Extending shelf life of strawberry using some pre-storage treatments

摘要

Strawberry fruits are consumed and beloved all over the world due to their taste, aroma, soft texture, nutritional and curative values. The fruit has high anthocyanin, phenol and vitamin C content and are imperative for their free radical scavenging activity and control of melanoma cells. Strawberry fruits are highly susceptible to fungal pathogens. In the past, the use of fungicides for their preservation and longer shelf life was common. But nowadays WHO prevents use of chemicals for preservation and warns about their effect on public health and the environment. In the present study, we demonstrate an effective and healthy method to increase strawberry shelf life. We investigated the effect of ascorbic acid, salicylic acid, UV-C radiation and VEG'LYS a natural antimicrobial compound, on strawberry shelf life. Among used treatments, VEG'LYS significantly increased the shelf life and maintained the quality of fruits at low concentrations. Our results showed that even 18 days after storage, nearly 80% of fruits treated with VEG'LYS were still non-infected by fungi and marketable. Surprisingly, besides showing lower infection levels and better fruit appearance, VEG'LYS treated fruits showed acceptable taste. Among used treatments the lowest variation of total phenolic content, anthocyanin, and antioxidant activity was found in VEG'LYS treated samples compared to controls. Here we show a new, safe and acceptable way of pre-storage treatment for strawberry production and trade.