Innovations in the Development and Application of Edible Coatings for Fresh and Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

One of the major growth segments in the food retail industry is fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. This new market trend has thus increased the demands to the food industry for seeking new strategies to increase storability and shelf life and to enhance microbial safety of fresh produce. The technology of edible coatings has been considered as one of the potential approaches for meeting this demand. Edible coatings from renewable sources, including lipids, polysaccharides, and proteins, can function as barriers to water vapor, gases, and other solutes and also as carriers of many functional ingredients, such as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, thus enhancing quality and extending shelf life of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. This review discusses the rationale of using edible coatings on fresh and minimally processed produce, the challenges in developing effective coatings that meet the specific criteria of fruits and vegetables, the recent advances in the development of coating technology, the analytical techniques for measuring some important coating functionalities, and future research needs for supporting a broad range of commercial applications.

Extending Shelf Life of Guava Fruits by Mint oil and UVC Treatments

“…Mint oil coating significantly delayed the drop in fleshfirmness during the storage of guava fruits and retained maximum texture (67%) up to 9 days of storage, the corresponding results for UVC treated lots and the untreated control were 11% and 4%, respectively (Table 6). The edible oil coatings preserve the quality of fruits, retard ethylene emission and enhance texture (Lin and Zhao, 2007). These results validate the findings of Dashora etal.…”

Composite coating of alginate-olive oil enriched with antioxidants enhances postharvest quality and shelf life of Ber fruit (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk. Var. Gola)

“…Thus, coating reduces the enzyme activity. Lin and Zhao (2007) also reported that the coating provides sufficient gas barrier for controlling gas exchange between the fresh produce and its surrounding atmosphere, which would slow down respiration and delay deterioration. The gas-barrier function could in turn retard the enzymatic oxidation and protect the fresh produce from browning discoloration and texture softening during storage.…”

Localized Nano-Environment for Integration and Optimum Functionalization of Chlorophyll-a Molecules

“…One such polymer is carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), which can be prepared in the form of an aqueous "gel-like" viscous solution with characteristics similar to a biological cell. CMC has been used in various practical fields [7,8,9]. In one such application [10], He Huang et al studied electrochemical properties of proteins or enzymes such as Heme protein at CMC modified electrodes.…”