A novel bioactive gossypetin incorporating silk fibroin nano-edible coatings for shelf-life enhancement of horticultural crops

A fascinating and rapidly growing subject of study involves increasing perishable fruit and vegetables longevity using feasible, biopreservative methods. The current work aims to generate an edible, active nano edible dip coating based on gossypetin (G), honey (hon), and silk fibroin nanoparticles (SNPs) to boost longevity of fruits and vegetables. The synthesized edible nano coatings were characterized via UV, FTIR, XRD, TGA, TEM, Zeta potential, and XPS were used to analyze the G-Hon-SNPs edible nanocomposite. The developed edible nano coatings have showed excellent hemocompatibility, non-toxicity, cytocompatibility and exhibited antimicrobial properties against E. coli, B. subtilis, and A. flavus , underscoring their ability to improve food quality. Moreover, the effective use of G-Hon-SNPs edible dip coating was investigated to boost the long-term durability of fruit and vegetables and prevent microbial infection. The strongest antimicrobial activity was demonstrated by G-Hon-SNPs at up to 500 μg/mL against B. subtilis, E. coli, and A. flavus . G-Hon-SNPs edible nano coatings significantly reduced the weight loss of tomatoes, ivy gourds, egg plants, and green bananas by 14.45%, 27.94%, 18.70%, and 21.74% on 27, 22, 16, and 18 days of storage. The outcome of the present study has suggested that the nanocomposite has the potential to be a safe, effective, efficient and eco-friendly preservative. The production of conventional, edible nano dips coatings as a new candidate to improve the lifespan of horticultural products.