Vol. 11, Special Issue 5 (2022)

Fruits have short shelf life due to their perishable nature. The demand for fruits is high in the market due to their rich nutritional value and health benefits and the preservation of fruits is a big challenge for the world. Due to post-harvest loss nearly 30% of horticultural commodities get lost due to less shelf life to minimize this loss various techniques have been developed among them edible coatings became more popular and effective method in recent decades because it replaces the natural outermost cuticle layer of fruits which gets lost after harvesting from tree and washing during post-harvest handling and also act as a barrier for reducing atmosphere gases exchange like CO2 & O2%, respiration & senescence rate and gives glossy look to the fruits after applying with edible coatings extends shelf life, reduce water and moisture loss, delayed the ripening process and also prevent microbial growth specifically in fresh fruits. The review covers different types of edible coatings and their effect on enhancing the quality and shelf life of different fruit crops.