Emerging Trends and Application of Edible Coating as a Sustainable Solution for Postharvest Management in Stone Fruits: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Stone fruits, also known as drupes, include apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, and nectarines that have high global demand due to their nutritional benefits and palatable characteristics. Being soft fruits, they are susceptible to various postharvest issues, reducing their shelf life, with postharvest loss reaching 15%–50%. Among various postharvest management techniques, edible coating is emerging as a popular method due to its positive effects on the quality, physiochemical, phytochemical, and organoleptic characteristics of these fruits. By creating a modified atmosphere, edible coatings can effectively reduce weight loss to less than 10%, meeting the international standard for marketing stone fruits. They also help delay firmness loss, as observed in peaches, where coated samples retained a firmness of 5.6 N compared to 1.8 N in control. Furthermore, edible coating can extend shelf life beyond 7 days at ambient temperature and up to 35 days in cold storage, as reported in literature. These coatings create a semipermeable barrier to gaseous exchange and moisture, helping preserve aroma compounds and delay ripening and respiration rates. Thus, this comprehensive review investigates the importance of edible coating in enhancing the quality attributes and the shelf life of stone fruits. This article also evaluates most current research done on edible coating applications in stone fruits and provides details on ideal coating conditions and requirements for these fruits. The study also discusses current developments in the application of bioactive compounds and nanotechnological techniques to enhance the functional properties and performance of edible coatings. Nevertheless, because this technology is still in its infancy, commercial technological adoption necessitates both widespread consumer acceptance and economic viability.