Application of Edible Coating in Food Preservation

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2025 | Viewed by 2054

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Interests: food processing; food engineering; food science; drying technology; food preservation; sustainable food processing; innovative food processing technology; biopolymers; food packaging; bioactive compounds of food; food safety; food analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering Materials Environment, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184 Rome, Italy
Interests: QRA; CFD modeling of fires and explosions of dust, gas, and hybrid mixtures; the safety of Li-ion batteries; modeling of forest fires; catalytic abatement of carbonaceous particulates from diesel engines; pyrolysis and combustion of coals, biomasses, and their mixtures; coal gasification; food engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food preservation technologies must extend the shelf-life of perishable food products, such as raw vegetables and fruits, meat, dairy, and marine food products. The objectives of these techniques are to prevent biochemical reactions, microorganism growth, and to minimize food spoilage. Edible coatings, as an alternative to conventional packaging, represent an eco-friendly, low-cost, promising, and effective method that creates thin layers of edible substances on food surfaces, exhibiting film-forming properties to prevent deterioration during the shelf life of foodstuffs. In addition, these coatings offer protection from UV radiation, regulating the process of the ripening and respiration of perishable commodities. Edible coatings possess the potential to function as a carrier for numerous bioactive compounds, such as natural antioxidants and antimicrobials, to boost their effectiveness in food preservation and limit microbial metabolism on the food surface. This Special Issue aims to provide an update on the current trends and knowledge regarding the formulation, processing, characterization, and applications of edible coatings for food preservation.

Dr. Giuseppina Adiletta
Dr. Paola Russo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • edible coatings
  • preservation
  • quality
  • foods
  • vegetables
  • fruits
  • meat
  • dairy products
  • antioxidants
  • antimicrobials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1548 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Muicle–Chitosan Edible Coatings on the Physical, Chemical, and Microbiological Quality of Cazon Fish (Mustelus lunulatus) Fillets Stored in Ice
by José Alberto Cruz-Guzmán, Alba Mery Garzón-García, Saúl Ruíz-Cruz, Enrique Márquez-Ríos, Santiago Valdez-Hurtado, Gerardo Trinidad Paredes-Quijada, José Carlos Rodríguez-Figueroa, María Irene Silvas-García, Nathaly Montoya-Camacho, Victor Manuel Ocaño-Higuera, Dalila Fernanda Canizales-Rodríguez and Edgar Iván Jiménez-Ruíz
Foods 2025, 14(9), 1619; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091619 - 3 May 2025
Viewed by 430
Abstract
Fishery products are highly perishable; therefore, effective preservation strategies are essential to maintain their freshness, quality, and shelf life. One promising approach involves the use of edible coatings formulated with natural extracts, such as muicle (Justicia spicigera). This study evaluated the [...] Read more.
Fishery products are highly perishable; therefore, effective preservation strategies are essential to maintain their freshness, quality, and shelf life. One promising approach involves the use of edible coatings formulated with natural extracts, such as muicle (Justicia spicigera). This study evaluated the effect of a muicle–chitosan edible coating on the physical, chemical, and microbiological quality of cazon fish (Mustelus lunulatus) fillets stored in ice for 18 days. The muicle extract was obtained by macerating dried leaves for 48 h, and its antibacterial activity was subsequently assessed. A control group (C) and three treatments—muicle extract (ME), chitosan (CH), and a combined muicle–chitosan coating (MECH)—were applied and monitored throughout the storage period. Quality parameters, including pH, colour, water-holding capacity (WHC), texture, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), and mesophilic microbial counts, were evaluated. The muicle extract exhibited antibacterial activity, with MIC and IC50 values of 3.01 ± 0.73 and 204.56 ± 20.23 µg/mL against Shewanella putrefaciens, and 0.10 ± 0.07 and 118.09 ± 14.51 µg/mL against Listeria monocytogenes, respectively. Treatments of ME, CH, and MECH significantly improved (p < 0.05) the quality of fillets by reducing TVB-N, pH, and microbial load compared to the control. In conclusion, the muicle extract demonstrated antibacterial potential and, either alone or in combination with chitosan, effectively preserved the physical, chemical, and microbiological quality of cazon fillets during ice storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Edible Coating in Food Preservation)
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15 pages, 1062 KiB  
Article
Benefits of Essential Oil-Enriched Chitosan on Beef: From Appearance and Odour Improvement to Protection Against Blowfly Oviposition
by Priscilla Farina, Monica Tognocchi, Giuseppe Conte, Laura Casarosa, Francesca Trusendi and Barbara Conti
Foods 2025, 14(5), 897; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050897 - 6 Mar 2025
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Abstract
The food industry is increasingly turning to healthy and eco-friendly alternatives for meat preservation, with recent attention focused on chitosan (CH) and essential oils (EOs). Here, we propose two liquid formulations of CH enriched with Laurus nobilis or Piper nigrum EOs to preserve [...] Read more.
The food industry is increasingly turning to healthy and eco-friendly alternatives for meat preservation, with recent attention focused on chitosan (CH) and essential oils (EOs). Here, we propose two liquid formulations of CH enriched with Laurus nobilis or Piper nigrum EOs to preserve beef patties stored for 4 days at 4 °C from colour changes, secondary lipid oxidation, and alteration in volatile organic compound emissions while also preventing oviposition by Calliphora vomitoria on beef loaves hung for the same time at around 13 °C in a netted polytunnel. Overall, the L. nobilis EO-enriched CH solution increased the meat colour lightness compared to the control (+7.58%), kept redness and yellowness comparable to the control, maintained the level of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances below the threshold for rancidity perception for at least 96 h, reduced the release of ethanol, enhanced the perception of fatty and woody notes in the meat along with the fresh, green, and citrusy aromas specific to the EO, and also provided significant protection (88.83%) against blowfly oviposition compared to the control. Therefore, the development of a spray CH formulation containing the L. nobilis EO appears to be a promising tool for stable and prolonged meat protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Edible Coating in Food Preservation)
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