Abstract
Considerable research has focused on the control of the physiological activity of fruits and vegetables in postharvest conditions as well as microbial decay. The use of edible coatings (ECs) carrying active compounds (e.g., antimicrobials) represents an alternative preservation technology since they can modify the internal gas composition by creating a modified atmosphere through the regulation of the gas exchange (oxygen, carbon dioxide, volatiles) while also limiting water transfer. Of the edible polymers able to form coating films, starch exhibits several advantages, such as its ready availability, low cost and good filmogenic capacity, forming colourless and tasteless films with high oxygen barrier capacity. Nevertheless, starch films are highly water sensitive and exhibit limited water vapour barrier properties and mechanical resistance. Different compounds, such as plasticizers, surfactants, lipids or other polymers, have been incorporated to improve the functional properties of starch-based films/coatings. This paper reviews the starch-based ECs used to preserve the main properties of fruits and vegetables in postharvest conditions as well as the different factors affecting the coating efficiency, such as surface properties or incorporation of antifungal compounds. The great variability in the plant products requires specific studies to optimize the formulation of coating forming products.
Highlights
Fruits and vegetables are essential in the human diet due to the health and nutritional benefits associated with their intake
They are products with a relatively short postharvest life, since they remain as living tissues up until the time they are used for consumption and are prone to physiological and biochemical changes, which can have physical or pathological origins [1], leading to important economic losses [2,3]
Postharvest treatments with conventional synthetic waxes and/or chemical fungicides have been used for many years to control postharvest decay and extend fruit shelf life
Summary
Fruits and vegetables are essential in the human diet due to the health and nutritional benefits associated with their intake. Starch-based coatings are colourless and have an oil-free appearance, and can be used to increase the shelf life of fruits, vegetables and other products, due to their hydrophilic nature, they are highly water sensitive and exhibit low water vapour barrier capacity. Other components, such as plasticizers and emulsifiers (or surfactants), may be added to the polymer matrix to improve the flexibility, extensibility and/or the stability of the polymer matrix structure. Recent studies related with the application and/or characterization of mainly starch-based edible coatings, with and without antifungal properties to prevent fruit fungal decay, have been reviewed and their main conclusions summarized
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