ABSTRACT
ICAR-National Research Centre on Litchi, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India
*Corresponding author. E-mail: esmarboh@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Postharvest loss has been one of the main global challenges toward ensuring food security for a growing population. Fruits and vegetables being living entities, continue to respire even after harvest. In the last few years, there has been a growing interest toward development of new edible packaging materials for preserving product shelf life. Starches, cellulose derivatives, chitosan, gums, and lipids are among the well-known edible coatings used which act in a manner similar to modified atmosphere storage. Recently, emphasis has also been paid toward use of plant derived compounds as they provide low-cost raw materials which are highly beneficial in the large-scale application of edible packaging. Several nanoparticles have been recognized as possible additives to enhance polymer coatings performance. The advent of nanotechnology has made it possible to engineer these nanostructures in edible coatings for achieving desirable functional properties whose efficacy can be further enhanced through electrospraying, renowned for a series of superiorities over the traditional spraying technique. Although considerable efforts have been dedicated to understand and modify film properties, issues on sensory acceptance pertaining to their impact on taste, flavor and color, still remains to be a major challenge. Much emphasis needs to be paid toward understanding the interactions among active ingredients and coating materials when developing new edible film and coating applications.
