Facultad de Ciencias Químicas
Q.F.B. Olga Berenice Álvarez Pérez
Abstract: The Tomato, despite being one of the most consumed fruit in the world and of great importance in Mexico, has large postharvest losses. According to the FAO, annual agricultural production worldwide in fresh tomatoes is more than 115 million tons, that is why is considered one of the most important crops in the world. Around 50,000 farmers are engaged in the production of this vegetable. The states with the highest contribution are Sinaloa, Sonora, Oaxaca and Jalisco and together 71.05% .of the total national production. At present, these are sold to distant points of their origin places, which has brought the need to extend its shelf life during the post-harvest stage, where losses range between 25 and 50%. Plus now, consumers demand high quality products containing only natural ingredients. Over the years several techniques have been used to preserve, being edible coatings composite, the method of greater results. New packaging materials have been developed and characterized by scientists from natural sources; but despite that this information is available for the preparation of food covered, it is not universal for all products, which poses a challenge for the development of specific coatings and films for each food.
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