Shelf-life extension of fresh produce by edible coating

Fresh and fresh-cut produce get a growing share on the worldwide food market as they combine the aspect of convenience food with healthy nutrition. Nevertheless, these nontreated food products bear a risk of microbial contamination with pathogenic microorganisms and have limited shelf-life due to their fresh character and big surface. Edible coatings can comply with several functions to protect those sensitive food products. In this study alginate was used as coating for fresh-cut cantaloupe melon to act as a barrier to water loss and a carrier for antimicrobial hop extracts. For mung bean sprouts chitosan, which is antimicrobial by nature, was used. Both experiments showed that edible coatings can enhance the shelf-life of these products. The edible coatings have to be designed for each produce individually.