same column with different superscripts (lower case) differ 3.1.1. Firmness
significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Fruit texture is considered as important quality attribute for con­
Means with different superscripts (upper case) in the same row (storage days) sumer acceptance. Strawberry being soft in nature suffers a lot of firm­
indicate significant differences (P ≤ 0.05). ness loss during ripening. Changes in firmness of strawberry fruit during

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storage are shown in Table 1. Results displayed significant (P ≤ 0.05) Table 2

decrease in flesh firmness of both coated as well in control strawberry Effect of biopolymer coatings on color values of control and coated strawberries.
fruit during storage. Control fruit showed initial firmness of 30.24 N, but Treatment Storage days
decreased consistently at the 12th day of storage 9.07 N. This could be
0 4 8 12
due to enzyme hydrolysis which cause degradation of the middle
lamella, increased pectin solubilisation with unnoticeable changes in L* Control 46.43 ± 40.12 ± 35.45 ± 32.38 ±
value 6.1AD 5.1bD 4.0cD 3.4dD
pectin molecular weight and hemicelluloses [34]. However, coated Gum Arabic 46.72 ± 44.25 ± 37.64 ± 34.36 ±
fruits showed lower rate of firmness loss compared to control during the 6.2aB 5.0bB 5.1cC 4.2dC
storage period of 12th day. Among coating treatments carrageenan Carrageenan 46.86 ± 47.65 ± 44.12 ± 40.42 ±
showed beneficial effect in retaining the fruit firmness 12.43 N. This 6.1bA 6.3aA 5.2cA 5.3dA
Xanthan 46.55 ± 42.66 39.28 ± 37.48
confirms that coating treatments are productive in retarding maturation ± ±
6.2aC 6.4bC 5.1cB 4.5dB
and metabolic activities, hence retarded fruit pulp degradation. The a*value Control 13.51 ± 15.54 ± 16.00 ± 16.08 ±
beneficial effect of coatings on firmness have also been reported for 1.2dA 2.2bB 2.2aA 2.1cD
strawberry [34]. Earlier Rojas-Grau et al. [35] have reported that Gum Arabic 13.35 ± 14.65 ± 15.98 ± 16.15 ±
incorporation of some additives retained firmness of fresh cut Fuji apple. 1.4dB 2.1cA 2.1bB 2.2aC
Carrageen 13.25 ± 14.28 15.02 ± 17.22
But results of our study showed that fruit firmness can be maintained by
± ±
1.5dC 1.6cD 2.1bD 1.2aA
application of coatings also. Xanthan 13.25 ± 14.52 ± 15.66 ± 16.22 ±
1.4dC 2.9cC 2.7bC 2.8aB
3.1.2. Ascorbic acid b*value Control 24.42 ± 28.34 ± 31.58 ± 27.36 ±
2.2dC 3.2bA 4.3aA 3.2cD
Effect on ascorbic acid content of coated and control strawberry fruit
Gum Arabic 23.05 ± 27.46 ± 28.55 ± 29.24 ±
during storage are shown in Table 1. Results indicated decrease in 2.4dD 3.2cB 3.2bB 3.3aC
ascorbic acid content of coated as well in control fruit samples during Carrageen 22.94 ± 24.76 ± 25.74 ± 33.54 ±
storage, but coating treatments inhibited the decrease than control. 2.1dA 2.4cD 2.1bC 3.1aA
Control sample showed initial ascorbic acid content of 0.60 g kg− 1, but Xanthan 24.51 ± 25.88 ± 27.34 ± 30.88 ±
2.1dB 0.1cC 3.3bD 2.2aB
decreased significantly to 0.15 g kg− 1 at the 12th day of storage. Loss in
ascorbic acid of control fruit could be due to ascorbate oxidase which All values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
accelerates its oxidation and form dehydroascorbic acid. Earlier re­ Means in the same column with different superscripts (lower case) differ
searchers Cordenunsi et al. [36] have been reported reduction in significantly (P ≤ 0.05).
Means with different superscripts (upper case) in the same row (storage days)
ascorbic acid content of strawberry during storage. Edible coated
indicate significant differences (P ≤ 0.05).
strawberry fruit better retained ascorbic acid compared to the control.
