Page 45 - FoodFocusThailand No.192 March 2022

SPECIAL FOCUS

The natural edible coating acts as a environment. Therefore, raw-material handling together with the application of shelf-life
regulator for the optimal gas exchange extension technology by using natural edible coatings, is an alternative way to reduce the
between the raw material and the environment problem of food waste and plastic usage.
over a period of time. This slows down the
post-harvest maturation and subsequent
deterioration. Moreover, it also solves the More Information Service Info C005
problems that come with using impermeable
sealants. The chaotic structure and design ข้้อมููลเพิ่่�มูเติ่มู / Additional Information
of coating were inspired by the cuticle 1 Sufresca, บริิษััทสตาริ์ทอััพด้้านเทคโนโลยีีการิเกษัตริที�คิด้ค้นสาริเคลือับผิิวบริิโภคได้้จากธริริมชาติ
Sufresca, Agricultural technology start-up company developing natural edible coating
structures that naturally layer plants to protect
them from extreme environmental conditions เอกสารอ้างอ่ง / References
and water loss. It was because the colossal https://www.sufresca.com/
40-60% of fruits and vegetables produced https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9374941/sufresca-accelerates-its-green-solution-to-reduce-waste-
and-plastic/
worldwide are lost or wasted even before
reaching consumers. Therefore, the post-
harvest solution by changing the pattern of
fresh produce storage from the farm to the
fridge with using natural edible coating for
prolonging the shelf life without plastic wrap
may become a new hope to end food waste
and plastic use in the future. The advantages
of natural edible coatings consist of 5 aspects
as follows
• Natural: The coating is made from
plant-based additives and naturally occurring
organic compounds, so these coatings are
essentially food.
• Easy: It can be used for many
agricultural products that can be easily
applied based on current common techniques.
• Long-lasting: This coating is
transparent, ultra-thin, tasteless, and odorless
when applied to surfaces. Therefore, it
provides natural-looking produce that stays
fresh for much longer at ambient, cold, and
changing conditions.
• Sustainable: It is inherently
biodegradable and remains effective
throughout the supply chain producing no
by-waste.
• Global: It can be used everywhere, by
everyone, for a wide variety of fresh produce.
The development of natural edible
coating for agricultural products has high
feasibility for solving existing systems
problems. It is an interesting option, highly
scalable and convenient for producers,
distributors, and exporters in the early stages
of the supply chain, and also be applied at
the later stages. In addition, it can be adapted
to various types of coatings that are
completely safe and kind to the planet as well
as reduce waste effectively.
The current production of food is
enough to feed the world population twice
over. However, many agricultural products
cannot be delivered to consumers’ needs.
Because this fresh produce often spoilage
and become food waste which affects the

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