Development of an innovative green coating to reduce egg losses

Coatings based on plant by-products can contribute to the enhancement of raw material by preparing value-added products. In addition, the extension of shelf-life of eggs contributes to the reduction of food losses and decreases the use of refrigeration, energy demand, production costs, and consequently avoid the increase in the price of the final product. The rice protein concentrate (RPC) and plus Brazilian green propolis (GP), were used in the manufacture of coatings used to extend the shelf-life of eggs during storage for 6 wk at 20 degrees C. In this regard, some quality parameters of eggs were analyzed in this research. The coatings based on RPC and GP delayed the loss of internal egg quality, since avoided moisture loss through the pores of the eggshell. The weight loss increased (P < 0.001) during storage and uncoated eggs had the worst weight loss (5.41%) after 6 wk of storage and coatings of RPC (4.25%) or GP (4.08%), and RPC thorn GP (4.14%) solutions effectively reduced the weight lost (P < 0.001). In addition, uncoated eggs had the worst value of HU (58.54), albumen pH (9.51), and yolk index (YI 0.33) after storage (P < 0.001). Correlations were observed between the quality parameters evaluated. The improvement of the quality attributes showed the potential of using coatings, such as the RPC and GP coatings analyzed in this research.