Why do we need edible films? While some product can be eaten in their original form, in most cases they need to be pared, cored, sliced, diced for immediate household use. If this is done in a factory before reaching the consumer, products start to dehydrate, deteriorate, loose appearance, flavor and nutritional values. Without special protection the product becomes immediately more perishable. The damage can occur within hours or days, even if this damage is not immediately visible. This can be prevented if after the processing the natural skin is replaced with an edible film. The right edible films can prevent moisture losses while selectively allowing the controlled exchange of important gases, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide and ethylene involved in respiration processes. The main components of our everyday foods, i.e., proteins, carbohydrates and fats, can fulfill requirements for edible films. The general rule is that fats reduce water transmission, polysaccharide films control oxygen and other gas transmission, and protein films provide mechanical stability. These materials can be added separately, or mixed provided they do not change flavor. The major deciding factor is whether the protecting films have the necessary physical chemical properties to maintain the transmission of the various gases and liquids at the same rate as the natural protection does. Each of these components has different properties, which are efficient in controlling one type of transmission while sometimes have detrimental effect on others. The lecture will describe their characteristics and discuss how they can be applied.Pavlath, A.E. and Orts, W. Edible Films: Why, What and How? In Edible Films and Coatings for Food Applications, Eds. M.E. Embuscado and K.C. Huber, Springer, USA, N.Y. 2012? In Edible Films and Coatings for Food Applications, Eds. M.E. Embuscado and K.C. Huber, Springer, USA, N.Y

Edible films and coatings on processed fruits and vegetables

246th National Meeting (2013)

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