Enhancing strawberry storage life with Aloe vera gel edible coating enriched with rosemary essential oil

The short storage life and susceptibility to post-harvest fungal diseases present significant challenges in strawberry preservation. This study, therefore, investigated the efficacy of Aloe vera gel (AVG) combined with various concentrations (250, 500, and 1000 ppm) of rosemary essential oil (REO), as a natural alternative to synthetic fungicides for extending the storage life of strawberries at 5 °C. Based on our results, the AVG + REO coatings significantly improved multiple quality parameters compared to untreated fruits. Coated strawberries exhibited 4-9% higher vitamin C content. On the 14th day of storage, coated fruits showed remarkable reductions in total microbial count (20-37 log cfu/g), total mold and yeast count (20-37%), and fruit spoilage percentage (24-100%) compared to uncoated controls. The coatings also moderated the decrease in titratable acidity (29% less reduction than controls), contributing to flavor preservation. Furthermore, the treatments effectively reduced weight loss, maintained favorable TSS/TA ratios, and enhanced anthocyanin content. The AVG + REO coating at 250 ppm concentration showed particularly promising results, completely preventing fruit spoilage after 14 days of storage. The multifaceted preservation effects were attributed to the coatings' ability to form a protective barrier, modulate respiratory metabolism, and exert antimicrobial activity. These findings demonstrate the potential of AVG + REO coatings as a natural, edible, cost-effective, and efficient method for improving the storage life and preserving the quality of strawberries. This study contributes to the development of sustainable post-harvest management strategies in the fruit industry and opens avenues for further research into optimizing natural coatings formulations for commercial applications.