Edible coatings to extend shelf-life of fruits

Successful treatment will lead to increase in exports of perishable items.

FAISALABAD:

Experts of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) are working to develop edible coatings for food applications to improve the quality and shelf life of minimally processed fruits.

Talking to the media on Saturday, UAF’s National Institute of Food, Science and Technology (NIFSAT) head Professor Dr Masood Sadiq Butt said a team of university experts was engaged in a research project, sponsored by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), to apply edible coatings to fresh fruits such as apples, mangoes, strawberries, melons and apricots. The project is aimed at improving nutritional attributes and extending the shelf-life of fresh horticultural produce.

The process involves application of edible and food-grade coating material to the fruits with the objective of reducing evaporation and transpiration. This acts as a shield, protecting the fruits from foreign invasions, thus leading to extension in their shelf life.

The project will allow farmers to reap greater profits by exporting fruits, which in another case, will go waste due to their perishable nature and vulnerability to environmental conditions.



Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2011.