Authors Samlesh Kumari1 and Rajeev Ranjan Thakur
Aloe Barbadensis Miller, enhance storage life of short duration crops to reduce the damage caused by physical, microbial and other factors, edible coating research, edible coating on post-harvest shelf life of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables), shelf life of perishable crops like fruits and vegetables , shelf life extension methods used for an agricultural produce , protection of bioactive compounds within the fresh produce and value addition, films or coating were made by combining the protein or polysaccharide matrix with the lipids which results in formation of composite films with improved barrier and mechanical properties, edible coating matrix has improved the thermal, barrier and mechanical properties of film and are very effective in preventing moisture loses and softening of fresh fruits and vegetables, elected examples of objective base edible coating applied on fresh produce, Guar gum; pea/ potato starch +/- potassium sorbate Anti-microbial, Candelilla wax-based Anti-oxidative; anti-microbial; quality, Pectin-base; alginate; carboxymethyl cellulose Anti-oxidative; water barrier , Beeswax; coconut and sunflower oil Anti-oxidative; anti-microbial; overall quality, Chitosan; methyl cellulose Anti-oxidative; anti-microbial; oxygen/carbon dioxide/water, Shellac +/- Aloe vera gel Keeping quality, coatings have long been used on citrus, apples (shellac and carnauba wax), tomatoes (mineral oil) and cucumbers (various waxes), these coatings are less studied for use on apricots, pineapples, bananas, cherries, dates, guavas, mangoes, melons, nectarines and peaches, postharvest use of polysaccharide and protein coating materials on several types of fruit has been developed in the past few years including cellulose-sucrose fatty acid esters on apricot, guava and cellulose on mango, which has proven many beneficial effects in the context of value addition and shelf life extension of fresh produce, edible films and coatings are produced from edible bio polymers and food grade additives, edible films are classified into three categories taking into account the nature of their components namely hydrocolloids (containing proteins, polysaccharides or alginates), lipids (constituted by fatty acids, acylglycerols or waxes) and composites, edible materials have different barrier properties against gases and physico-chemical and mechanical characteristics, edible coatings may be composed of polysaccharides, proteins, lipids or a blend of these compounds, most coatings are made of more than one material with the addition of low molecular weight molecules that serves as plasticizers and some active compound to serve as value addition property in edible film, low-molecular-weight compounds that increased strength and flexibility to coatings, but also increase coating permeability to water vapour and gases, plasticizers include polyols such as glycerol, sorbitol, mannitol, propylene glycol, and polyethylene glycol (molecular weight: 200-9500), sucrose, sucrose fatty acid esters, and acetylated monoglycerides can be used as plasticizers, these, glycerol, sorbitol, and propylene glycol are considered GRAS.