Among the treatments gum Arabic showed low ascorbic acid retention
0.61 to 0.22 g kg− 1, while as carrageenan showed significantly (P ≤ indicated gradual decrease in L* value during entire storage period.
0.05) high retention 0.61 to 0.27 g kg− 1. Reduction in ascorbic acid loss Initially the control fruit showed L* value of 46.43 which decreased
in coated strawberry fruits could be due to low oxygen permeability of significantly to 32.38 at the end 12th day of storage. This indicates
coatings which slows down the enzyme activity thus prevents ascorbic control fruits exhibited greater browning tendency than coated fruits.
acid oxidation [37]. Our results are in line with findings of Adetunji However coated fruits showed high color coordinate L* value than
et al. [38], Eltoum and Babiker [39] and Sharma and Rao [10] in which control at the 12th day of storage. All coated sample experienced
they reported coatings maintained high ascorbic acid content in sweet significantly high a* value than control (Table 2) which provides them
orange, mango and in fresh cut pears than control. more reddish color. With respect to b* parameter, all coated samples
showed high yellow tone b* value compared to control at the end of
3.1.3. Antioxidant activity storage period. Changes in chroma values of strawberry fruits during
Strawberry is having tremendous health benefits but unfavourable storage are shown in Table 2. Chroma value of coated fruits remained
storage conditions may lead to exhaustion of these bioactive com­ constant with no significant difference among samples. Thus indicates
pounds. For this reason, we decided to measure DPPH radical scav­ color intensity of coated fruits does not change significantly. The high
enging activity of strawberry fruit. Researchers Lutz et al. [40], Giuffre chroma value of coated fruits also indicates that these samples develop
[41] and Lutz et al. [42] have analyzed the DPPH scavenging activity of less discoloration. Earlier researchers Perez-Gallardo et al. [45] reported
fruit and vegetables as well. Changes in DPPH scavenging activity of no change in chroma parameter of blackberries by application of coating
coated and control fruit during storage are shown in Table 1. Results treatments during storage. Control sample exhibited reduction in hue
indicated gradual reduction in antioxidant activity of control as well as angel compared to coated fruits at the end of storage period. As shown in
coated fruit over storage but this reduction was more noticeable for Table 2 coated fruits experienced higher hue value. This could be due to
control fruits 18.17% this could be due to decay and senescence. How­ coatings applied which delayed ripening, preserved fruit coloration.
ever coated fruits maintained DPPH radical scavenging activity during Coating treatments also showed significant effect on ΔE value of coated
the storage period than control. Among coating treatments carrageenan fruits as is evident from high color change values.
coated fruit maintained high DPPH activity 25.85% while as gum Arabic
maintained least activity 22.64% at the end 12th day of storage. This 3.2.1. Changes in PG activity
could be due to coatings which form film around fruit surface thus Polygalacturonase activity is closely related to rise in fruit softening
demote oxygen supply necessary for enzymatic oxidation of phenolics and its inactivation could result in slower softening rate [46]. Effect of
hence retained DDPH activity. Our results are in line with reports of edible coatings on PG enzyme activity is shown in Fig. 1a. Increase in
Wang and Gao [43] and Addai et al. [44] who reported coatings PGase activity is related to fruit softening Ruoyi et al. [47]. Results
maintained DPPH scavenging activity of fruits. showed significant difference in PG activity of coated and control fruit.
Initially control fruit showed no PG activity but this activity increased
3.2. Color significantly (P ≤ 0.05) at 4th day of storage. However coated sample
displayed significant reduction in PG activity during storage than con­
Color is an important quality attribute of fruits. Table 2 shows trol. Among coatings carrageenan and gum Arabic showed maximum
changes in surface color parameters of strawberry fruit during storage reduction in PG activity compared to other treatments. This inhibition in
period of 12 days. The L* value is an index of fruit browning. Results PG activity could be due to the reason that biopolymer coatings bind

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Fig. 1. Effect of biopolymer coatings on (a) PG activity (b) Cellulase activity (c) PME activity (d) β-Gal activity of strawberry fruit.
with pectin and there by successfully prevent the ingress of pectinolytic
enzymes (polygalacturonase) to the cell wall substrate. Similar results
were reported by Ruoyi et al. [47] and Gonzalez-Aguilar et al. [48] who
found that coated peach and papaya inhibited PG activity.
