Alginate-Based Edible Coatings Enriched with Essential Oils for Enhancing Postharvest Quality and Bioactive Stability of Cherry Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme)

This study evaluated the effectiveness of sodium alginate-based edible coatings enriched with essential oils and their major bioactive compounds in preserving the postharvest quality of cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme). Fruits were coated with sodium alginate formulations containing lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil, citral, bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) essential oil, or 1,8-cineole, and stored at 5 °C for up to 21 days followed by 3 days at room temperature. Physicochemical attributes, including color, firmness, total soluble solids (SSC), and weight loss, together with lycopene, β-carotene, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, and microbial quality were evaluated. Storage time significantly affected most quality parameters. Among the coating treatments, significant effects were observed for color, SSC, firmness, and mesophilic bacterial counts, whereas no significant treatment effects were detected for weight loss, lycopene, β-carotene, total phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, or yeasts and molds. Citral-enriched alginate coatings maintained higher firmness than uncoated control throughout storage, while alginate coatings containing lemongrass essential oil showed higher mesophilic bacterial counts than the control. Overall, the alginate-based coatings produced only modest effects under the conditions evaluated. The limited treatment response may be related to the storage conditions, the characteristics of the selected essential oils, and the good inherent postharvest performance of the ‘Dolcetini’ cultivar. These findings contribute to defining the conditions under which alginate-based edible coatings may or may not provide additional benefits for postharvest preservation of cherry tomatoes.