Innovative coating technologies to extend the shelf life of fresh-cut fruits by edible film materials.

In this work, the application of a novel strategy to extend the shelf life of fresh cut fruits is proposed. In particular, edible film coatings from natural resources were used with the aim of extending the shelf life of fresh cut apples. Chitosan and carboxymethylcellulose were considered and a promising formulation was developed. The evaluation of the shelf life extension of fruits was performed in a multiparametric way over a period of 10 days. The percentage weight losses were calculated for treated and untreated fruits in order to evaluate the performances of the coating material to avoid contact with environment. In the meanwhile, gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was considered to determine the volatile compounds producing a characteristic flavor of apples. Results demonstrated a significant improvement in the physiological loss in weight of treated fruits with respect to controls, while the study of the volatile component indicated the ability of treated fruits to retain its freshness during storage.