Technological advances have led to increased constraints regarding food packaging, mainly due to environmental issues, consumer health concerns, and economic restrictions associated therewith. Hence, food scientists and technologists are now more focused on developing biopolymer packages. Starch satisfies all the principal aspects making it a promising raw material for edible coatings/films. Modified starch has grabbed much attention, both at the academic as well as at the industrial level, because these films exhibit dramatic improvement in filming properties without involving any significant increase in cost of production. Various methods, additives used, and recent advances in the field of starch film production are discussed in detail in this review, which also provides an overview of the available information along with recent advances in modified starch film packaging.
Pectin obtained from apple pomace was employed to protect fresh-cut apple from quality deterioration arising after cutting. Pectin edible coatings were formulated as emulsion and nanoemulsion carrying cinnamon essential oil (CEO) as antimicrobial, conferring the capability of active packaging to these coatings. Pectin nanoemulsion (PNE) was found to be most effective in preventing the proliferation of pathogens like Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes as well as the general microflora rendering it unsuitable for consumption. In terms of quality parameters such as texture and colour, fresh-cut apple treated with pectin emulsion (PE), PNE, and pectin coating without CEO (P) presented promising results at the end of storage. Significant (P < 0.05) effect of PE and PNE was noticed on texture and colour parameters. PNEs can, therefore, be applied for preserving the quality and ensuring safety of fresh-cut apple.
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