Tag: Edible films

Did you know that many fruits, including apples and cucumbers, produce their own natural, waxy coating, but this protective layer is washed away during processing? To replace this lost barrier and extend freshness, producers apply a new layer of edible coating, commonly a food-grade wax, to the fruit before it reaches the supermarket shelf.

Pullulan is a fascinating, naturally derived polysaccharide produced through the fermentation of starch by a yeast-like fungus, *Aureobasidium pullulans*. This versatile biopolymer is gaining significant traction across numerous industries for its unique properties, answering the question: What are the benefits of pullulan?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), roughly one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted, amounting to around 1.3 billion tons per year. Edible coatings are an innovative and eco-friendly solution that helps to significantly reduce these post-harvest losses and improve overall food quality.

First developed commercially in Japan as a safe alternative to animal-derived gelatin, pullulan is a natural, water-soluble polysaccharide obtained from the fermentation of starch by a unique yeast-like fungus. This fascinating biopolymer is now used in a wide range of applications, from pharmaceuticals to food products.

According to scientific literature, protein-based biopolymers, including collagen, are widely studied as viable alternatives to synthetic packaging materials due to growing environmental concerns. This natural protein is, in fact, used as an edible coating to help preserve food products, especially within the meat industry.