## 3 Edible Coatings and Their Suitability for Fruit and Vegetables
### The Rationale Behind Using Coatings  
Processing of horticultural products affects their physiological state, so actions should be taken to reduce the loss of food ingredients and also when the low-processed product is taken into consideration. A summary of the main benefits that can be obtained by using edible coatings on the surfaces of fruit and vegetables is presented in Figure 1. Cutting and grinding damage plant tissues, which results in the loss of juice, oxidation of ingredients, enzyme decomposition and, as a result, sensory changes such as darkening or change of taste. Proper storage, including control of temperature, humidity, light and additional treatments, e.g., application of edible coatings, are essential to preserve product quality [33; 41; 42; 48]. The edible coating should create a selectively permeable barrier on the surfaces of fruit and vegetables, slowing down the respiration of the product and water loss through evaporation. Coatings should ideally reduce oxidation, minimising browning and preserving texture and the occurrence of microbiological contamination [3; 6; 49]. As reported by [PERSON] et al. [6], the use of cereal proteins significantly contributed to the reduction of storage respiration and oxidative browning of apples, strawberries and potatoes. These proteins are used industrially for coating dried peanuts, meats and Atlantic salmon. [PERSON] et al. [51] in their research showed that the addition of plant extracts from red cabbage (_Brasica olecera_), sweet potato (_Ipomea butatas_) and clitoria (_Clitoria terntaea_) used in the chitosan coating can contribute not only to the improvement of product storage but also to enrichment, e.g., in polyphenolic compounds from coatings. The most popular fruits consumed by consumers include apples. In order to improve the properties of the coatings and extend storage while maintaining the appropriate sensory properties, they can be enriched with essential oils. [PERSON] et al. [52], in their study, noted that the addition of lemongrass essential oil will significantly have a positive effect on the storage time and maintenance of the physical properties of cut apples. It is worth noting that the alginate coating has been differentiated into a higher and lower content of essential oil (\(1\%\)\(v/v\) and \(0.1\%\)\(v/v\)), which has shown that a film with a lower content of the active substance has better properties. [PERSON] [46] pointed to the growing importance of essential oils not only as preservatives and flavour-enhancing additives but also as antioxidants. These substances can be used in many branches of the food industry on products such as meat, dairy products or vegetables. The author points out three oils that are a promising food additive: rosemary, oregano and thyme oils. Studies have confirmed the antibacterial properties of these substances--in particular, rosemary oil--in the control of strains such as _Salmonella choleraeusis_, _Shigella somei_, _Yersinia enterocolitica_ and _Clostridium perfringens_. [PERSON] et al. [47] pointed to using garlic, thyme, clove, basil and rosemary essential oils against _E. coli_ bacteria and others such as _Shigella_ sp. and _Yersinia_ sp. [PERSON] et al. [17], in their research on the edible coating of chitosan, point to good film-forming properties and  
Figure 1: Benefits of edible coatings. Sources: [1,3,11,16,20,35,36,50]. the combination of an edible film with the addition of peppermint and fennel essential oil. The perspective of using essential oil and/or active vapour substances from plant extracts needs further research. The coating is a promising complement or complete replacement for synthetic plastics, provides good storage conditions and its rheological properties indicate the legitimacy of use during storage of fresh-cut products. Table 2 provides examples of coatings used for the storage of fruit and vegetables. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline