an innovative and sustainable source of chitosan-based coating for postharvest preservation of strawberries.

The ability of chitosan produced from pupal exuviae of to retard the decay of the local strawberry ( cultivar was investigated for the first time in this paper. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of insect chitosan compared to the commercial polymer in preserving and enhancing, at the same time, some physicochemical parameters (weight loss, pH and soluble solids content) and nutraceutical properties (total polyphenol content, total flavonoid content and total antioxidant activity) of strawberries stored at RT, 4°C and at mixed storage conditions (4°C + RT). Moreover, chitosan from was also effective in reducing fungal decay and improving fruit shelf life. The obtained results confirm that insect chitosan, particularly deriving from pupal exuviae, can be a viable alternative to crustacean one in safeguarding postharvest fruits.