Recently advances in edible coatings for fresh and minimally processed fruits,

Authors Vargas, M., Pastov, C., Chirau, A., Clements, M.C., Julian, D. and Gunzales, M. C.

suppress moisture loss and preserves the sensory quality of fruits and vegetables. It also helps to make the product more attractive by providing a shiny texture to the waxed surfaces of the fruit, fruits and vegetables have a short shelf life and are highly susceptible to physiological and biochemical damage, development of edible coating and films made of naturally occurring biopolymers that have proven to be environmentally and user-friendly materials, edible coatings can be fabricated using several natural polymers, for example polysaccharides, which include aloe, starch, alginate, dextrose, chitosan, cellulose, and pectin, polymers also act as carriers for functional components, antimicrobials, antioxidants and anti-browning agents, vitamin E, spices, and food stabilizers that can be incorporated into edible coatings, main responsibility of the distributor is to preserve the sensory qualities and freshness of the food, deterioration of food production increases to a notable level during storage and transportation, Edible films serve as a conveyance for delivering active components, flavors, drugs, and nutraceuticals, active components are trapped in the biopolymer matrix and remain stable until reaching the consumer’s table, edible films are fabricated from biopolymers using wet and dry processes, edible coatings are generally prepared from the substance pertaining to film-forming properties, raw material for formulating the edible coating must be able to be dispersed and dissolved in the desired solvent, plasticizers, antimicrobial agents, flavor-enhancing substances, vitamins, colors, and spices can also be incorporated, edible coating to increase the mechanical strength, Water acts as a natural plasticizer for edible coatings and films. Glycerol, sorbitol, fatty acids, sucrose, polyethylene glycol (PEG), propylene glycol (PG), and monoglycerides are good options to provide flexibility and plasticizers, polysaccharides are widely used for the fabrication of edible coatings and films to enhance the shelf life and quality retention of food products. They are proven to possess good oxygen barrier properties but are hydrophilic in nature; edible coatings derived from polysaccharides lack satisfactory moisture barrier properties, Polysaccharide-based edible coatings are colorless and constitute less caloric content and in addition to that can be used to extend the shelf life of food products such as fruits, vegetables, and meat, Edible coatings resulting from polysaccharides include cellulose and its derivatives, such as methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methyl ethyl cellulose, carboxyl methylcellulose, starches (derived from different sources), dextrin, pectin derivatives, pullulan, alginate, chitin, and chitosan-based edible coatings, gums – Arabic gum, guar gum, xanthan gum, carrageenan, and agar, Edible coatings are used as the vehicle for the incorporation of bioactive compounds such as antioxidants, probiotics, antimicrobials, and EOs for the improvement of food quality and the creation of functional foods, Incorporation of N-acetylcysteine and glutathione into edible coatings was found to be effective in preventing browning reactions in fresh-cut pears for a period of 2 weeks without any textural damage, Aloe