Conventional and Omics-Based Approaches to Investigate Sustainable Edible Coatings for Postharvest Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables

Edible coatings (ECs) derived from natural biopolymers represent an effective preservation strategy for fruits and vegetables and a promising postharvest approach aligned with the increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices. These Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)-based coatings, which are mainly polysaccharide-, protein-, and lipid-based, can extend shelf-life with minimal impact on texture, flavor, and nutritional value, reducing reliance on synthetic packaging and helping mitigate food loss and waste. Beyond acting as a physical barrier, ECs can significantly influence fruit and vegetable metabolism by modulating biochemical and molecular processes. This review focuses on these effects by summarizing evidence from conventional analytical methods, including targeted metabolite analyses, as well as omics-based approaches, primarily transcriptomics and metabolomics, which remain poorly explored in the current EC research literature. Furthermore, integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses are examined, as they offer a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying quality attributes, stress responses, and preservation outcomes. Collectively, this work offers detailed insights into coating-induced changes in metabolite profiles and gene expression in coated fruits and vegetables, including formulations derived from agri-food by-products and coatings enriched with bioactive compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties. Overall, by addressing a current gap in the literature, it provides an integrative and innovative framework for interpreting coating performance at both applied and molecular levels, with potential relevance for the agri-food industry and for future research aimed at developing more sustainable, effective, and commodity-tailored postharvest technologies.