## 3 Results
### Coating Effect on Strawberry Preservation
#### 3.5.2 Coating Application on Strawberries  
Figure 2 shows the weight loss experienced by coated and uncoated strawberries stored at 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C and 85% RH for two weeks. From the first days of storage, it was observed that the coated strawberries lost weight in a less accelerated way than the coated strawberries. As of day 8, uncoated strawberries show an acceleration in weight loss. This weight loss is directly related to the moisture request of the fruits. As seen in the water vapour permeability test, the films with essential oils had lower WVP than the control. Thus, the graph shows that the weight loss in uncoated strawberries was 26.2 g of water/100 g of fruit, and in coated strawberries, 3.3 g of water/100 g of fruit. It was possible to reduce 22.8 g of water/100 g of fruit from the weight loss using coatings. Similar studies have indicated that the weight loss of fresh strawberries is due to water loss [48]. Furthermore, coating thickness and porosity have been shown to affect gas and water exchange [49]. [PERSON] et al., 2020 found that mangoes treated with a starch film containing thyme essential oil microcapsules after 10 days of storage had a lower weight loss than those without film, extending the weight loss of mangoes within a specific range. These results suggested that films and coatings play an essential role as a water barrier between the fruit and the environment throughout the storage period [36].  
The changes of strawberry inoculated with _Aspergillus niger_ stored at 85% RH and 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C for two weeks are shown in Table 6. According to the present study, the growth of _Aspergillus niger_ increased with storage time on uncoated strawberries inoculated with the fungus (C\({}_{\mathrm{with\_i}}\)). The study showed that the addition of essential oils inhibited the growth of _Aspergillus niger_ until day 8. After this day, the presence of _Aspergillus niger_ is observed in the RF5 with_i, although to a lesser degree than in the C\({}_{\mathrm{with\_i}}\). After 10 days of storage, the physical appearance of inoculated coated strawberries decreased remarkably due to the fungus and softening phenomena. Therefore, the coating effectively reduced the _Aspergillus niger_ population in strawberries during storage at 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C. Previous studies  
Figure 2: Weight loss of strawberries with (\(\bullet\)) and without (\(\Circinus\)) coating (F5 formulation) stored under 85% RH at 25 \({}^{\circ}\)C for two weeks.  
have also reported that films or coatings with antimicrobial properties incorporated with different essential oils and extracts can successfully inhibit the growth of _Aspergillus_ in different foodstuffs. Moreover, functional coatings can inhibit a wide range of bacteria. In this way, [PERSON] et al., 2015 studied the effect of edible chitosan-cassava starch coatings containing a mixture of Lippia gracilis Schauer genotypes on the shelf life of guavas during storage at room temperature for 10 days. They concluded that the total number of mesophilic aerobic bacteria and the counts of fungi and yeasts were statistically lower in the coated fruits [50]. Similar results were obtained by [PERSON] et al., 2017 where the use of thyme essential oil in sweet potato starch-based nanocomposite films reduced the population of Salmonella Typhimuriumium and Escherichia coli in fresh spinach leaves. These results demonstrate the advantages of using edible active films to reduce food spoilage [51].