Food is a vital product for the survival of human beings and with passage of time quality concerns of consumers are rising. Edible films and coatings are thin layers applied on food products to protect them and improve their quality. Films/coatings are prepared from naturally occurring renewable sources (polysaccharides, proteins, lipids and composites) which we can eat without disposing them. These films are environment friendly and contain antioxidants, anti-browning agents and colorants. Various methods (spraying, brushing, electro-spraying) are used to apply a coating on food material to protect them from microbial growth, prolonging their shelf life and improving other quality aspects like sensory attributes, appearance, originality and freshness of ingredients. In addition to edible films, some special additives like glycerol, sorbitol etc. is used to improve the efficiency of edible films and coatings. Chemistry and nature of these films and coatings vary in the vast range of hydrophilic and hydrophobic boundaries to cover the whole range of food products. In recent times, herbal coatings are widely used for the coating purposes e.g. Aloe Vera, citral and eugenol essential oils. However, some challenges presented are focusing the scientific attention for viable solution.
Keywords: Chemistry; Demand of food; Edible coating; Mechanism; Nutritional value.
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