de Medeiros Viviane Priscila Barros, de Oliveira Kataryne Árabe Rimá, Queiroga Talita Silveira, de Souza Evandro Leite
Department of Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa 58051-900, PB, Brazil.
Foods. 2024 Nov 13;13(22):3613. doi: 10.3390/foods13223613.
The accelerated ripening and senescence of fruits and vegetables is characterized by various biochemical changes that hinder the maintenance of their postharvest quality. In this context, developing edible films and coatings formulated with natural and biodegradable materials emerges as a sustainable strategy for preserving the quality parameters of these products in replacement of conventional petroleum-based packaging. Recently, plant-based polymers, including mucilage from different cactus species and/or their bioactive compounds, have been investigated to develop edible films and coatings. As the available literature indicates, the genus stands out as the most used for mucilage extraction, with the cladode being the most exploited part of the plant. Conventional extraction methods are widely employed to obtain mucilages, which are applied to fruits and vegetables after being combined with plasticizing and cross-linking agents. In general, these films and coatings have proven effective in prolonging the shelf life and maintaining the nutritional, physical, and sensory quality of fruits and vegetables. Given their preservation potential, combining cactus mucilages with bioactive compounds, probiotics, and prebiotics represents an emerging trend in developing functional films and coatings. However, some limitations have been identified, such as the underutilization of different species and parts of the plant, the lack of standardization in extraction methods, and the absence of studies on the effects of the physicochemical properties of mucilages in the formulation and characteristics of films and coatings. Therefore, overcoming these limitations is essential for developing edible films and coatings with enhanced techno-functional properties and greater commercial viability.
水果和蔬菜的加速成熟和衰老具有多种生化变化特征，这些变化阻碍了它们采后品质的维持。在此背景下，开发由天然和可生物降解材料制成的可食用薄膜和涂层，成为一种可持续策略，以取代传统的石油基包装来保持这些产品的品质参数。最近，包括来自不同仙人掌品种的黏液及其生物活性化合物在内的植物基聚合物，已被研究用于开发可食用薄膜和涂层。正如现有文献所示，该属在黏液提取中最为常用，其中叶状茎是植物中被利用最多的部分。传统提取方法被广泛用于获取黏液，这些黏液在与增塑剂和交联剂混合后应用于水果和蔬菜。总体而言，这些薄膜和涂层已被证明在延长水果和蔬菜的货架期以及维持其营养、物理和感官品质方面有效。鉴于其保鲜潜力，将仙人掌黏液与生物活性化合物、益生菌和益生元结合，代表了开发功能性薄膜和涂层的一种新兴趋势。然而，已发现一些局限性，例如不同植物品种和部位利用不足、提取方法缺乏标准化，以及缺乏关于黏液物理化学性质对薄膜和涂层配方及特性影响的研究。因此，克服这些局限性对于开发具有增强技术功能特性和更大商业可行性的可食用薄膜和涂层至关重要。
