Sustainable Apple Coating by Biodegradable Gelatin Film Containing Oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) Essential Oil

Background: Apples produced annually are lost due to post-harvest spoilage. On the other hand, the demand for environmentally friendly packaging materials has increased sharply due to environmental concerns regarding the use of petroleum polymers. One of the best ways to overcome these problems is to include essential oils in the packaging film. Methods: Present study aimed to investigate the effect of biodegradable film based on Gelatin containing oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) essential oil (with concentrations 5, 10 and 20% w/w) as an active packaging to increase the post-harvest life of Apple fruit. The effect of the films on maintaining the quality properties of apple during 15 days of storage at 4°C was investigated and the number of qualitative changes of the samples (weight, firmness, soluble solids, pH and microbial contamination). Result: During this period were evaluated. This study showed that the quality of the samples decreased during the storage period; however, the decrease in the packaged samples was significantly less than in the unpackaged samples. Also, adding essential oil to the polymer film resulted in better preservation of the quality properties of apple and with increasing the concentration of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) essential oil, the decrease in the quality of strawberry samples was slower. Therefore, it seems that using biodegradable film, Gelatin containing oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) essential oil can be an active packaging; it greatly reduces post-harvest waste of apples.