Anti-browning and barrier properties of edible coatings prepared with electrospraying

Electrospraying is an efficient practice for coating complex food products. Water-in-oil emulsion and chocolate based coatings were electrosprayed on food model systems (apple slices and candy tablets). The emulsion based coatings penetrated into the products, while chocolate based coating stayed on the target surfaces. These coatings were evaluated to prevent the browning and water loss from the apple slices. Emulsion based coatings were effective in preventing the browning of apple slices, depending on the composition of the continuous phase, but were unable to retard the water migration significantly owing to coating penetration inside the products, leaving a very thin film on the surface. In that respect, chocolate based coatings were more effective in reducing the water vapour flux compared to emulsion based coatings. The results indicated that solid lipid based coatings were more effective in water vapour flux reduction than liquid lipid based coatings. Industrial relevance: Electrospraying is an efficient coating technique which can reduce the processing cost for industrial processes. This technique has been successfully applied for food product to increase the shelf life of minimally processed food. The result found in this study can be used at industry to obtain food product with desired sensory attributes along with prolonged shelf life. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.