Biofilmes à base de celulose microfibrilada na conservação pós-colheita de morango e jabuticaba

Abstract

Fruits such as strawberry and jaboticaba exhibit high postharvest perishability, limiting their shelf life and increasing losses along the commercialization chain, especially under inadequate storage conditions. In this context, strategies such as the use of edible coatings and different storage environments have been tested as alternatives to delay deterioration and preserve postharvest fruit quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the postharvest conservation of ‘San Andreas’ strawberries and ‘Açú Paulista’ jabuticabas subjected to the use of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC), applied alone or associated with biofilms and salicylic acid, under different storage conditions. The study was carried out at the Federal Technological University of Paraná - Dois Vizinhos Campus, comprising two experiments with strawberries and three experiments with jabuticabas, in which different combinations of fruit coatings, storage environments, and packaging types were tested. Physicochemical and quality attributes of the fruits were evaluated, including polar and equatorial diameters, firmness, mass loss, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, ratio, color attributes, and incidence of decay during storage. The results demonstrated that refrigeration was the most determinant factor for maintaining postharvest quality, significantly reducing decay incidence, mass loss, and the progression of senescence in both species. In strawberries, MFC application alone had limited effects, with occasional contributions to firmness maintenance under refrigeration. In jabuticabas, coating performance depended on storage conditions, with greater deterioration observed when MFC was applied under ambient conditions. On the other hand, the application of salicylic acid showed potential to delay fruit softening and preserve physicochemical attributes during storage. Overall, it can be concluded that refrigeration is the primary strategy for extending the shelf life of strawberries and jabuticabas, while MFC-based coatings may serve as a complementary technology, provided that formulation and storage conditions are properly adjusted.