Solutions and methods for forming an exogenous flexible film, which includes a supplemental component, on a plant and plants including the exogenous flexible film. The solutions include a solvent, a film forming matrix component, a hydrophobic barrier component, a plasticizing component, a film enhancing component, and a supplemental component. The supplemental component includes a pesticide component that includes at least one pesticide active ingredient. The methods include spraying the solution on a plant and evaporating at least a fraction of the solvent from the solution to form the exogenous flexible film. The plants include exogenous flexible films formed from the solutions and/or formed via the methods.

Described herein are systems and methods for determining dryness of produce using image data. A method can include receiving, by a computing system and from an imaging device, image data of a batch of produce, performing, by the computing system, object detection to identify each produce in a frame of the image data, extracting, by the computing system, temperature values in pixels of the identified produce in the frame, and determining, by the computing system, distribution characteristics of the extracted temperature values. The method can also include predicting, by the computing system, a dryness metric for the batch of produce based on applying a trained model to the determined distribution characteristics. The model can be trained using temperature distributions of other produce, the temperature distributions being annotated based on previous mappings of skewness of the temperature distributions to dryness.

The disclosure includes novel food coatings and methods of preserving foods and of protecting against damage and/or spoilage to improve appearance, shelf life, and marketability of the foods. The food coatings involve a chitosan solution including chitosan, an organic acid, and a sulfite salt. The food coatings are edible and may create a film on food that protects the food from discoloration, mold growth, and spoilage. The chitosan solution may be applied by spraying, immersion, wiping, fogging, etc. The chitosan solution is show to extend shelf-life of at least catfish, beef steak, hamburger, fruit, vegetables, and berries.

The present invention relates to a method for forming a protective coating on a plant tissue following the consecutives steps of: (a) providing a plant having an external surface, wherein a portion of the external surface includes an exposed surface; (b) applying a first aqueous solution that contains a crosslinking agent to the external surface of the plant; and (c) applying to the external surface of the plant a second aqueous solution that contains a polysaccharide which is susceptible to crosslinking by the crosslinking agent, thereby forming a protective coating on the exposed surface of the plant. Further provided is a postharvest plant matter that includes a first segment covered by natural skin, and a second segment having an exposed surface that is coated by a protective coating that contains a polysaccharide with the first segment being essentially free of the protective coating.

The present invention relates to a method for forming a protective coating on a plant tissue following the consecutives steps of: (a) providing a plant having an external surface, wherein a portion of the external surface includes an exposed surface; (b) applying a first aqueous solution that contains a crosslinking agent to the external surface of the plant; and (c) applying to the external surface of the plant a second aqueous solution that contains a polysaccharide which is susceptible to crosslinking by the crosslinking agent, thereby forming a protective coating on the exposed surface of the plant. Further provided is a postharvest plant matter that includes a first segment covered by natural skin, and a second segment having an exposed surface that is coated by a protective coating that contains a polysaccharide with the first segment being essentially free of the protective coating.

Methods and systems for selectively applying a treatment to a plant item is provided. The method may include conveying, in an industrial processing line, at least one plant item in the batch of plant items to a sensing region having one or more sensors, assessing, with the one or more sensors and a computing device, one or more properties of the at least one plant item associated with ripeness and/or another attribute, conveying the at least one plant item to a treatment region, determining a treatment to apply to the at least one plant item based on the assessed one or more properties; and applying, in the treatment region, the treatment to the at least one plant item.

Methods and systems for selectively applying a treatment to a plant item is provided. The method may include conveying, in an industrial processing line, at least one plant item in the batch of plant items to a sensing region having one or more sensors, assessing, with the one or more sensors and a computing device, one or more properties of the at least one plant item associated with ripeness and/or another attribute, conveying the at least one plant item to a treatment region, determining a treatment to apply to the at least one plant item based on the assessed one or more properties; and applying, in the treatment region, the treatment to the at least one plant item.

A composition for reducing the weight loss and/or preserving the natural gloss of post-harvest edible plant matter, and methods for applying the compositions to the surface of the plant matter. The compositions include an edible wax having a melting temperature below 70° C.; a hydrocolloid; a fatty acid; an emulsifier; and water, wherein the edible wax is present in a weight percent ranging from about 10% to about 25% of the total weight of the composition.

A composition for reducing the weight loss and/or preserving the natural gloss of post-harvest edible plant matter, and methods for applying the compositions to the surface of the plant matter. The compositions include an edible wax having a melting temperature below 70° C.; a hydrocolloid; a fatty acid; an emulsifier; and water, wherein the edible wax is present in a weight percent ranging from about 10% to about 25% of the total weight of the composition.

Starch-based edible coating compositions for preserving food products are disclosed. The starch-based coatings comprise both a polymerized starch, comprising intertwined amylopectin chains and/or amylose chains, and native (unmodified) and/or modified starch granules dispersed in a liquid carrier. When the starch granules are heated to a temperature to induce swelling, the swollen starch granules become embedded in the intertwined amylopectin and/or amylose chains, improving physical properties of the coating needed to extend shelf-life of food products. Also disclosed are coatings made from the coating compositions, methods of making the coatings, and methods of applying the coatings to food products.