PEER-REVIEWED ARTICLE bioresources.com Agapito-Ocampo et al. (2021). “Strawberry coatings,” BioResources 16(3), 5556-5573. 5556 Edible Coatings for Strawberry Based on Extracellular Compounds of Humphreya coffeata Alma Rosa Agapito-Ocampo, a,b Benjamín Amaro-Guadarrama, a,b Gerardo Díaz- Godínez, c Ma de Lourdes Acosta-Urdapilleta, a Liliana Aguilar-Marcelino, d Edgar García- Hernández, e and Maura Téllez-Téllez a, * Edible coatings (EC) are a biodegradable alternative for food preservation. In this work EC based on extracellular compounds of Humphreya coffeata and pectin (PHC) were elaborated and characterized through testing on strawberries. Two PHC types were obtained (PHC1, which settled, and PHC2, which floated during the first separation). The conservation period of the strawberry and the phenol content and antioxidant activity in strawberries with the EC were determined. Four EC were prepared (EC1, EC2, EC3, and EC4), in which EC1 did not contain any PHC, EC2 contained PHC1, EC3 contained PHC2, and EC4 contained both PHCs. Three EC types (EC2, EC3, and EC4) delayed the decay of strawberries approximately 90% at 20 °C during the first 10 days of evaluation, and at 4 °C the effect was between 75 and 90% after 25 days of experimentation. However, EC3 and EC4, both of which contained PHC2, presented the best results. The content of total phenols (approximately 55 mg (gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/mL) and the free radical scavenging activity were 35% with ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and 75% with DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) in strawberries with EC. Thus, EC are an alternative for preserving strawberries without losing their antioxidant capacity. Keywords: Edible coating; Strawberry; Shelf-life; Extracellular compounds Contact information: a: Biological Research Center, Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México. C.P. 62209; b: Master’s in Natural Resource Management, Biological Research Center, Autonomous University of the State of Morelos, Mexico; c: Center for Research in Biological Sciences, Autonomous University of Tlaxcala, México. C.P. 90070; d: Helmintology Laboratory, CENID-Salud animal and inocuidad, INIFAP, Jiutepec, Morelos, México C.P. 62550; e: Tecnológico Nacional de México/Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatepec, Calzada Tecnológico No. 27, Zacatepec, Morelos 62780, Mexico; *Corresponding author: maura.tellez@uaem.mx INTRODUCTION The postharvest technology of fruits and vegetables has advanced a lot in conservation issues, seeking to promote the fresh consumption of these products. Fruits are an important source of nutrients; however, it has been reported that approximately 45% of fruits and vegetables are wasted due to deterioration caused by physical-chemical and microbiological damage (Snyder and Worobo 2018). In order to extend the shelf life of fruits, plastic packaging made from polymers has been used widely and been successful, due to its versatility, performance, and cost (Valdés et al. 2015). However, these polymers are not biodegradable, and they represent a major pollution problem. For this reason, packaging alternatives are being sought to reduce the amount of plastic waste. During the last decade, interest has increased in the development of edible coatings (EC) derived from biopolymers, which are raw materials that are environmentally friendly, available, and