Development and application of multicomponent edible coatings and films: a review.

Combining the advantages of polysaccharides, proteins and/or lipids offers multicomponent edible films and coatings good mass transfer barrier properties. Multicomponent edible films and coatings could be beneficial to the food industry by leading to innovative applications. The barrier properties of these systems strongly depend upon their structure and chemistry, the interaction between different film components as well as surrounding environment conditions. Future researches on these multicomponent systems need to concentrate on the following goals: (1) investigation of the optimal film compositions and specific film-forming conditions for different food systems; (2) study of the film responses in their barrier properties to environmental factors such as RH and temperature; (3) fundamental research of the mechanism of mass transfer and the interaction of different films components and foods; (4) exploration of the feasibility of potential applications in the food industry.