Lucuma Starch-Based Active Packaging Maintains Postharvest Quality of Strawberries During Cold Storage

Sustainable starch-based bioplastics have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional plastics for fresh produce packaging, yet their efficacy in preserving highly perishable fruits remains underexplored. Strawberries cv. San Andreas, prone to rapid postharvest deterioration, require packaging that balances moisture retention and gas exchange to maintain quality. This study developed lucuma seed starch-based bioplastics incorporated with free (EO) or microencapsulated (EOM) lemon verbena essential oil and evaluated their performance during 16 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C) compared to non-active bioplastic (Control) and commercial low-density polyethylene (LDPE). Microencapsulation enhanced the stability and controlled release of bioactive compounds. The EOM treatment reduced weight loss to 12.81% (vs. 18.25% in Control and 6.29% in LDPE), while preserving firmness at 3.87 N (vs. 2.19 N in LDPE). Strawberries packaged in both EO and EOM exhibited complete suppression of visible decay (0% incidence) throughout storage, in stark contrast to LDPE (57.34% incidence). The EOM system also maintained higher levels of total phenolics (205.51 mg GAE/100 g FW), antioxidant capacity (289.05 µmol TE/100 g FW), and anthocyanins compared to LDPE and Control treatments. These findings demonstrate that lucuma seed starch bioplastics containing microencapsulated lemon verbena essential oil represent a sustainable and functional packaging strategy to extend shelf life and preserve the quality of highly perishable strawberries during refrigerated storage.