ABSTRACT
Quality deterioration and pathogen attack on fruits and vegetables takes place during harvesting, handling, storage, marketing and consumption. Edible coatings are an effective means of preventing disease and mitigating postharvest loss of these perishable commodities. Edible coatings, also termed ‘environment friendly coatings’ due to their biodegradability, are thin layers of edible substances applied onto the surface of fruits or vegetables as an alternative to the natural protective waxy coatings. Natural biopolymers such as lipids, carbohydrates and proteins are used as major constituents of edible coatings. These coatings provide an additional protective semipermeable barrier around the fresh produce and help to retard respiration rate, control senescence and minimize microbial infections and the subsequent loss in quality and decay incidence. Composite coatings are developed through a combination of the above biopolymers to extract the advantageous properties of each component and improve functionality of the edible coatings. Novel active edible coatings are being specially designed to allow the incorporation and controlled release of food grade additives such as antioxidants, nutraceuticals and antimicrobials through different fabrication techniques. Utmost precaution needs to be taken before formulating a coating, with use of only GRAS components, since it may be consumed along with the commodity. The chapter discusses the different edible coating formulations and their influence on preventing pathogen attack and quality deterioration.