3.2.2. Changes in cellulase activity
During ripening cellulase plays pivotal role in fruit softening as it
degrades both cellulose and the β-1-4 glucan backbone of xyloglucan a
hemicellulose polysaccharide. Changes in cellulase activity of coated
and control fruit during storage are shown in Fig. 1b. Results indicate
significant difference in cellulase activity in coated as well as in control
strawberry fruit. As coated fruit showed significantly lower cellulase
activity than control specifying that coatings possibly inhibited cellulase
activity during storage. Control fruit showed cellulase activity of 0.12 U
hr− 1 mg− 1 protein than coated samples which showed activity in the
range of 0.02 to 0.04 U hr− 1 mg− 1 protein at 8th day of storage. Among
coating treatments carrageenan coated fruit showed lowest cellulase
activity at the end 12th storage day. This could be due to the reason as
coating treatments inhibited the activity of hydrolysing enzymes thus
retards fruit metabolic rate during storage. Results of our study are in
agreement with Bhaskar-Reddy et al. [49] and Zhou et al. [50] where
peach and tomato fruit coated with edible coatings showed reduction in
cellulase activity.
3.2.3. Changes in PME activity
Pectin methylesterase (PME) is important enzyme related to textural
changes of fresh produce, as it brings out de-esterification of poly­
galacturonans and makes them more prone to degradation ultimately
leads to fruit softening. As shown in Fig. 1c PME activity increased
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International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108
significantly in control strawberry fruit. This could be due to conversion
of insoluble pectin to soluble pectin, which acts as substrate for enzyme
activity, thus increased PME activity. During storage, PME activity of
control fruit increased by about 8 fold at the 8th day of storage, but in
coated fruit only 2 to 3 fold increase in PME activity was noticed. Among
coating treatments carrageenan coated fruit exhibited less PME activity
1.13 A620 min− 1mg protein− 1 compared to other coating treatments.
This could be because of the reason that these coatings might have
concealed the PME enzymatic activity. We can also say the possible
reason for firmness retention in coated fruits as mentioned above could
be attribute due to their low PME activity than control. Previously re­
searchers Zhou et al. [50], Gol et al. [28] and Gonzalez-Aguilar et al.
[48] have reported coatings lower PME activity brings increased
retention in firmness of pears, strawberries and papaya fruit.
3.2.4. Changes in β-gal activity
β-Galactosidase is also principal enzyme which takes part in firmness
loss by degrading cell wall through activity of pectin degrading en­
zymes. Effect on β-Gal activity of control and strawberry fruit treated
with edible coatings during storage are shown in Fig. 1d. Results showed
β-Gal activity increased gradually throughout the entire storage period
in control as well as coated fruit, but coated fruit exhibited significantly
low β-Gal activity at the end 12th day of storage. Control fruit exhibited
high β-Gal activity 2.45 μmol min− 1 mg protein− 1 at 8th day of storage
period. While as fruit coated with carrageenan showed lowest β-Gal
activity 0.51 μmol min− 1mg protein− 1. Coatings treatments also showed
significant differences in β-Gal activity as fruit coated with xanthan and
gum Arabic showed 1.21 μmol min− 1 mg protein− 1 and 1.45 μmol
min− 1mg protein− 1 activity respectively. These results aid the findings
S.M. Wani et al. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108

Table 3 Table 4
Effect of biopolymer coatings on anthocyanins of strawberry during storage. Effect of biopolymer coatings on phenolic compounds of strawberry during
Storage days
storage.
