Introducing Packaging by Edible Coatings to Increase the Shelf Life of Fresh Fish Fillets

Edible coatings refer to a thin layer of edible materials used on a product. Because conventional storage and packaging technologies require investment, the research activities over the past decade have become focused on the development of novel packaging systems such as food coatings. Hence, the present article describes the antimicrobial and antioxidant coatings, their effectiveness against microorganisms and their effects on the chemical quality of the product. This study investigates the data from some articles published by Science Direct, Pub Med, Escopus Springer Link, and Scopus databases on the edible coatings in Iran and other countries. The search was performed on the 2010 to 2022 publications and the following keywords were used: food coatings, seafood, oxidation, sodium alginate, whey protein, chitosan, gelatin, carrageenan, natural antioxidants, active packaging,       eco-friendly packaging, environmental pollution reduction, increasing shelf life, antibacterial compounds, food preservation, boosting quality characteristics and fresh fillet with no preservatives. The longest fillet shelf life was obtained from coatings containing 0.5% sodium alginate enriched with 0.5% ginger on Abramis brama (30 days), 2% fungal chitosan and enriched with 2%pomegranate peel extract (30 days) followed by 2% animal chitosan enriched with 0.25 carvacrol on Nile tilapia (21 days) refrigerated. The 3% gelatin on rainbow trout (3 days) and the 8% whey protein concentrate on Huso huso (4 days in refrigerator) had the lowest shelf life. The results of the present study showed that the carbohydrate-based coatings, such as chitosan and sodium alginate, compared to protein coatings such as whey protein, have greater ability to maintain the quality and freshness of fillets, and can reduce economic losses to a greater extent for the suppliers of fresh fillets. Also, compared to non-enriched coatings, the enriched ones are more capable of increasing the quality characteristics and shelf life of fresh fish fillets.