_applied sciences_  
_Article_  
**Effect of Different Essential Oils on the Properties of Edible Coatings Based on Yam (_Dioscorea rotundata_ L.) Starch and Its Application in Strawberry (_Fragaria vesca_ L.) Preservation**  
[PERSON] 1, [PERSON] 2, [PERSON] 3, [PERSON] 4 and [PERSON] 5,* 6  
Footnote  
(_Fragaria vesca_ L.) is a widely accepted crop worldwide, and specifically in South America, Colombia has 36.5 T/ha of strawberry production per year [2]. Currently, there is an interest in reducing post-harvest residues of fruits and vegetables caused during food handling, storage, and transport. Therefore, methods have been employed to extend shelf life by using high-water vapour barrier packaging, edible coatings, heat treatment, UV-C plasma treatment, controlled and modified atmosphere systems. These treatments could extend shelf life and reduce post-harvest losses while maintaining fruit quality [3]. Edible coatings improve the appearance of the fruit, increase shelf life, and maintain fruit quality during storage. It is a technology that contributes to the environment by controlling moisture loss, gas exchange, or oxidation processes. In addition, they provide an additional protective layer to produce and create a modified atmosphere around the product [4]. Edible coatings can be prepared from proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids and by their combination. Different polysaccharides such as starch, chitosan, pectin, alginate, gums, and gels have been used to coat fresh fruits and vegetables. Edible polysaccharide-based coatings maintain the post-harvest quality of fruits and vegetables and are environmentally friendly [5; 6]. Starch is a polysaccharide with wide application in the food industry due to its easy availability, low extraction cost, biocompatibility, biodegradability, edibility, and good film-forming capacity [7]. In particular, yam (_Dioscorea rotundata_ L.) has called attention to being the third most crucial tuber globally with an estimated world production of 7258 million tons and an average yield of 8351.5 kg ha\({}^{-1}\) registered for the year 2018 [8]. Moreover, due to the yam's excellent nutritional and energy quality, its starch has interesting functional and industrial properties comparable to cereals. Studies based on yam starch showed higher Young's modulus and strength values than cassava, indicating its high applicability [9]. The incorporation of essential oils into the polymeric matrix of fruit films and coatings adds bioactive compounds that provide antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. This process allows the controlled release of the active substances on the surface of the fruit for a longer time, which is a great advantage over the direct application of the essential oil, which can modify the flavour and quality of the product [10]. An example is the essential oil of lime, which is used in the food industry due to its chemical and sensory characteristics. This oil is composed of a mixture of terpen (75%), oxygenated complexes (12%) and sesquiterpenes (3%), being limonene, \(\gamma\)-terpene, and citral its main active compounds, which have shown high antibacterial activity against different gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, such as _P. aeruginosa, E. coli, S. typhimurium_, and _S. aureus_[11; 12]. On the other hand, some studies have reported the high antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties of fennel essential oil, attributed to its main active compounds, ketones, olefins, and anethole, present in the oil in a proportion of 48.86%, 33.07%, and 9.78%, respectively [13; 14]. Other studies have considered lavender essential oil as a bioactive component to enhance the biological properties of biodegradable films due to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and especially analgesic and antioxidant properties [15; 16].