In particular, the combination of non-thermal preservation
methods with natural antimicrobials may represent a model
approach for fresh produce and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables. In
fact, the combination of treatments may result in increased overall
lethal effects, and, at the same time, may require a reduced severity
or exposure time of the single non-thermal treatments to reach the
desired level of microbial inactivation (Raso and Barbosa-Canovas,
2003; Rawson et al., 2011).
Recently, it was shown how the use of nanoencapsulated
essential oils (EOs) as natural antimicrobial agents for food
preservation is of difficult application in solid foods, such as fruit
and vegetables, when direct infusion of nanoencapsulated EOs is
not possible (Donsì et al., 2014).
In these cases, EOs can be applied onto product surface through
their incorporation in edible coatings, which can act as barriers to
moisture and oxygen during processing, handling and storage,
further retarding food deterioration (Valencia-Chamorro et al.,
2011). Moreover, when the biopolymer used in coating formulation