Optimization of an active package for wild strawberries based on the release of 2-nonanone

Active packaging is becoming in an emerging food technology to improve quality and safety of food products, commonly based on the retention or release of compounds which are beneficial for the product. In this work, an active packaging system based on the release of 2-nonanone has been optimized to increase the postharvest shelf life of fresh wild strawberries during the marketing stage. To avoid that excessive levels of this volatile could affect the berries' taste and cause consumer rejection of the product, a preliminary sensory analysis was carried out to determine the threshold value of 2-nonanone, 7.16 mg/kg fresh wild strawberries. Taking this threshold value into account, diverse quantities of 2-nonanone were tested to optimize the packaging parameters. Wild strawberry fruits were packaged in the active packages developed and their quality monitored during storage at 10 degrees C with exposure to light to simulate real-life conditions on supermarket shelves. The analyses of weight loss, SSC, gas composition and aroma volatiles provide evidences that exposure to the highest-tested 2-nonanone concentrations are an effective way of maintaining the quality of wild strawberries during distribution and sale without modifying their typical taste. (C) 2008 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.