Storage days
0 4 8 12
0 4 8 12
Cyanidin 3-glucoside
CL 6.12 ± 0.13dD 6.67 ± 0.31cD 7.52 ± 0.24bD 8.67 ± 0.27aD Quercetin-3 glucuronide
GA 3 7.29 ± 0.23dC 8.22 ± 0.29cC 9.16 ± 0.36bC 11.16 ± 0.31aC CL 0.91 ± 0.12dD 0.94 ± 0.26dC 1.01 ± 0.11dB 1.28 ± 0.28dA
CA 0.5% 8.19 ± 0.22dA 10.12 ± 12.19 ± 15.64 ± 0.17aA GA 3% 0.94 ± 0.21cD 0.96 ± 0.21cC 1.25 ± 0.22cB 1.42 ± 0.25cA
0.20cA 0.28bA CA 0.5% 1.07 ± 0.18bD 1.31 ± 0.32bC 1.61 ± 0.34bB 2.62 ± 0.17aA
XG 0.1% 7.88 ± 0.24dB 9.40 ± 0.18cB 10.17 ± 0.31bB 12.23 ± 0.22a B XG 0.1% 1.40 ± 0.26aD 1.92 ± 0.16aC 2.31 ± 0.18aA 1.84 ± 0.07bB
Pelargonidin 3-malonyl-glucoside Quercetin 3-pentoside
CL 0.51 ± 0.43dD 0.53 ± 0.35cD 0.67 ± 0.31bD 0.81 ± 0.11aD CL 0.84 ± 0.03dD 0.92 ± 0.05dC 1.31 ± 0.09cB 1.60 ± 0.05cA
GA 3% 0.73 ± 0.16dC 0.82 ± 0.21cC 1.01 ± 0.23bC 1.38 ± 0.27aC GA 3% 1.16 ± 0.07cD 1.18 ± 0.09cC 1.22 ± 0.06dB 1.41 ± 0.02dA
CA 0.5% 0.79 ± 0.15dB 0.96 ± 0.07cB 1.38 ± 0.30bB 1.69 ± 0.32aB CA 0.5% 1.27 ± 0.01bD 1.28 ± 0.04bC 1.33 ± 0.08bB 2.21 ± 0.04aA
XG 0.1% 1.14 ± 0.34dA 1.33 ± 0.18cA 1.45 ± 0.21bA 1.96 ± 0.58aA XG 0.1% 1.46 ± 0.06aD 1.69 ± 0.09aC 1.85 ± 0.06aB 1.78 ± 0.01bA
Pelargonidin 3-rutinoside Kaempferol coum-hexoside
CL 1.42 ± 0.02dD 1.43 ± 0.01cD 1.71 ± 0.03bD 2.06 ± 0.01aD CL 0.64 ± 0.09dD 0.71 ± 0.09dC 0.82 ± 0.08dB 0.91 ± 0.04dA
GA 3% 1.74 ± 0.03dC 1.96 ± 0.03cC 2.59 ± 0.01bC 3.05 ± 0.01aC GA 3% 0.71 ± 0.05cD 0.96 ± 0.05cC 0.99 ± 0.03c B 1.16 ± 0.09cA
CA 0.5% 2.23 ± 0.01dA 2.71 ± 0.01cA 3.83 ± .03bA 4.78 ± 0.03aA CA 0.5% 0.82 ± 0.08bD 0.99 ± 0.06bC 1.24 ± 0.08bB 2.27 ± 0.06aA
XG 0.1% 1.85 ± 0.03dB 2.06 ± 0.02cB 2.61 ± 0.01bB 3.71 ± 0.02aB XG 0.1% 1.19 ± 0.06aD 1.31 ± 0.09aC 1.86 ± 0.07aB 1.3 ± 0.02bA
Pelargonidin 3 glucoside Kampferol 3-glucoside
CL 9.24 ± 0.13dD 10.26 ± 12.29 ± 14.45 ± 0.23aD CL 0.32 ± 0.18dD 0.42 ± 0.17dC 0.67 ± 0.22dB 0.86 ± 0.16dA
0.21cD 0.32bD GA 3% 0.54 ± 0.32cD 0.71 ± 0.12cC 0.89 ± 0.15cB 0.95 ± 0.12cA
GA 3% 9.88 ± 0.21dC 11.37 ± 0.14cC 13.59 ± 0.11bC 15.72 ± 0.22aC CA 0.5% 0.66 ± 0.25bD 0.92 ± 0.22bC 1.21 ± 0.14bB 2.20 ± 0.15aA
CA 0.5% 12.44 ± 15.62 ± 18.80 ± 22.99 ± 0.12aA XG 0.1% 1.11 ± 0.40aD 1.31 ± 0.19aC 1.65 ± 0.18aA 1.62 ± 0.19bB
0.31dA 0.23cA 0.02bA
XG 0.1% 11.35 ± 0.04dB 13.48 ± 0.21cB 16.64 ± 0.23bB 19.81 ± 0.11aB Catechin
CL 6.12 ± 0.21dD 7.11 ± 0.21dC 8.35 ± 0.27dB 11.51 ± 0.11dA
Cyanidin 3 rutinoside GA 3% 6.81 ± 0.11cD 8.79 ± 0.26cC 10.52 ± 0.27cB 13.33 ± 0.25cA
CL 0.24 ± 0.03dD 0.26 ± 0.05cD 0.29 ± 0.02bD 0.45 ± 0.03aD CA 0.5% 8.81 ± 0.13aD 11.72 ± 0.20aC 15.98 ± 0.18aB 18.13 ± 0.19aA
GA 3% 0.28 ± 0.01dC 0.37 ± 0.04cC 0.59 ± 0.01bC 0.72 ± 0.02aC XG 0.1% 7.22 ± 0.27bD 9.61 ± 0.16bC 11.51 ± 0.21bB 15.67 ± 0.19bA
CA 0.5% 0.44 ± 0.01dB 0.62 ± 0.03cA 0.80 ± 0.02bA 0.99 ± 0.02aA
XG 0.1% 0.35 ± 0.04dA 0.48 ± 0.01cB 0.64 ± 0.03bB 0.81 ± 0.01aB All values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
Means in the same column with different superscripts (lower case) differ
Pelargonidin 3-acetyl-glucoside
significantly (P ≤ 0.05).
CL 0.42 ± 0.03dD 0.44 ± 0.02CC 0.49 ± 0.01bD 0.51 ± 0.01aD
Means with different superscripts (upper case) in the same row (storage days)
GA 3% 0.47 ± 0.01dC 0.49 ± 0.01cB 0.55 ± 0.03bC 0.69 ± 0.03aC
