Technical Field

The invention relates to a completely edible coating agent which has been developed to prevent rot.

In particular, the invention claimed relates to a coating agent obtained using stabilized different formulate of carnauba wax and shellac, amongst other ingredients.

State of The Art

Until fruits and vegetables are harvested and consumed; they subject to some changes due to various factors like harvest time, bruising, water loss, chemical and microbiological degradation. In order to prevent these quality downgrading changes in fruits and vegetables respiration should be reduced to the minimum possible, water loss should be prevented, and the speed of chemical and microbiological negative impact should be slowed down. Various methods such as drying, freezing, controlled atmosphere storage, irradiation and packaging are used for this purpose. As an alternative to these methods, waxy coating, which has been recently becoming widespread, is a promising alternative that ensures longer duration of the fruits and vegetables. Common types of waxes used for coating fruits and vegetables are palm, candelilla, carnauba, wax, polyethylene, shellac and / or resin. Wax coatings can be applied to a wide range of fruits and vegetables such as oranges, mandarins, apples, peppers, melons and cherries. The coatings which are applied according to the physiological conditions of foods both increase the shelf life and maintain the quality of the food at waxying atmosphere conditions. There is an increasing interest on new alternative approaches the plant based on natural products in order to reduce the quality downgrading during the post-harvest storage of fruits and vegetables and the potential increases day by day. Edible films and coatings constitute one of the cheapest, easiest and safest methods to reduce post-harvest losses that have been worked out as an alternative to chemical applications and they are applicable under all atmosphere conditions. The edible films and coatings for fresh fruits and vegetables can be produced with many polymers of active substance and admixture with essential oils. Use of low temperature storage and post-harvest technologies with coating applications reduce the metabolic rhythm of fruit and vegetable and control microbial degradation thus protecting the final. When fresh fruits and vegetables complete the product development after harvest, the ongoing metabolic events such as ethylene production and respiration accelerate the maturation of the products and cause the shelf life to shorten. This result to deteriorating which affect the nutritional value, flavor, texture and appearance of the products. Losses occurring at various stages of the cold chain are becoming of importance in Turkey as well. Synthetic fungicides are used to prevent the losses, occurred in fruits and vegetables and are often exacerbated during storage and later in marketing. However, whilst the use of dense fungicides provides resistance to pathogens and make them stronger at the same time causes residual problems in exported products. Researchers started to search new ways which tend to application of natural ingredients because of losses occurring during post-harvest storage are high and after restrictive measures on methods of combating chemical applications. The toxicity of the chemical substances stays high in the short-term stored products and this is the main reason why these has been preference of naturalism products as protective agents to prevent post-harvest losses. Due to the strong scientific and society demand to develop safer and more environmentally friendly alternatives, the trend is to reduce the use of fungicides. These new edible coating applications tend to improve shelf life both of processed food and freshly cut products. Additionally edible natural coatings contribute significantly to the preservation of the quality of fresh fruit and vegetables, and they are increasing the shelf life by lowering the rate of water loss and metabolism change. In particular, lipid-based coatings improve the appearance and the gloss of the. Scientific studies show that the substances used as edible coatings have different effects on the product. Essential oils, especially those with antimicrobial activity, are used extensively in preventing microbial attack. The most important family of natural constituents is essential oils. Essential oils delay the microbial growth of processed and not processed food. Some of these substances provide adequate protection against pathogens growth. Plant based volatile oils are mainly used for flavoring and safety. (GRAS, Generally Regarded as Safe). Use of products free at chemicals to increase the shelf time of food is becoming to be important and the interest on natural products is growing fastly. However, commercialization is limited to processed food products. Scientific studies show that the application of edible natural coatings in fresh fruits and vegetables is very successful in exteuding post-harvest shelf life, and in upgrading quality and microbial resistance. Thus the necessity of commercializing edible coatings in fresh garden products. Most of the biodegradable films are renewable and are produced under moderate conditions. In the food packaging sector, the use of natural polysaccharides are steadly increasing. The interest in starch biodegradable polymers is mainly due to their inherit non-allergic characteristic, their ability to be produced in large quantities at low cost, and the fact that they are now easily accessible agricultural raw materials. Due to these reasons many studies have focused on the development of starch-based ingredients. They are naturally occurring polymer from a wide variety of vegatable sources, such as starch, wheat, corn, potatoes. Starch may interact with with other raw materials ingredients of the food. However, it exhibits major disadvantages, such as strong hydrophilic behavior (poor moisture barrier) and worst mechanical properties than traditional, non-biodegradable plastic films used in the food packaging industry.

