## 1 Introduction
During storage, apples are susceptible to a myriad of biotic and abiotic diseases, which also affect the occurrence of economic losses. Usually, a number of phytopathogenic microorganisms are responsible for the decrease in fruit quality after harvest, which in turn affects the occurrence of significant losses in storage and distribution networks. It is estimated that about 90 species of fungi are responsible for apple rot occurring during storage. Even in developed countries with advanced storage solutions, fungal rot can be the cause of up to 25% of the total apple yield loss [13]. A shorter shelf life of fruit is caused by, among other things, improper storage temperature, gas composition of the atmosphere, too long transport time, or improperly selected type of packaging, which does not fulfil its function and affects the loss of fruit quality [14]. When storing fresh fruit, high relative humidity has a positive effect on extending the storage life [15]. The fruit's respiration rate and the concentration of gases present between the internal and external atmospheres (water vapour, oxygen, carbon dioxide) must be taken into account and controlled. Ethylene evolution during storage and transport favours faster degradation of fresh products, generating product losses and, thus, financial losses [16]. Apples, belonging to climacter fruits, i.e., ripening after harvesting under the influence of ethylene secretion, change their taste, smell, and colour--contributing to the yellowing of the green parts and texture, causing them to wilt [13]. In addition, under the influence of ethylene, apples can change the content of sugars and synthesise volatile aromas [17; 18]. Due to the complexity and difficulty of detecting volatile aroma components, detecting ethylene content can be a simple way to assess the flavour quality of apples. So far, there have been few studies on the relationship between ethylene and the occurrence of volatile aroma compounds. In the study conducted by storing \"Fuji\" apples at 4 \({}^{\circ}\)C for 42 days, it was found that detecting ethylene level can reflect the aroma level, which is a reference to the intrinsic quality of apples [19]. Exposure of fruit to low temperatures stimulates ethylene synthesis, which explains why many apple varieties require chilling to induce ripening. Therefore, transport to distant markets should take place in refrigerated conditions (cold rooms, containers, specialised semi-trailers), with particular attention to determining the appropriate size of the chamber to ensure air circulation. There is a lot of research on the use of edible coatings in improving the quality of fresh-cut apples as minimally processed and convenient-to-eat fruits [20; 21; 22; 23; 24]. Changes in the quality attributes are different, and colour changes are the most important. Thus, edible coatings are incorporated with different functional compounds to maintain their quality during refrigerated storage [25]. However, these types of products packaging, which provides stability and protection from microbial contamination. Taking into account the environmental issue and the waste problem of packaging, there is a great interest in mild technologies for whole apples minimalising usage of packaging, such as protective edible coatings produced from natural materials. Therefore, this work aimed to characterise the most important issues related to the latest reports on improving the postharvest quality of apples with the use of edible coatings enriched with various active substances. Agricultural conditions and factors that affect the postharvest quality of apples were described, as were coating materials and food coating technology. The potential of active packaging in the emerging food industry and the goals and benefits of reducing fruit waste and extending its shelf life were demonstrated.