Postharvest Application of Aloe Vera Gel Improved Shelf Life and Quality of Strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.)

Strawberry is highly appreciated for its aroma and texture, but rapid detrimental changes lead to decay and loss of quality in strawberries, which are the main reasons for huge economic losses. To tackle this major concern, this research focused on assessing the efficacy of edible coatings based on aloe vera (AV) gel to maintain quality parameters and postharvest storage of strawberries. Fruits were coated with gel containing one of five different concentrations of AV gel (0%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%) and stored at 1 °C and 95% relative humidity (RH) for up to 20 days. The weight loss, total soluble solids and malondialdehyde content was higher in untreated fruits, whilst these parameters were reduced in treated fruits. The AV gel treated fruits also maintained firmness, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and total antioxidant activity, whereas, a significant decrease in these parameters was observed in untreated fruits. Furthermore, AV gel coated fruits had better superoxide dismutase, catalase and ascorbate peroxidase activities than uncoated fruits. Additionally, AV gel coatings reduced the rate of loss of total phenolic and flavonoid contents during storage. Consequently, it is concluded that AV gel edible coating is recommended for improving postharvest life and for maintaining maximum quality characteristics of strawberry stored for 20 days stored at 1 °C and 95% RH. Among all treatments, 80% AV gel revealed the best results in maintaining the overall fruit quality and delaying ripening throughout the storage period