Various studies have been carried out to improve biodegradable coatings function of preventing fresh fruits and vegetables from degradation thus preserving their freshness and prolonged storage life after harvest.

One of these studies is the patented, 2011/09025, subject entitled‘Hemicellulose-based anti-microbial, anti-fogging, unwanted gases removal, biodegradable film and method of manufacture’. Materials used for the packaging of fruits and vegetables are produced from forest wastes such as hemicellulose base, cotton stalk, sunflower stalk, corn cob, wheat, oats, barley, grains such as grains and, hazelnut shells, or wood shavings. The invention relates to a biodegradable film and / or coating material composition which is antimicrobial, anti-fog and anti-gassing and relates to the production steps of this film and / or coating material.

Another study, 2007/00938, entitled " Prevention of deterioration by using laurel oil and thyme oil in the fresh banana fruit and the application method of the related oils”. The claimed invention consists of laurel oil and thyme oil to coat at least the handle portions of the banana to prevent and / or delay the decay of the fresh banana fruit after picking. Preferably, it further comprises an improved composition comprising a diluent and / or a surfactant. The oils used in the composition are described as a novel method of preventing and / or delaying the post-acquisition decay of fresh banana fruit.

Another study, 2006/01325 entitled, ‘A composition especially useful for organic production to coat fruits, vegetables and poultry eggs’. The present invention has been worked to protect fruits, vegetables, poultry eggs, and especially organically grown crops by coating against rot and to increase their shelf life. The mixture is an aqueous dispersion containing the following components: natural wax obtained from natural biological sources, a hydrophobic component comprising at least one member of a group of vegetable oils, an alkaline agent derived from natural biological sources, and water. The invention also includes a method to apply the subject composition.

As a result, there is a need for a coating agent that removes the disadvantages existing in the current technology, and the poor behavior of existing solutions requires the work upon new fields, raw materials and techniques.

Brief description of the invention

The invention has been conceived for responding to image the aforementioned requirements and all the disadvantages and side effect. It is advantageous towards the deterioration of fruits and vegetables in storage conditions. For the coating agent, carnauba wax and shellac are developed using different, completely new formulate and completely renewed. The purpose of the invention is to eliminate the post-application risks that may to from human health, since the developed solvent agent is edible and environmentally friendly.

The target of the invention, is claimed solvent agent to be applied by spraying on the outer surface of the fruit and the vegetable in a way that it is completely covered, and the overall process is eased.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method for preventing the loss of moisture of the fruits and vegetables in storage conditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide antimicrobial activity inhibition by the morpholine addition.

The evaluation of the structural and characteristic features of the invention and all its advantages will be understood more clearly by the detailed description were below.

Detailed Explanation of the Invention

The coating agent invention is used to prevent the degradation of fruits and vegetables during storage. Carnauba wax and shellac were used at different stabilized and completely edible formulate, only for a better assesment of the subject and without any limiting effect.

