Antifungal effects of chitosan coating on fresh strawberries and raspberries during storage

SummaryThe effects of chitosan coatings (1.0% and 2.0% w/v) in controlling the decay of strawberries and raspberries and maintaining their quality were investigated. A chitosan coating significantly reduced the decay of berries stored at 13°C and induced a significant increase of chitinase and β-l,3-glucanase activities of the berries as compared with the controls. Chitosan coating proved almost as effective as the fungicide TBZ in controlling the decay of berries stored at 13°C caused by Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus sp. Chitosan coating had beneficial effects on firmness, titratable acidity, vitamin C content, and anthocyanin content of strawberries and raspberries stored at 4°C.