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چکیده
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This study aimed to evaluate the effects of biodegradable low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films and post-packaging ultraviolet-C (UV-C) irradiation on the quality and shelf-life of strawberries, a highly perishable fruit. Strawberry fruit was packaged in three types of films: neat biodegradable LDPE (BLDPE), BLDPE containing nano-clay (BLDPE/NC), and BLDPE containing nano-mineral (BLDPE/NM). After packaging, fruit were either exposed to UV-C (+UV-C, 3.2 kJ m−2) or not (−UV-C), resulting in six treatment combinations. After 12 days of storage at 15 °C, under both ±UV-C conditions, BLDPE/NC film showed the highest firmness, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, vitamin C, total phenolic, total anthocyanin concentrations, total flavonoid, together with reductions in pH and total color change. In the −UV-C, BLDPE/NC film resulted in the lowest decay incidence and highest total antioxidant activity, whereas under +UV-C, the lowest decay was observed in BLDPE/NM. Regarding microbial load, BLDPE/NM exhibited the lowest total aerobic mesophilic bacteria in ±UV-C, and under +UV-C, it also showed the lowest total yeasts and molds populations. Additionally, in ±UV-C conditions, the least weight loss was observed in BLDPE/NC and BLDPE films, while the highest weight loss occurred in BLDPE/NM film. These findings indicate that combining UV-C with BLDPE/NM film is more effective for microbial control, while BLDPE/NC film is superior in maintaining the physical and chemical quality of the strawberry fruit. Overall, the combination of UV-C with specific packaging materials can effectively preserve fruit quality and extend the shelf-life of strawberries.
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