Chitosan-Based Coating with Antimicrobial Agents: Preparation, Property, Mechanism, and Application Effectiveness on Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

Chitosan coating is beneficial to maintaining the storage quality and prolonging the shelf life of postharvest fruits and vegetables, which is always used as the carrier film for the antimicrobial agents. This review focuses on the preparation, property, mechanism, and application effectiveness on the fruits and vegetables of chitosan-based coating with antimicrobial agents. Chitosan, derived by deacetylation of chitin, is a modified and natural biopolymer as the coating material. In this article, the safety and biocompatible and antimicrobial properties of chitosan were introduced because these attributes are very important for its application. The methods to prepare the chitosan-based coating with antimicrobial agents, such as essential oils, acid, and nanoparticles, were developed by other researchers. Meanwhile, the application of chitosan-based coating is mainly due to its antimicrobial activity and other functional properties, which were investigated, introduced, and analyzed in this review. Furthermore, the surface and mechanical properties were also investigated by researchers and concluded in this article. Finally, the effects of chitosan-based coating on the storage quality, microbial safety, and shelf life of fruits and vegetables were introduced. Their results indicated that chitosan-based coating with different antimicrobial agents would probably have wide prospect in the preservation of fruits and vegetables in the future.

Effect of aqueous ozone on quality and shelf life of Chinese winter jujube

“…Besides, ozone (Figure displays ozone structure), an allotrope of oxygen, which is approved to be a safe method to maintain the quality of fruits and vegetables (Liu, Gao, & Yu, ). Ozone can inhibit the occurrence of disease, and oxidize large amounts of saturated and unsaturated organic matter, thereby extending postharvest life (Xing et al, ). What is more, it can also make the pores smaller (Ali, Yeoh, Forney, & Siddiqui, ), reduce water transpiration and nutrient consumption, prevent oxidative damage of fruits and vegetables, delay fruit ripening, kill microorganisms on the surface, and then maintain better quality.…”

Nanotechnologies in Food Science: Applications, Recent Trends, and Future Perspectives

“…Used as bactericidal and efficient delivery mechanism Food preservation and packaging [158] Chitosan Used as coating agent for mandarin, strawberries, and fresh fruits Anti-fungicide [189] Gold nanoparticles AuNPs Integration of DNA or enzymes or antibodies with Au NP Pathogens Glucose Food storage applications Meat and dairy industries Fruit juice [190] SWCNT (single-wall carbon nanotubes)…”

Antimicrobial Polymer-Based Materials for Food Packaging Applications

“…CS antimicrobial activity depends on a number of factors, including its molecular weight, degree of deacetylation, degree of substitution, physical form, as well as structural properties of the cell wall of the target microorganisms [10]. The antimicrobial action of CS has been attributed to different mechanisms ( Figure 1) [11,12]: (I) Electrostatic attractions between its positively-charged chains and the negatively-charged bacterial cell walls, causing the polymer absorption onto the target bacteria, leading to cell wall disruption. (II) Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS).…”

“…Principal mechanisms of antimicrobial action of chitosan. Adapted from[11], copyright © 2020, Xing et alLayered double hydroxides (LDHs) comprise positively-charged brucite-like layers of divalent and trivalent metal hydroxides, in which the excess of positive charges is compensated by anions and water molecules present in the interstitial position[14]. They show important properties, such as biocompatibility, null toxicity, and allergenicity.…”

“…Principal mechanisms of antimicrobial action of chitosan. Adapted from[11], copyright © 2020, Xing et al…”