Edible coatings for carrots

The use of ready-to-use fresh vegetables has recently increased as a result of the extended use of prepared salads, due to the novel changes in consumer trends. Fresh-cut carrots (Daucus carota L.) are one of the most widely used products in ready-to-eat salads. But the carrot market is restricted by the produce deterioration during storage, since several physiological changes reduce their shelflife. Different treatments have been described in order to prevent or slow down these processes. Edible coating benefits include stabilizing the product and thus extending its shelflife. The use of edible coatings for carrots is being largely explored in order to better keep their fresh-like characteristics. This review summarizes the advances on this topic, in an attempt to improve their design and development, which hopefully will lead to an increase in safety and quality of this widely used product.