Nanotechnology‐enhanced edible coating application on climacteric fruits

Abstract

Climacteric fruits continue to ripen after harvest and produce ethylene, coupled with an increase in respiration rate, which contributes to more rapid perishability. Inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis has been shown to be an efficient way to delay the onset of ripening and lengthen shelf life. The use of edible materials as coatings presents an efficient approach in preserving the quality of fruits. Edible coatings have many benefits, such as affordability, ease of application, and use of natural ingredients. Nanotechnology provides interesting approaches to the management of fruit shelf life after harvest. Nanotechnology has the capacity of producing new materials by minimizing the size of components to a nanometric level. These kinds of nanomaterials possess distinct and improved properties for delaying fruit ripening and decay. The main goal of adding nanoparticles to edible coatings is to enhance the biopolymer's mechanical and water vapor barrier properties. Nanoparticles also contain biopolymer‐like features and are thought to have superior antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties than edible coatings. This review is aimed at summarizing recent findings on the application of edible coatings in the form of nanoparticles, and their effect on quality parameters and shelf life extension of climacteric fruits. Peer‐reviewed articles were obtained by using Scopus and science direct. The current materials widely used for coating climacteric fruits are zinc, silver and chitosan nanoparticles. Zinc nanoparticles have been shown to be more effective in delaying ripening significantly by reducing weight and moisture loss and ensuring retention of fruit firmness. Further research is needed to understand their effect on other physicochemical properties of fruits.

Optimization of sonication time, edible coating concentration, and osmotic solution °Brix for the dehydration process of quince slices using response surface methodology

“…Edible coatings are thin layers of edible material added on the surface of fruits to improve the appearance, maintain the quality, decrease water loss, and extend shelf‐life (Odetayo et al, 2022). Results of various runs of OD of quince slices are shown in Table 3.…”

Enhancement of Strawberry Shelf Life via a Multisystem Coating Based on Lippia graveolens Essential Oil Loaded in Polymeric Nanocapsules

“…Although the development of nanoparticles (NPs) was first reported in the pharmaceutical field for drug delivery systems less than two decades ago, these systems caught the interest of the food sector. NPs have great potential to guarantee the maintenance of color (by encapsulating dyes), flavor, and nutritional values (by encapsulating vitamins), thus increasing the shelf life of foods [22].…”

Advanced biopolymer‐based edible coating technologies for food preservation and packaging

“…Recently, nanotechnology has entered the agricultural fields and contributed actively to the improvement of edible coating applications (i.e., increasing barrier properties, reducing water transmission rate, and enhancing product appearances) (Zambrano-Zaragoza et al, 2018). Nanotechnology enables the production of new materials with distinct and enhanced properties by shrinking the component size down to a nanoscopic scale, which can strongly delay fruit ripening and decay (Odetayo et al, 2022).…”