Water-annealing treatment for edible silk fibroin coatings from fibrous waste

Silk fibroin (SF) is an engineered biopolymer with properties that are desirable for the development of food preservation materials, such as edible coatings or packaging. In this study, SF from fibrous waste was assessed for the first time as an edible coating for strawberries. Relationships were established between the structural properties of SF thin films obtained from silk waste, both untreated (SFW) and water annealed (WA-SFW) and their morphology and performance as edible strawberry coatings. According to the results obtained, the water-annealing treatment led to a structural modification in SF films. The strawberries coated with WA-SFW exhibited better performance during storage by reducing weight loss and preserving its visual appearance. The analysis of metal contaminants showed that SFs obtained from fibrous waste are relatively nontoxic. Therefore, using this raw material for the development of edible coatings in perishable fruits is considered promising.