Fruits and vegetables are living organisms, even after harvest. In other words, fruits and vegetables might live as long as until their consumption time. The harvest method is the most important factor affecting the storability of the products. Errors at harvest (i.e. stalk breakage, rust tearing, crushing) will cause quality losses and create a suitable environment for infection and spread of diseases. Applications in transport, storage and marketing cause deterioration of fruit and vegetables life and quality losses. Degraation is caused by metabolic changes, water loss, mechanical damage and microorganisms. Metabolic changes result in fruit and vegetables ageing. However, the reactions in these reactions cause physiological deterioration. Water loss speed up quality to degradation. Microorganisms cause rotting of fruits. Different storage and packaging practices are used to ensure food safety by delaying enzymatic and bacterial degradation in the food industry. Around the world, almost 150 million tons of plastic are produced annually, and the production and consumption of plastics continue to increase rapidly. Most of these plastics are universal one based. Processing of plastic wastes causes serious environmental problems due to the disposal of non-degrad able polymers and wastes. Therefore, the use of readily biodegradable agricultural biopolymers in food packaging not only solves these problems, but also constitutes a new field of use for agricultural products of mass production. Studies on natural herbal products that are biodegradable, consumed with food, environmentally and human friendly widespreading. Coatings and films used as packaging material have different protection effects. In film systems, the antimicrobial agent is slowly traustered through to the food the film layer. Thus, the antimicrobial agent remains in the film and on the food surface at high concentrations and has a longer activity against microorganisms.

Fruits and vegetables start to rot quickly after harvesting due to rapid metabolic events and respiratory rate but edible coating applications create a modified atmosphere effect.

Edible coatings can control the respiration rate, gas exchange and moisture loss of products by creating a barrier around fresh products. The shelf life is reduced due to damage of the cells with maturation, but the coating blocks that and mechanismextends the shelf life of the products. Edible coating agent that will applied to fresh garden products should be selected taking into consideration the characteristics of the product such as respiration, water loss rate and storage conditions. Edible antimicrobial coatings extend the shelf life, preserving the overall appearance of fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing aroma loss, moisture transfer, color change, respiration and oxidation. Applicable coating agent; CW, oleic acid, 25% ammonia, 45% potassium hydroxide (KOH), water, gelcarine, myristic acid, morpholine, tween 85, glycerol, 20-25% NaOH, polysorbate 20, shellac, lecithin , sorbitan tri oleate, ethanol, SMO (emulsifer), PEG 400 Di, stearate, PEG 6000 and polysorbate 20 were prepared in different combinations and doses to apply on peaches, apples, oranges and lemons at room temperature and cooling process. These combinations are given the codes FX6, FJ7, FJ9 and FX1 1. FX6 formulation; 0-20% CW, 0-3% oleic acid, 50-80% water and 0-10 % morpholine are used. FJ7 formulation; 15-25% CW, 0-2% oleic acid, 1 % ammonia (25%), 60-90% water, 5% glycerol and 1 % NaOH (25%) were used. FJ9 formulation; 0-20% CW, 0-5% oleic acid, 0-2% ammonia (25%), 50-70% water, 6.5% glycerol, 1 % polysorbate 20, 0-10% shellac, 12.5% ethanol and 1 % NaOH (20%) were used. In the FX11 formulation; 0-20% shellac, 0-5% glycerol, 0-5% polysorbate 80, 20-50% ethanol, 56% water and 0-10% morpholine were used. When preparing said coating agent formulation, no homogenizer was used to stabilize the emission instead, mechanical mixing was carried out. Moisture content of the dry films from the trials were determined.

FJ9 formulation; 19.69% dry film moisture with 1.28 g dry film weight,

FX6 formulation; 28.96% dry film moisture with 1.05 g dry film weight,

FJ7 formulation; 22% dry film moisture with 1 .05 g dry film weight and FX1 1 formulation; 19% dry film moisture with 0.58 g dry film weight.

The solubility of the dry films which are from coating agent in water was measured, about 50% for the FJ9 formulation, about 40% for the FX6 formulation, about 100% for the FX1 1 formulation and about 50% for the FJ7 formulation.

Antimicrobial activities were determined, 0 mm escherichia coli with 0 mm staphylococcus aureus in FJ9 formulation, 0 mm escherichia coli with 0 mm staphylococcus aureus in FX6 formulation, 0 mm escherichia coli with 0 mm staphylococcus aureus in FX11 formulation and 10 mm escherichia coli with 17 mm staphylococcus aureus in FJ7 formulation were detected.

