Recent Advances in Packaging and Edible Coating for Shelf Life Enhancement in Fruit Crops

Abstract

In today’s competitive world, packaging and edible coating play a significant part in producing usefulness user affable products for marketing. Due to several drawbacks of conventional packaging materials (wooden boxes, gunny bags, pallet, pallet bins, Wire-Bound Crates etc.) new technologies of polymeric films (LDPE, HDPE, Shrink film, Cling film) are adopted. By use of polymeric film (non perforated) modified atmosphere is obtain within the package, which subsequently helps to enhance shelf life of fruits. Application of thin layers of edible coating onto fruit surface helps to modify inner environment of fruit which causes similar effect to the modified atmospheric storage. This technological strategies are helpful to retard water loss, reduces skin damage caused by friction, changes in gaseous composition, moisture content, volatile aromas, and transport of solutes from the fruits overly enhance cosmetic appearance, decreasing ripening process and rise shelf life of fruits.