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Preservation of Strawberries with an Antifungal Edible Coating Using Peony Extracts in Chitosan

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Abstract

Strawberries represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds including vitamin C, E, β-carotene, and phenolic compounds, but they are fruits with an extremely short postharvest life. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of an active coating consisting in antifungal microparticles obtained by spray drying of peony extracts (Paeonia rockii (PPR)) dispersed in chitosan (Ch) and subsequent addition to polysaccharide gels to slow the fungal attack of small highly perishable fruits, such as strawberries. The results of the antimicrobial assays indicate that the peony extracts in chitosan are able to counteract effectively the growth of different fungal isolates from deteriorated strawberries. In conclusion, through the treatment with this antifungal coating, it is possible to prolong the shelf life of delicate fruits, such as strawberries, to about 16 days, slowing down the weight loss, affecting the safeguard of important vitamins and antioxidant capacity during storage, without causing any significant alteration of the nutritional and sensorial properties of the product.

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Acknowledgments

The investigation was supported by grants “Cluster AGRIFOOD-SOSTENIBILITA’ DELLA FILIERA AGROALIMENTARE (SO.FI.A).”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie, Università degli Studi del Sannio, Via Port’Arsa 11, 82100, Benevento, Italy

    Caterina Pagliarulo

  2. Dipartimento di Farmacia, Università di Salerno, Via Ponte Don Melillo, 84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy

    Francesca Sansone, Stefania Moccia & Rita Patrizia Aquino

  3. Istituto di Scienze dell’Alimentazione-CNR, Via Roma 64, 83100, Avellino, Italy

    Stefania Moccia, Gian Luigi Russo, Michele Di Stasio & Maria Grazia Volpe

  4. Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Paola Salvatore

  5. CEINGE-Biotecnologie Avanzate, Via G. Salvatore 486, 80145, Naples, Italy

    Paola Salvatore

Authors
  1. Caterina Pagliarulo
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  2. Francesca Sansone
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  3. Stefania Moccia
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  4. Gian Luigi Russo
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  6. Paola Salvatore
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  7. Michele Di Stasio
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  8. Maria Grazia Volpe
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Correspondence to Maria Grazia Volpe.

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Pagliarulo, C., Sansone, F., Moccia, S. et al. Preservation of Strawberries with an Antifungal Edible Coating Using Peony Extracts in Chitosan. Food Bioprocess Technol 9, 1951–1960 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-016-1779-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-016-1779-x

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