Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
by wax coating
T
he magnitude of post harvest losses in fresh fruits and vegetables
is estimated to be 25 – 80 % depending upon the commodity and
the technological level of post harvest operations. This reflects the
lack of knowledge by post harvest handlers of the biological and environmental
factors involved in the deterioration or the absence of adequate post harvest
technologies required preserving fresh quality.
In recent years, much attention has been paid to explore the potential of
surface coating to maintain the quality of harvested fresh produce and to reduce the
volume of disposable non-biodegradable packaging materials. Many fruits develop a
waxy coat on their epidermis as they mature on the plant (apples, bananas,
mangoes, and grapes) they develop a waxy coating on the epidermis, which is either
felt or seen as a powdery bloom. Wax usually
develops when the fruit has attained 2 / 3 of its
growth. But much extraneous matter and spray
residues.
Post harvest losses can be reduced to some extent by, selection of varieties,
careful handling, cleaning and sorting, control of ripening process, control of
spoilage, packaging, use edible films, use of fungicide, use of ethylene absorbent,
use of sprout inhibitors, use of growth regulators, irradiation, packaging home
operations, dumping, washing and waxing.
Waxing
Waxing of fruits and vegetables is done according to the recommendations.
Food grade waxes are used to replace some of the natural; waxes removed in
washing and cleaning operations, and this helps to reduce the water loss during
handling and marketing. If produce is waxed, the wax coating is allowed to dry
thoroughly before further handling. Waxing of the produce is an old age art, which
th
was started in the beginning of the 19 century. Waxing was used as a preservation
technique for fruits since 1900. Wax has been used since pre historic times. In 4200
BC, the ancient Egyptians kept bees and used the wax from honeycombs to make
models and to preserve their dead and in encaustic painting. The Romans used in
th
pottery making textile printing, as early as 12 century, the Chinese were using
waxing processes on fruits, but it was not until 1922
that a waxing process was introduces for wide spread
use on fruits and vegetables.
Wax
Wax is an ester a long chain aliphatic acid
chain aliphatic alcohol. Waxes are the esters formed
from a fatty acid and a high molecular weight alcohol.
Principle involved during storage:
The produce continues respiring and uses up
all the O2 with in the fruit which is not being replaced
as quickly as before waxing because of the coating
and produces CO2, which accumulates within the fruit because it cannot escape as
easily through the coating. Eventually the fruit will switch to anaerobic respiration that
does not require O2. An aerobic respiration produces much more CO2, acetaldehyde
and ethanol. The acetaldehyde and ethanol give off – flavour to the product, which
are detrimental to the perceived quality. The natural barrier of the fruit and vegetable,
the type of wax and amount if was applied will influence the extent to which the
internal atmosphere (O2 and CO2) are modified and the level of reduction in weight
loss.
All fruits and vegetable are living organisms and as such require intake of O2
and release CO2 for respiration (aerobic). They also release vapour top the
atmosphere through
diffusion. Both these
processes create a
loss in weight of the
produce. All fruit and
vegetables are
covered naturally in a
cuticle, which is barrier
to gas exchange. The
cuticle is very
impermeable to O2,
slightly more permeable to CO2 and several magnitudes more permeable to water
vapour. Unwaxed fruit or vegetables have pores in their surface through which most
the diffusion of O2 and CO2 offers. Water vapour can move through the pores, cuticle
and micro–cracks in the cuticle. During the process of waxing a tightly adhering thin
film of the coating substance is applied to the surface f the fruit. The surface coating
is often relatively impermeable to O2 and CO2 and water.
Protective coating on fresh produce:
Human became more health conscious. This gave new awareness of fresh
fruits and vegetables, and resulted in rapidly increasing demand. Consumption of
fresh produce, to help the consumers to obtain possible product, Fruits and
vegetables are living organisms, which contain 80 - 90 % water by weight. If they are
left without cuticle, the water quickly begins to evaporate, resulting in poor product
shelf life to increase freshness and appearance. The fruit and vegetable growers
should concern about consumer safety. There are few active ingredients which when
combined with water, wetting and drying agents and form the compounds used a
protective coating. The coating may contain one or more of the following. Carnauba
wax, shellac wax, paraffin wax, candelilla wax, bees wax.
Different types of waxes
ANIMAL WAXES:
1. Bees wax.
2. Spermaceti wax
3. Shellac wax
4. Chinese insect wax
VEGETABLE WAX
1. Carnauba wax
2. Candelilla wax
3. Sugarcane wax
4. Palm wax
5. Esparto wax
6. Japan wax
7. Oricury wax
8. Waxol 0.12, is the vegetable wax manufactured by Central Food
Technological research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore.
