Active, Eco-Friendly and Edible Coatings in the Post-Harvest – A Critical Discussion

Abstract

Many researches about edible coating and applications on food have been developed during centuries. Beeswax was one of the first applications of edible coatings on apple and citrus fruits to prevent water loss and maintain the appearance of fruits in 12th and 13th centuries. Beyond the beewax, paraffin, carnauba and oils were also used as coating materials until the mid-twentieth century. In the 1930s, hot-melt paraffin waxes were marketed as edible coatings of fresh apples and pears. The studies showed only a comparison between the fruits with and without cover, but a prolongation in the conservation of the fruits with coating was observed. Thus, in the 1980s, several attempts were made to develop other materials that could be used to coat fresh fruits and vegetables to increase their shelf life. Research with natural biopolymers such as protein, starch, chitosan, whey protein, cellulose, lipids and others have made considerable progress in the development of fruit and vegetable coating. Thus, this chapter will discuss advances in edible coatings for whole and fresh cut fruits and vegetables. The positive and negative effect of the coating on physiology products such as repining, respiration rates, sugar, antioxidants, organic acid, texture and color enhancers. In addition, recent advances in the incorporation of food additives into coating solutions, composite coatings, coating application techniques and stages, as well as and ecotoxicity of coatings will be addressed in the present review.