Sustainable supply-chain: evolution of the quality characteristics of strawberries stored in green film packaging

The use of green materials in the packaging can drive the choice of fresh fruits by the consumers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of green wrapping films for use in passive modified atmosphere packaging for the storage of strawberries (cv. Portola) for 7 days at 1 ± 1°C followed by an additional 2 days at 20 ± 1°C. One commercial polypropylene macro-perforated film (control) and three non-commercial biodegradable and compostable films (prototypes, Novamont, Novara, Italy) (films 1, 2 and 3) were used. The best headspace gas composition was obtained with film 1; a steady state was rapidly reached and this equilibrium was maintained for up to 5 days, with a composition of 17.60–18.50% O2 and 5.30–5.60% CO2. The sensorial evaluation of film 1 also yielded the best scores in terms of condensation, taste, marketability and redness of the fruits during shelf storage (at 20 ± 1°C).