China Rose Mucilage Based Edible Coatings for Fruit Preservation

The development and use of coating formulations for post-harvest shelf-life enhancement of fruits and vegetables has been a subject of intensive agro based research. Currently, the focus is on the development of edible, eco-friendly and multifunctional coatings from natural polymers that give added value to the final product. Plant mucilages are the least explored among such polymer sources. In the present book, the authors highlight how a novel edible coating could be systematically formulated from China rose (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Linn.) leaf mucilage after evaluating the physical, chemical and biological attributes. The book further elaborates on the suitability of using the developed edible coatings for shelf-life enhancement of tomatoes, a widely used and easily perishable commodity vegetable. Finally, the authors have vividly described their investigation on the application of the developed films in increasing the market shelf-life of ready-to-use cut-fruits.