Hermetia illucens, an innovative and sustainable source of chitosan-based coating for postharvest preservation of strawberries

Micaela Triunfo; Anna Guarnieri; Dolores Ianniciello; Leonardo Coviello; Antonella Vitti; Maria Nuzzaci; Rosanna Salvia; Carmen Scieuzo; Patrizia Falabella

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.108576

Hermetia illucens, an innovative and sustainable source of chitosan-based coating for postharvest preservation of strawberries

iScience. 2023 Nov 24;26(12):108576. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108576. eCollection 2023 Dec 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
² School of Agricultural, Forestry, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
³ Spinoff XFlies s.r.l, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy.

Abstract

The ability of chitosan produced from pupal exuviae of Hermetia illucens to retard the decay of the local strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) cultivar Melissa was investigated for the first time in this paper. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of insect chitosan compared to the commercial polymer in preserving and enhancing, at the same time, some physicochemical parameters (weight loss, pH and soluble solids content) and nutraceutical properties (total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content and total antioxidant activity) of strawberries stored at RT, 4°C and at mixed storage conditions (4°C + RT). Moreover, chitosan from H. illucens was also effective in reducing fungal decay and improving fruit shelf life. The obtained results confirm that insect chitosan, particularly deriving from H. illucens pupal exuviae, can be a viable alternative to crustacean one in safeguarding postharvest fruits.

Keywords: Applied microbiology; Biotechnology; Food technology; Microbiology.