Usage of chitosan from Hermetia illucens as a preservative for fresh Prunus species fruits: a preliminary analysis

Background. Fruit and vegetables are highly perishable. In an era where reducing food waste is absolutely essential, packaging is important for maintaining the postharvest quality of these fresh products. Research is working to reduce the use of synthetic materials, not safe for the environment and human health. In this perspective, chitosan emerges as a viable solution for this purpose, as it is biodegradable, biocompatible and also safe for food application. The growing interest in using insects as a source of chitin has allowed for increased exploitation of insect-based waste products to recover valuable materials, such as biopolymers. The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) is the most widely reared species in Europe for feed production and waste management. Results. In this work, fresh mature apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.), nectarines (Prunus persica vulgaris Mill.) and yellow peaches (Prunus persica var. laevis Gray) were coated with 0.5% and 1% chitosan from the pupal exuviae of Hermetia illucens, applied by spraying and stored at room temperature or 4 °C until they decay. Then, to validate the effectiveness of chitosan as a polymer for fruit preservation, several parameters including pH, TSS and weight loss were evaluated. Conclusions. The results showed that chitosan derived from the black soldier fly is as effective as or better than the commercially available crustacean chitosan in maintaining more stable some storage parameters in fresh apricots, nectarines and peaches. Thus, insects, especially Hermetia illucens, are confirmed as a viable alternative source of the polymer.