Synthesis and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Biobased Waxes as Coating Materials.

The objective of this study was to synthesize and evaluate the efficacy of antimicrobial waxes to be used as both physical and biological protection to perishable fruits and vegetables. The existing wax materials used in postharvest coating applications do not provide this antimicrobial functionality. One class of such waxes was obtained by covalently linking quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) featuring alkyl, benzyl, and stearyl ester hydrophobic side groups to the terminal position of a bromo stearyl ester.