Incorporation of Lactococcus lactis and Chia Mucilage for Improving the Physical and Biological Properties of Gelatin-Based Coating: Application for Strawberry Preservation

In this work, a gelatin/chia mucilage (GN/CM) composite coating material doped with Lactococcus lactis (LS) was developed for strawberry preservation applications. The results of the scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy stated that the enhanced molecular interaction between the CM and GN matrix strengthened the density and compactness of the GN film. Antifungal results indicated that the addition of LS significantly (p < 0.05) improved the ability of the GN coating to inhibit the growth of Botrytis cinerea (inhibition percentage = 62.0 ± 4.6%). Adding CM significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the water vapour permeability and oxygen permeability of the GN coating by 32.7 ± 4.0% and 15.76 ± 1.89%, respectively. In addition, the incorporated CM also significantly (p < 0.05) improved the LS viability and elongation at break of the film by 13.11 ± 2.05% and 42.58 ± 1.21%, respectively. The GN/CM/LS composite coating material also exhibited an excellent washability. The results of this study indicated that the developed GN/CM/LS coating could be used as a novel active material for strawberry preservation.