ALARGAMIENTO DE LA VIDA DE ANAQUEL DE LAS FRUTAS POR EL USO DE BIOPELÍCULAS

Abstract

One of the main problems in fruit preservation is its short shelf life, a detrimental fact that causes incalculable losses to the food industry. Take, for example, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, time-labile fruits with a high market demand due to their nutritional properties (antioxidants, minerals and organic acids). One of the alternatives that exist to extend the shelf life of fruits is the use of edible covers or biofilms. These can be composed of hydrocolloids, proteins, lipids or a combination of all three, each material gives specific properties to these coatings. The qualities of biofilms, when applied in the perpetuation of shelf life of fruits, are the reduction of water loss, the loss of phenolic compounds and the retardation of enzymatic oxidation, in addition to allowing the addition of antioxidants or antimicrobial, without affecting the organoleptic properties of the fruit. *Corresponding author: jquiroz@ipn.mx