Sodium alginate-based edible coatings enriched with bioactive additives: an innovative strategy for preserving quality and extending postharvest life of fruits.

Preserving fresh fruits after harvest remains a major challenge due to ongoing physiological and biochemical changes during storage that lead to quality deterioration, spoilage, and economic losses. Biopolymer-based edible coatings have emerged as sustainable alternatives to conventional synthetic postharvest chemicals. Among these, sodium alginate (SA), a natural polysaccharide derived from brown algae, has gained considerable attention owing to its excellent film-forming ability, non-toxic nature, and biodegradability. This review critically synthesizes recent advances in SA-based composite coatings enriched with bioactive additives for postharvest fruit preservation. SA-based coatings have been shown to regulate respiration rate, ethylene production, firmness, weight loss, and antioxidant defense systems by forming a semipermeable barrier that modulates gas exchange and moisture transfer. The incorporation of functional additives such as natural oils and antimicrobial agents further enhances coating performance by suppressing enzymatic browning and microbial decay. By consolidating fruit-specific evidence and highlighting synergistic interactions between alginate matrices and bioactive components, this review underscores the potential of SA-based composite coatings as an effective and sustainable strategy for extending the postharvest life of fruits.

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