Development of Biodegradable Rosemary Essential Oil-Based Biofilm for Enhanced Preservation of Strawberries

¹ Centre for Sustainable Agriculture Technology, Institute of Good Manufacturing Practices India, New Delhi - 110016, India
² Amity Institute of Horticulture Studies and Research, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301, India
³ Amity Food & Agricultural Foundation, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 201301, India

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Abstract

Strawberries, or Fragaria ananassa, are among the most economically perishable fruits; postharvest losses of 40–50% are mostly caused by Alternaria alternata, a kind of fungus. The manufacture and antifungal assessment of a biodegradable biofilm based on rosemary essential oil (REO) as a natural substitute for artificial preservatives are described in this paper. Following hydro-distillation with and without ultrasonic pre-treatment, REO was extracted from shade-dried Rosmarinus officinalis leaves and added to a 2% (w/v) sodium alginate matrix at three different concentrations: 5%, 2.5%, and 1.25% (v/v). Dynamic Lighting Z-average particle diameter of 327.4 nm and polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.354 were found by scattering (DLS) characterization, indicating stable nanoscale emulsion formation. A. alternata colony expansion was clearly suppressed by in vitro antifungal tests (poisoned food method, 1000 ppm), with the REO biofilm outperforming the REO emulsion alone. The 5% REO biofilm provided the best defense against fungal colonization, postponed obvious degradation, and preserved fruit quality in comparison to untreated controls, according to in vivo tests carried out over five storage days. These findings confirm that REO-enriched biodegradable biofilms are a workable, environmentally acceptable postharvest method for preserving strawberries.