In an article published in April 2019 in the peer-reviewed journal Carbohydrate Polymers, researchers from the National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute in India announced the development of an edible coating for fruits that can be used to extend shelf life and address the limited availability of cold storage within the country. The inexpensive coating is a composite of wheat straw arabinoxylan (AX, CAS 9040-27-1) and β-glucan stearic acid ester (SABG). When applied to royal delicious apples, the coating was found “to significantly reduce weight loss, respiration rate, fruit softening process, ripening index, color degradation and polyphenol oxidase activity compared to control during the storage period of more than 30 days.” The researchers concluded that study confirmed the “potential benefits of applying AX-SABG coating to extend the shelf life and quality of apples especially during transportation and storage.”
Read more
Pearly Neo (May 28, 2020). “Cheap, simple protection: India invents edible fruit coating to extend shelf life and overcome cold chain challenges.”
AIPIA (June 4, 2020). “Edible ‘skins’ for extending shelf life get major boost.”
References
Ali, U. et al. (April 2019). “Effect of arabinoxylan and β-glucan stearic acid ester coatings on post-harvest quality of apple (Royal Delicious).” Carbohydrate Polymers.
