3.3.1. Weight Loss (%)

The effects of different treatments on the weight loss (%) of strawberry fruits during the 16 days of storage period in both experiments are shown in Figure 2. During the time in all treatments, the weight loss (%) was significantly (*p* ≤ 0.05) increased, but all the edible coating treatments helped to reduce the weight loss of strawberry fruit in the two experiments. At the end of storage (day 16), the highest weight loss (6.11%) was observed for the control sample, while the lowest value (11.87%) was obtained for fruits treated with *A. vera* gel 40% + lemongrass EO 1% coating, followed by fruits treated with *A. vera* gel 20% + EO 1% coating (7.63%), in the two experiments.

**Figure 2.** Weight loss (%) (mean ± S.E.) of strawberry fruits stored at 5 ◦C as affected by coating treatments when stored for different lengths of time in both experiments. The mean ± S.E. of treatments in the figures with the same letter/s shows a nonsignificant difference according to Duncan multiple range test for *p* < 0.05. AV: *A. vera* gel. (**a**) First experiment; (**b**) second experiment.

The reduction in the weight loss in the fruits treated with *A. vera* with EO could be due to composition of polysaccharides in *A. vera* gel, which act as an effective moisture barrier [23,24]. The water loss reduction mechanism is based on the hygroscopic water pressure between the fruit and environment, whereas *A. vera* gel can form a film on the strawberry surface with a thin layer, sealing small wounds and reducing moisture loss [27,65,66].
