Effect of nanocellulose-based edible coatings enriched with α-pinene and myrtle essential oil on the postharvest quality of strawberry

Abstract Background Despite the desirable qualities of strawberries, their short shelf life and susceptibility to spoilage present significant challenges. This study examined the effect of nanocellulose-based edible coatings enriched with myrtle essential oil (MEO) and α-pinene (AL) at concentrations of 0.3% and 0.6%, on the quality attributes of strawberry fruits during an 18-day storage period at 4 °C. The physico-chemical, nutritional, and sensory attributes of strawberry were evaluated at 0, 6, 12, and 18 days of storage. Results Results demonstrated that treated samples displayed lesser weight loss and greater firmness than the control group during storage. Fruits treated with Nano-MEO 0.6% demonstrated minimum weight loss and maximum firmness (1.55 N). The maximum anthocyanin content was observed in the fruits treated with MEO 0.6 %, which was approximately 2.2 times greater than that of the control. Nano-AL 0.6% exhibited the highest ascorbic acid content (85 mg. 100 g-1 FW), which was about 4.25 times greater than that of the control (20 mg. 100 g-1 FW). On the 18th day of storage, the maximum total phenol content (9.11 mg. g-1 FW) was observed in the Nano-MEO 0.6% treatment group, which was significantly different from that in the control (5.64 mg. g-1 FW). The maximum flavonoid content was observed in Nano-AL 0.3% (20 mg. g-1 FW), while the minimum concentration was found in the control (12.6 mg. g-1 FW).The highest catalase (CAT) activity (5.1 U·g⁻1 FW) was observed on the 12th day in the Nano-AL 0.6% treatment, whereas the maximum peroxidase (POD) activity (46.7 U·g⁻1 FW) was recorded on the same day under the Nano-AL 0.3% treatment. At the end of storage, Nano-MEO (0.6%) exhibited the lowest polyphenol oxidase (PPO) enzyme activity (4.77 U g-1 FW), significantly lower than that observed in the control group (13.2 U g-1 FW). Conclusions In general, compared with the control and other treatments, Nano-MEO (0.6%) demonstrated the greatest overall acceptability. Therefore, the use of this treatment is recommended for maintaining the quality of harvested strawberries.