Multifunctional edible coatings incorporating essential oils and probiotics: Interactions, formulation strategies, and future perspectives

This review critically examines recent advances in edible coatings for fruit preservation, with emphasis on strawberries, focusing on the incorporation of essential oils (EOs) and probiotic microorganisms. Rather than providing a descriptive overview, it proposes an evidence-based, decision-oriented framework that integrates mechanistic understanding, quantitative formulation parameters, coating architecture, and techno-economic considerations to support rational formulation design and industrial translation. Experimental evidence, bibliographic trends, and emerging technologies are critically synthesized to demonstrate how multifunctional coating systems can simultaneously enhance microbial control, extend shelf life, and deliver functional benefits. Particular attention is given to the biological interactions between EOs and probiotic cells, distinguishing experimentally validated mechanisms from emerging hypotheses and highlighting the central roles of membrane disruption, controlled release, and encapsulation in balancing antimicrobial efficacy with probiotic viability. Different formulation strategies, including direct incorporation, encapsulated systems, multilayer architectures, and stimuli-responsive coatings, are comparatively evaluated according to their technological performance, release behavior, scalability, and industrial applicability. The review also identifies key knowledge gaps, particularly regarding quantitative formulation benchmarks, standardized release kinetics, industrial validation, and regulatory harmonization. Finally, emerging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, digital twins, and high-throughput screening, are discussed as promising tools to accelerate formulation optimization and predictive coating design. Overall, this review provides a translational roadmap that supports the transition from empirical formulation toward mechanism-informed development of multifunctional edible coatings for sustainable postharvest preservation.