Innovative Coating Technologies for Preservation and Safety of Horticultural Produce

Dear Colleagues,

Edible coatings for entire or fresh-cut fruits and vegetables based on natural biopolymers (i.e., proteins and polysaccharides) are increasingly gaining interest for researchers and industry due to its high potential to provide important produce quality and safety benefits. Composite edible coatings act as a semi-permeable barrier to gas exchange and water vapor, contributing to a reduction in produce weight loss, firmness loss, respiration rate, and physiological disorders, among other benefits. Additionally, they can serve as carriers of bioactive compounds such as antimicrobial agents, antioxidants, nutraceuticals, etc. that further contribute to improving coating functionality.

Despite the substantial research progress in functional edible coatings for fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables, the development of tailor-made solutions according to specific commercialization needs still represent a technological challenge because of important physical, physiological, and biochemical differences among the wide variety of fresh horticultural commodities. The development of edible films and coatings requires knowledge about the chemical bases to develop stable formulations with film-forming properties, the structural characteristics and functionalities that enable their use to effectively coat different horticultural products, the effects of coating application on the overall postharvest quality of treated produce, and, in the case of functional coatings, their effects on additional properties such as decay reduction and antioxidant activity, among others.

Overall, edible coatings have emerged as sustainable, safe, cost-effective postharvest treatments to improve quality and prolong the postharvest life of horticultural produce, in close alignment with the FAO Sustainable Development Goals and the Farm to Fork strategy within the European Union Green Deal.

This Special Issue is devoted to covering original research and critical review articles on the development, characterization, and evaluation of novel edible coatings to preserve fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. This includes novel biopolymer-based formulations, nanotechnology integration, and innovative food-grade ingredients for bioactive films and coatings, as well as the physicochemical characterization, studies on modes of action, and evaluation of their properties to preserve the physicochemical and sensory quality attributes of coated produce.

In particular, topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Composition and characterization of natural or synthetic single or composite biopolymer-based edible films and coatings.
• Physiological and metabolic responses during postharvest storage of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables treated with novel edible coatings.
• Instrumental, sensory, and nutritional quality of coated horticultural products during postharvest storage.
• Improving biopolymer and composite matrix performance with novel bioactive ingredients for fruit and vegetable applications.
• Biopolymer interactions with active ingredients: Effect on optical, mechanical, and barrier properties of stand-alone edible films.
• The use of underutilized agricultural by-products or agri-food waste residues as novel bioactive ingredients for new bio-based coating materials.
• Effect of active coating materials on decay and spoilage of horticultural products during postharvest storage due to fungi, bacteria, or other postharvest pathogens or contaminating microorganisms.
• Effect of active coating materials on physiological disorders of horticultural products during postharvest storage due to abiotic factors.
• Mode of action of antimicrobial, antioxidant, or other functional edible coatings.
• Scalability of novel edible coating solutions for fruits and vegetables for potential industrial applications.
• Studies on regulatory issues in different important fresh produce producing areas worldwide.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Lluís Palou
Dr. María B. Pérez-Gago
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• edible coatings for fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables
• postharvest quality of horticultural produce
• biopolymer-based edible materials for fruit and vegetable preservation
• functional edible coatings as safe, sustainable postharvest treatments
• edible coating composition and characterization