Want to keep strawberries fresh? This'll kelp...

Published: 00:46, 10 August 2026 | Updated: 00:46, 10 August 2026 If you're looking for a way to avoid your strawberries going off, here's an unexpected suggestion – use seaweed. An edible coating made from seaweed can keep the fruit at its best for at least four days at room temperature, say scientists, outperforming uncoated berries stored in a fridge. The discovery was made by researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, who say it could help cut spoilage, large scale food waste and reliance on refrigeration. The coating is made from agar, a substance derived from red seaweed that is widely used as an alternative to gelatin and as a thickener. On its own, agar forms a thick gel, but when the team combined it with zinc, an essential nutrient, and tannic acid, a naturally occurring plant compound, the material transformed – self-assembling into tiny microparticles that create a thin protective layer around the fruit. When dipped in the solution, strawberries emerged with a thin, edible coating that dried completely clear. Over four days at room temperature, coated strawberries lost less than half as much water as uncoated fruit and remained noticeably firmer, with more vitamin C and antioxidants preserved. Untreated strawberries kept at room temperature began developing mould within two days, while refrigeration extended their shelf life only slightly. Strawberries could last longer with the help of an unexpected ingredient An edible coating made from seaweed could give strawberries an extra four days of shelf life Those who prefer to remove the coating before eating can wash most of it away with tap water within two minutes, the researchers say in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.