Vegetables:
Cucumber Tomato Sweet potato Melon
Methods of Waxing:
Four principle methods of waxing of fruits and vegetables are there,
1. Liquid Paraffin wax method:
In this method fruits and vegetables are dipped in hot paraffin. Some times
resins are added. The main disadvantage of this method is too much of coating
material is used.
2. Slab wax method:
In this case the wax is pressed against rapidly revolving brushes. But the
efficiency is very less.
3. Spray method:
Spraying of melted wax on the fruit, which is subsequently brushed
mechanically until a film of desired thickness is obtained. The wax is dissolved in a
suitable solvent. This depends on,
• The pressure employed
• Volume of wax used
• Wax temperature
• Distance of fruit from the spray
• Number of spray nozzles.
4. Dipping or cold wax method:
Fruits and vegetables are washed and then without being dried are dipped
into a wax emulsion of proper concentration. They are dried before packing. Purified
wax is odour less, tasteless and nontoxic and it can be heat- sealed.
PROPERTIES OF WAX
• Kneadable at 20° C.
• Easily emulsifiable.
• Should not impart undesirable odour.
• Should be economical.
• Efficient drying performance.
• Non-sticky or tacky.
• Should never interfere with the quality of fresh fruit / vegetable.
• Melts above 40° C without decomposition.
• Has relatively low viscosity.
• Capable of being polished by slight pressure.
• Translucent to opaque form but not like glass.
The properties of wax depend primarily on molecular structure rather than molecular
size and chemical constitution.
Purpose of waxing
• To reduce the weight loss.
• To replace the natural wax.
• To increase the appearance
• To increase the freshness
• To decrease the rate of transpiration
• To reduce the shrinkage losses.
• To inhibit mold growth.
• To prevent other physical damage and disease.
The effect of the wax emulsions Fruitex, Britex-561 and SB65 on oranges,
Kinnow, lemons and grape fruits was studied during refrigerated and non-refrigerated
storage (Farooqi et al 1988). Wax Coating of fruit improved its external appearance
by giving additional shine to the fruit surface. It reduced weight loss and kept the fruit
firmer, thus marinating its fresh look, while it reduced rates of respiration and
ethylene production, thus delaying senescence. No significant change in constituents
like Vitamin C, acidity, and sugar contents (In citrus fruit especially) were recorded
due to treatment. However higher concentration of wax resulted in the development
of off flavor in citrus fruits particularly during holding at 20° C, making this treatment
unsuitable for this fruit. It was, however found necessary to tailor the thickness of the
wax coat according to storage temperature to avoid development of off flavor.
If
consumers want
to avoid waxed
fruits and
vegetables, FDA
regulations that
took effect in
1994 may help
them identify the
appropriate
products for
them. These regulations require produce packers or grocers to provide point-of-sale
information about the presence of waxes on fresh fruits and vegetables. This
information can appear on labels of individual products, packing cartons (if they are
used at the point of sale), or on counter cards or signs. The information will say that
the product is:
FDA also will allow the statement "No wax or resin coating" on fresh fruits and
vegetables that do not contain wax.
Besides reading labeling information, consumers can reduce their concerns
about waxes by rinsing fruits and vegetables with warm water and, when appropriate,
scrubbing with a brush. This will eliminate much of the wax.
Scientists are hard at work developing new methods of coating food to help it
keep its freshness and visual appeal even longer--so a refrigerated slice of apple, for
instance, could retain its fresh-cut look for up to three weeks, instead of turning
brown in short order.
Chinnan has discovered coatings that can increase the shelf life of foods like
roasted peanuts by up to 60 percent and plant-based coatings that reduce the fat
absorption of fried chicken strips by up to a third (and the chicken remained moister,
to boot). Other coatings he's studied prevent the fats and acids in food being fried
(vinegar and lemon juice in a marinade, for instance) from migrating into the frying
oil, which keeps the frying oil fresher and allows it to be used longer.
In future, Chinnan's team hopes to engineer films that could transfer flavors to
foods, add vitamins, or even contain anti-microbial agents that could reduce the risk
of microbial contamination, and hence the risk of food poisoning. For something food
coatings accomplish a lot.
Conclusion
Many of the coating materials are high in cost and some of the coating
operations are also higher cost. This leads to increase the cost of operation of
coating. So, we have to reduce the cost of operation by finding out the alternative
coating martial and method instead of costly coating material and method.