**1. Introduction**

The strawberry (*Fragaria ananassa)* belongs to the Rosaceae (flowering plant). It is among the most well-known non-climacteric fruits because of its nutritional and organoleptic characteristics [1]. The fleshy component is formed not from the plant's ovary but from the receptacle that stores the ovaries, making it an aggregate accessory fruit. Each "seed" (achene) outside the fruit is one of the flower's ovaries, which contains seeds. The genetic makeup of the currently grown strawberry fruit is an octoploid hybrid (8n), with 56 chromosomes. It's eaten in huge volumes, both freshly and in ready food like juice, pies, jam, ice cream, chocolates, milkshakes etc. Strawberries are commercially grown for sustenance as well as can be eaten fresh or processed into frozen, canned, or preserved fruit or juice.

Strawberry fruit slices are high in flavonoids, fibre, vitamins, potassium, and a wide range of phenolic acids, including hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids [2]. They are quite beneficial to one's health. They're high in vitamin C and manganese, and they also have a considerable quantity of folate (vitamin B9) and potassium. Fruit antioxidants such as kaempferol, quercetin, and anthocyanins help to prevent the creation of deadly blood clots that are linked to strokes. The antioxidants work by neutralising free radicals in the body, preventing tumour formation, and reducing inflammation. Because of their nutritious content, strawberries had been recommended to those with high blood pressure and sugar. Strawberries have a low glycemic index (40) as compared to other fruits, making them a good choice for diabetic patients.

**Table 1** shows the nutritional values per 100 g of strawberry:

Strawberry production is getting importance by the consumers due to its nutritional facts. In 2019, global strawberry output totalled 8.9 million tons, with China accounting for 40% of the entire and the United States and Mexico rounding out the top three producers. China is the largest producer with 3.9 million tons of production annually in 2019. **Table 2** shows the top producers of strawberries in 2019.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for strawberries, several issues arise during the cultivation, production and harvesting phases. Strawberry is regarded as among the most problematic fresh food to preserve due to the difficulties in maintaining fruit freshness [3]. After production, the berries are harvested by hands and placed in trays for further operations. Moreover, it is highly perishable and has a limited postharvest life, owing to its fast metabolism and sensitivity to mechanical damage as well as infection by plant pathogens bacteria, fungi, and viruses [4].

Various operations like cooling at low temperature, edible films coating, UV radiations, fruit sanitization and many more are carried out for lowering the respiration rate and loss of water, maintaining fruit firmness, and restricting microbial spread are all objectives of postharvest operations to extend its life span. Cooling at low temperatures is one of the most efficient procedures for increasing fruit longevity [5]. In recent years,


#### **Table 1.**

*The nutritional values per 100 g of strawberry.*

*Post-Harvest Problems of Strawberry and Their Solutions DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102963*


#### **Table 2.**

*Countries wise the production (million tons).*

there has been a surge in interest in edible films coating. Edible films are effective as they provide a physical border around the fruit, shielding it from moisture, fumes, and microorganisms that could compromise its quality [5]. Aside from that, starch-based films are edible, translucent, odourless, tasteless, and colourless, all of which are desirable qualities for food packaging [6]. The use of C ultraviolet (UV-C) entails eradicating microorganisms from vegetative tissues through the antibacterial effect generated by radiation, which is one of the strategies that has been gaining traction to extend post-harvest fruit lifespan [7]. Chlorine, mostly in the form of sodium hypochlorite, is commonly employed in fruit sanitization. It works by removing harmful organisms, resulting in a longer fruit lifespan [8]. A need to produce healthier foodstuff while reducing the usage of fungicides and other elevated toxic treatments emphasise the significance of investigating and presenting sustainable fruit conservation approaches in detail. The goal of the study is to assemble and discuss in detail the procedures that must be followed during harvest and postharvest activities of strawberries to minimise losses.
