Edible oil and biopolymer coating to extend postharvest shelf life of fruits and vegetables

Overview

This proposal introduces an edible coating designed to extend the shelf life of harvested fruits and vegetables. The coating is composed of a mixture of edible oils and a natural biopolymer, applied as a protective layer that restricts oxygen diffusion to the surface of produce. By limiting atmospheric interaction with the fruit or vegetable surface, the coating aims to delay postharvest decay, reduce weight loss, and preserve quality attributes such as firmness and soluble solid content. A key practical advantage is that the approach can be integrated directly into existing commercial handling and processing lines without requiring equipment modifications.

Technical specifications

The proposed coating combines fatty compounds from edible oils with a natural biopolymer to form a protective film on the surface of fruits and vegetables. The fatty compounds are expected to block surface pores, reducing gas exchange and slowing metabolic activity that leads to spoilage. Application methods under evaluation include spraying the coating mixture onto produce and dipping produce directly into the mixture of edible oil and biopolymer at various compositions. Evaluation parameters for validation include weight loss, respiration rate, ethylene production rate, firmness, shrinkage, total soluble solids (TSS), and pH.

Technology readiness level

The concept is at an early research stage. No preliminary data currently exists for the proposed coating system. Future validation is planned in two phases: first, selecting target fruits and vegetables and applying coatings of varying edible oil and biopolymer compositions via spraying and dipping; second, evaluating coated produce against defined quality and physiological parameters to determine the effectiveness of the coating in delaying postharvest decay.