CA 0.5% 0.59 ± 0.04dA 0.61 ± 0.01cA 0.84 ± 0.02bA 0.94 ± 0.03aA indicate significant differences (P ≤ 0.05).
XG 0.1% 0.55 ± 0.04dB 0.61 ± 0.03cA 0.73 ± 0.01bB 0.86 ± 0.03aB

All values are mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
Means in the same column with different superscripts (lower case) differ
significantly (P ≤ 0.05).
Means with different superscripts (upper case) in the same row (storage days)
indicate significant differences (P ≤ 0.05).
of researchers Gonzalez-Aguilaret al. [48] who reported coatings furnish
mechanism strength to fruits by retarding enzyme activity and this
obstruction in enzyme activity could be associated with physiological
changes produced by treatments.
3.3. HPLC analysis
Changes in anthocyanins and phenolic content of control and coated
strawberry fruit during storage are presented in Tables 3 and 4. Phenolic
compounds such as quercetin 3-glucuronide, quercetin 3-pentoside,
kaempferol coum-hexoside, kampferol 3-glucoside and catechin were
identified and quantified in coated strawberry fruit. The anthocyanins
identified in the studied strawberry cultivar were cyanidin 3-glucoside,
cyanidin 3-rutinoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-rutino­
side, pelargonidin 3-malonyl-glucoside and pelargonidin 3-acetyl-gluco­
side. With regard to the individual anthocyanin most dominant
anthocyanin was pelargonidin 3-glucoside. The second most abundant
anthocyanin was cyanidin 3-glucoside followed by pelargonidin 3-ruti­
noside, pelargonidin 3-acetyl-glucoside and pelargonidin 3-malonyl-
glucoside in control and coated samples. Cyanidin 3-glucoside, pelar­
gonidin 3- malonyl-glu and pelargonidin 3-rutinoside content ranged
from 6.12 to15.64 mg kg− 1 DW, 0.51 to 1.96 mg kg− 1 DW and 1.42 to
4.78 mg kg− 1 DW respectively. Significant difference was observed in
flavan 3-ol content among all samples. The (+) catechin content varied
from 6.12 to 18.13 mg kg− 1 DW. Flavonoids included quercetin 3-
glucoronide, quercetin 3-pentoside, kamferol 3-glucoside, kamferol
coum-hexoside. Quercetin 3-glucuronide was the predominant flavonol
with regard to flavonols and ranged from 0.91 to 2.62 mg kg− 1 DW and
kaempferol 3-glucoside was the minor flavonol ranged from 0.32 to
2.20 mg kg− 1 DWP. Results ascribed gradual increase in phenolic
compounds during storage but coated strawberry fruits exhibited
significantly higher increase (Table 3). This could be due to semi
permeable barrier properties of coatings which restricts gas exchange,
inhibited water loss and delayed ripening by modifying the endogenous
CO2, O2 and ethylene production. Similar results were reported by
Gonzalez-Aguilar et al. [48] and Simoes et al. [51] wherein they have
reported that coatings maintained and enhanced the phytochemicals of
fresh cut papaya and carrot sticks. Wang and Goa [43] reported 90 of the
total phenolic compounds present in strawberry were ellagic acid,
ellagic acid glucoside, p-coumaroyl glucose, quercetin 3-glucoside and
quercetin 3-glucuronide, kaempferol 3-glucoside and kaempferol 3-
glucuronide, cyanidin 3-glucoside, pelargonidin 3-glucoside, cyanidin
3-glucoside-succinate, and pelargonidin 3-glucoside-succinate.
