Development of an Antimicrobial Edible Coating to Improve Microbial Safety of Wild Vegetables

The edible coating system, consisting of gelatin and bacteriophages, has been developed to enhance the microbial safety of wild vegetables. Newly isolated Escherichia coli phage EP and Staphylococcus aureus phage SP were loaded into the gelatin coating solutions. The phages remained significantly stable for up to 3 days, respectively, and exhibited rapid antibacterial capacity within 2 h of coating application (p < 0.05). The developed coating was applied to bracken and exhibited antibacterial efficacy against E. coli and S. aureus within 6 h (1.9-log CFU/mL and 1.5-log CFU/ mL). Furthermore, the coated bracken significantly prevented weight loss and maintained firmness for 10 days (p < 0.05). Consequently, gelatin-based edible coatings containing phages have the potential as an antibacterial packaging strategy.