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A novel composite edible coating film was developed from 0.8% chitosan (CS) and 0.5% sandalwood oil (SEO). Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were used as a stabilizer agent of oil-in-water Pickering emulsion. We found four typical groups of CNF level-dependent emulsion stabilization, including (1) unstable emulsion in the absence of CNFs; (2) unstable emulsion (0.006–0.21% CNFs); (3) stable emulsion (0.24–0.31% CNFs); and (4) regular emulsion with the addition of surfactant. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was performed to reveal the characteristics of droplet diameter and morphology. Antifungal tests against Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium digitatum, between emulsion coating stabilized with CNFs (CS-SEOpick) and CS or CS-SEO was tested. The effective concentration of CNFs (0.24%) may improve the performance of CS coating and maintain CS-SEO antifungal activity synergistically confirmed with a series of assays (in vitro, in vivo, and membrane integrity changes). The incorporation of CNFs contributed to improve the functional properties of CS and SEO-loaded CS including light transmission at UV and visible light wavelengths and tensile strength. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the biocompatibility of each coating film formulation. Emulsion-CNF stabilized coating may have potential applications for active coating for fresh fruit commodities.

We describe here a three dimensional (3D) numerical study of the convective thermal transfer during forced-air drying of brown rice grains with the inclusion of moisture evaporation. Three levels of temperature were tested across a range from 40 to 60 o C. The objective of the study was to determine the temperature distributions in the drying chamber and as well as the surface and intra-kernel temperature gradients during convective drying of rice grains. The numerical model was based on the Navier-Stokes equation for the fluid flow and the Fourier's equation for heat transfer. Results of the numerical solution showed that temperature distribution in the air and brown rice grains during the early minutes of drying were significantly influenced by the direction of flow of the heated air. Air gaps between grains and at the periphery of the drying chamber affected the rate and direction of airflow. The temperature history of the rice grains showed variations at different levels within the layer of grains. Moreover, the stream of heated air showed regions with airflows eight times than the inlet air velocity. Downloaded by [FU Berlin] at 04:09 15 May 2015 2 KEYWORDS: 3D finite element model, convective heat transfer, rice grain drying, evaporation, thermal diffusion, numerical simulation Notation: BDF Backward Differentiation Formula CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics Cp a specific heat capacity at constant pressure of air, J/kg-K Cp specific heat capacity at constant pressure of brown rice, J/kg-K GMRES Generalized Minimal Residual method k a thermal conductivity of air, W/m-K k o thermal conductivity of brown rice, W/m-K k 1 drying rate constant of brown rice, s -1 l 3x3 identity matrix M moisture content, % d.b. MR moisture ratio, dimensionless M o initial moisture content, % d.b. M i instantaneous moisture content, % d.b. M e equilibrium moisture content, % d.b. P pressure, Pa Q st latent heat of vaporization, J/g Q heat lost from evaporation, W/m 3 Re Reynolds number, dimensionless t time, s Downloaded by [FU Berlin] at 04:09 15 May 2015 3 T temperature, K T o initial/ambient temperature of air, K T ∞ maximum drying temperature of air, K u velocity vector, m/s V t total volume of grains, m 3 W d weight of dry solids, kg x,y,z Cartesian coordinates, mm ∞ infinity, supremum of the temperature ρ a density of air , kg/m 3 ρ density of brown rice, kg/m 3 μ a dynamic viscosity of air, Pa-s

Strawberry deterioration accelerates after harvesting when the fruit are exposed at ambient temperature. Therefore, it is imperative to utilize efficient methods to mitigate the deterioration of fruit at ambient temperature. In the current study, harvested strawberries were coated with Aloe vera gel either alone or mixed with essential oil from basil plant. Coated strawberries were stored at ambient temperature (20°C) for 7 days and successfully retained their postharvest quality during storage. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the fracture morphology of coated and uncoated fruits.Application of coatings, specially the combination of Aloe vera with basil oil, reduced weight loss, respiration rate, degradation of vitamin C, and color change. Additionally, fungal growth was intensively prevented at room temperature. Finally, sensory analyses revealed positive results for the coatings on visual aspect. The results demonstrated that application of Aloe vera-basil oil complex coating is an effective method to preserve the postharvest quality and extend shelf life of strawberry fruit at room temperature. Novelty impact statement:• Combination of Aloe vera gel coating and basil oil preserved postharvest quality of strawberry fruit at ambient temperature.

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