The mentioned solvents were applied by spraying on the upper parts of the peach, apple, lemon and orange fruits and were kept in cold for 12 days, degradation due to weight loss due to moisture loss in fruits was observed. When performing these observations, the control fruits were kept under the same conditions (the solvent-sprayed fruits and without any application fruits) and the other formulations were tested with same procedure. Weight loss is about 25-30 grams without any application during the 12 days cold storage period for peach fruit, it was 20-25 grams for the formulation of FX1 1 , 0-5 grams for the FJ7 formulation, 0-5 grams for the FJ9 formulation, and 0-5 grams for the FX6 formulation. The least weight loss was obtained in the FJ7 formulation. Weight loss for apple fruit in the cold storage period of 12 days without any application is about 0.8-1 grams. It was 1.4-1.6 grams for the FX1 1 formulation, 0.8-1 grams for FJ7 formulation, 1.4 grams for the FJ9 formulation, and 1-1.2 grams for the FX6 formulation. The least weight loss was obtained in the FJ7 formulation. For orange fruit, the weight loss is about 2-4 grams without any application during the storage period of 12 days. Approximately 10 grams for the formulation of FX1 1 , FJ7 4-6 grams, FJ9 formulation was about 6 grams, for the FX6 formulation was 0-2 grams. The least weight loss was obtained in the FX6 formulation. Lemon fruit for 12 days in the cold storage period without any application in weight loss is about 2-4 grams. About 12 grams for the FX1 1 formulation, FJ7 10-12 grams, for the FJ9 formulation were about 8-10 grams, for the FX6 formulation 0-2 grams. The least weight loss was obtained in the FX6 formulation.

The same application was carried out for storage in room conditions. The weight loss for the peach fruit at room temperature for 12 days is about 100-120 grams without any application during the storage period. For the FX1 1 formulation there were 40-60 grams, FJ7 0-10 grams, FJ9 formulation was about 10 grams, and for FX6 formulation 10-20 grams. The least weight loss was obtained in the FJ7 formulation. Weight loss for apple fruit at room temperature for 12 days is approximately 4-5 grams without any application during the storage period. It was 5-6 grams for the FX1 1 formulation, 5-6 grams for FJ7, 4-5 grams for the FJ9 formulation and 2-3 grams for the FX6 formulation. The least weight loss was obtained in the FX6 formulation. For orange fruit, the weight loss is about 10 grams without any application during the storage period at room temperature for 12 days. It was 20-25 grams for the FX1 1 formulation, 15-20 grams for FJ7, 10 grams for the FJ9 formulation and 0-5 grams for the FX6 formulation. The least weight loss was obtained in the FX6 formulation. Weight loss for lemon fruit at room temperature for 12 days is approximately 20 grams. It was 10-15 grams for the FX1 1 formulation, 20-25 grams for FJ7, 15-20 grams for the FJ9 formulation, and 0-5 grams for the FX6 formulation. The least weight loss was obtained in the FX6 formulation. As a result of the tests and applications, it has been determined that all formulations tested have sufficient moisture content to keep the fruit fresh. In particular, the formulation of FX1 1 has the highest solubility in water, but it has been found that other formulations are partially soluble in water. Antimicrobial activity of all formulations that are containing morphine show that the food was resistant to the bacteria that breed. FX11 and uncoated fruits were found to have the highest mass loss during storage in cold and room temperature. In particular, the mass loss properties of the formulations prepared in the course of the development of the edible agent coating process are one of the most decisive factors for coatings. In addition, with the other physical and chemical properties show that which types of fruits applicable for coating agent. At the same time, the results of the applied room temperature and refrigerator storage experiments gave very useful datas. Coatings forms; FJ7 is for peas and nectarines, FX6 is for lemon and citrus, FJ9 is for Apple. FX11 has been identified as available as polishing agent for apple and citrus. The scope of protection of this application is defined in the claims and cannot be limited to those described above for sampling purposes.

A person who technically worked in the invention can also demonstrate the novelty of the invention using similar embodiments and / or it is clear the invention may also apply to other similar purposes used. Therefore, it is evident that such structures, especially in the presence of our application, will be deprived of the criterion of improved the state of innovation and technique.