Evaluation of the effect of nanocellulose edible coating on strawberries inoculated with Aspergillus flavus through image analysis

Abstract

The impact of a coating solution containing chitosan, lignocellulosic nanofibers (LCNF), and raspberry leaf extract on strawberry quality was assessed. Strawberries were coated, inoculated with Aspergillus flavus (a major aflatoxin producer), and stored at 5 ± 1 °C for 16 days. An automated fruit quality evaluation system was developed, and daily images were taken for analysis. ImageJ software was used to evaluate colour, size loss, and fungal damage. Coating solution significantly reduced fruit size loss, with coated strawberries showing 18.4 ± 12.8% size loss after 16 days, compared to 30.2 ± 8.4% in the control group and 25 ± 10.7% in uncoated strawberries. Regarding colour, lower colour changes were observed in coated fruit compared to the control during storage (p ≤ 0.05). Fungal damage did not significantly differ between treatments during storage (p > 0.05). Furthermore, the study demonstrated that image analysis and visual estimation methods for assessing fruit fungal damage yielded similar results, with a strong correlation (R2 = 0.87). This suggests that the proposed image analysis methodology is effective for the assessment of fungal damage in strawberries compared to visual estimation. Chitosan-LCNF-raspberry extract coating solution shows promise in enhancing strawberry quality by reducing size loss during storage and managing fungal development.