Premium
Multifunctional Bio‐Nanocomposite Coatings for Perishable Fruits
Author(s) -
Jung Seohui,
Cui Yufei,
Barnes Morgan,
Satam Chinmay,
Zhang Shenxiang,
Chowdhury Reaz A.,
Adumbumkulath Aparna,
Sahin Onur,
Miller Corwin,
Sajadi Seyed M.,
Sassi Lucas M.,
Ji Yue,
Bennett Matthew R.,
Yu Miao,
Friguglietti Jefferson,
Merchant Fatima A.,
Verduzco Rafael,
Roy Soumyabrata,
Vajtai Robert,
Meredith J. Carson,
Youngblood Jeffrey P.,
Koratkar Nikhil,
Rahman Muhammad M.,
Ajayan Pulickel M.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201908291
Subject(s) - materials science , economic shortage , population , nanotechnology , waste management , engineering , government (linguistics) , linguistics , philosophy , demography , sociology
Hunger and chronic undernourishment impact over 800 million people, which translates to ≈10.7% of the world's population. While countries are increasingly making efforts to reduce poverty and hunger by pursuing sustainable energy and agricultural practices, a third of the food produced around the globe still is wasted and never consumed. Reducing food shortages is vital in this effort and is often addressed by the development of genetically modified produce or chemical additives and inedible coatings, which create additional health and environmental concerns. Herein, a multifunctional bio‐nanocomposite comprised largely of egg‐derived polymers and cellulose nanomaterials as a conformal coating onto fresh produce that slows down food decay by retarding ripening, dehydration, and microbial invasion is reported. The coating is edible, washable, and made from readily available inexpensive or waste materials, which makes it a promising economic alternative to commercially available fruit coatings and a solution to combat food wastage that is rampant in the world.