Antimicrobial Edible Films and Coatings for Fresh and Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

Abstract

The use of edible films and coatings is an environmentally friendly technology that offers substantial advantages for shelf-life increase of many food products including fruits and vegetables. The development of new natural edible films and coatings with the addition of antimicrobial compounds to preserve fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables is a technological challenge for the industry and a very active research field worldwide. Antimicrobial agents have been successfully added to edible composite films and coatings based on polysaccharides or proteins such as starch, cellulose derivatives, chitosan, alginate, fruit puree, whey protein isolated, soy protein, egg albumen, wheat gluten, or sodium caseinate. This paper reviews the development of edible films and coatings with antimicrobial activity, typically through the incorporation of antimicrobial food additives as ingredients, the effect of these edible films on the control of target microorganisms, the influence of antimicrobial agents on mechanical and barrier properties of stand-alone edible films, and the effect of the application of antimicrobial edible coatings on the quality of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

Efecto del almacenamiento sobre las propiedades físicas de las películas de quitosano con inclusión de aceites esenciales de tomillo y romero

“…Resultados obtenidos en diferentes estudios concluyen que el quitosano posee la capacidad para reducir la pérdida de peso y la tasa de respiración de frutas [33]. Adicionalmente, la aplicación de recubrimientos comestibles en frutas frescas puede mantener la firmeza, dar lugar a valores más altos de acidez titulable y valores más bajos de pH, así como menor cantidad de sólidos solubles totales en comparación con el control [34,35].…”

Edible films and coatings: Sources, properties and application

“…Edible coatings for fresh fruits are useful for controlling ripeness by reducing oxygen penetration into the fruit, thus reducing metabolic activity and softening changes (Conforti and Zinck, 2002). In the literature, many reviews bring together the effect of new edible emulsion coatings on storability and postharvest quality of fresh fruits and vegetables (Lin and Zhao, 2007;Valencia-Chamorro et al, 2011). Similarly, interest in the use of edible coatings in fresh-cut fruits and vegetables has grown, since these coatings can also act as carriers of food-grade antioxidants and antimicrobials that help reduce enzymatic browning and microbial growth (Rojas-Grau et al, 2009).…”

Coating of Guava (Psidium Guajava L.) Fruits With Botanical Edible Oils for Shelf Life and Fruit Flies

“…In addition, it adds to the fruit nutritional and market values [7]. Edible coating also considered to play as antimicrobial barriers and some coating materials have antimicrobial activities too [8]. The soft skin of guava renders it amenable to perish, accordingly some postharvest treatments such as oil coating were practiced to combat that loss.…”