3.4. Microbial analysis
The psychrophilic bacteria, yeast and mold count of coated and un­
coated strawberry fruit determined during refrigeration 4 ◦ C storage for
12 days are shown in Fig. 2a, b. Results obtained indicate that psy­
chrophilic bacteria count increased gradually during storage in both
coated and uncoated strawberry. Psychrophilic bacteria count in control
sample increased from 1.6 log10 cfu/g at 4th storage day to 3.2 log10 cfu/
g after 12th day of storage. However, coating treatments significantly
reduced psychrophilic bacteria count than control as shown in Fig. 2a, b.
While as coating treatments exhibited non-significant difference in
psychrophilic bacteria count inhibition. Among coatings samples treated

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S.M. Wani et al.
Fig. 2. Effect of biopolymer coatings on (a) psychrophilic bacteria (b) yeast and mold count of strawberry fruit.
with GA 3%, XG 0.1% and CA 0.5% showed bacteria count of 2.7, 2.5
and 2.0 log10 cfu/g respectively. This confirms that coatings enriched
with lemon grass essential oil were effective in slow down the bacteria
count. Similarly control strawberry fruit showed high yeast and mold
count 3.7 log10 cfu/g after 12th day of storage. However, coatings such
as GA 3%, XG 0.1% and CA 0.5% enriched with lemongrass essential oil
(LEO) significantly reduced yeast and mold count 3.4 log10 cfu/g, 3.2
log10 cfu/g and 3.0 log10 cfu/g respectively. Among coatings CA 1%
effectively reduced the bacteria, yeast and mold count as shown in
Fig. 2a, b. Our results are in line with previous findings of Salvia-Trujillo
et al. [52]; Guerreiro et al. [53]; Azarakhsh et al. [54] and Rojas-Grau
et al. [55] who also reported reduction in microbial spoilage by incor­
poration of essential oils in fresh-cut Fuji apple, pineapple, apple and
berries.
4. Conclusion
All the edible coatings showed beneficial effects on retention of
strawberry quality attributes during storage. There was significant delay
in weight loss and decaying. Coatings effectively retained firmness,
bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and other physicochemical
properties of strawberry fruit. Coating treatments significantly inhibited
the activity of cell wall degrading enzymes responsible for fruit softening
and ripening. Coatings containing lemon grass essential oil significantly
reduced psychrophilic bacteria, yeast and mold count of fruit during
storage. However, among coatings carrageenan gum was most effective
coating substance for preserving the strawberry quality attributes during
refrigeration storage. Findings of this study could be helpful to know
how storage period affects the quality attributes of coated and uncoated
strawberry fruit during storage.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Department of Biotechnology,
Government of India for financial support with grant No. 102/IFD/SAN/
4187/2017-2018 for the research work.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Sajad Mohd Wani, Amir Gull: Conceptualization, Methodology,
Writing original draft, Investigation.
Tehmeena Ahad: Data curation, Resources.
A.R. Malik, Tariq Ahmad Ganaie: Formal analysis.
Farooq Ahmad Masoodi: Supervision, Project administration.
Adil Gani: Validation, Reviewing.
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International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 183 (2021) 2100–2108
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