Influence of Chitosan-Based Coatings with UV Irradiation on Quality of Strawberry Fruit During Cold Storage

The objective of this work was to determine the effects of UV-C and chitosan coatings, alone orin conjunction, on the quality of strawberry fruit during storage. The treated fruits were examinedfor weight loss, respiration rate, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid contents,total anthocyanins, total phenolic contents, decay incidence and sensory analysis of strawberryfruit were investigated during cold storage 1±0.5°C and 90±5% RH for 15 days. The result showedthat chitosan coating with UV-C irradiation could further reduce decay incidence of strawberryfruit, restrain increase of respiration rate and weight loss of strawberry fruit compared to othertreatments. Moreover, the total anthocyanins and total phenolic contents were maintained at higherlevel, and the decrease of ascorbic acid was restricted during storage period. Likewise, sensoryanalysis results also showed the effectiveness of UV-C + chitosan treatment by retaining thequality of strawberry fruit. Control and individual UV-C treatment had similar effects onrespiration rate and weight loss. The results showed that UV-C + chitosan treatment can be aneffective method for enhancing the phytochemical content and delaying fruit senescence ofstrawberry fruit during cold storage