Silk can be a potential solution for reducing food waste, particularly of fresh products, according to researchers at tufts University.

The researchers developed a coating containing silk fibroin, which slows the respiration of fruit – permeability for carbon dioxide, oxygen and water vapor.

If the strawberries a few times to dip into the solution, its shelf life will greatly improve.

The coating based on protein silk can offer producers a way to reduce waste throughout the supply chain. The coating can be applied on products that are sent by the farmers and used in production. If processing is delayed or if the order is too large amounts of perishable ingredients, manufacturers don't have to worry about what foods spoil before they can use them.

Furthermore, if perishable ingredients can have a longer shelf life due to the coating, this can mean longer shelf life for products that include these ingredients. This offers more time for sales of product and reduces food waste at the level of retailers.

The question is, would the use of this coating any impact on the taste of the product. Researchers are not allowed to eat fruits as part of the conditions of the experiment, but they claim that the new coating is edible and has no smell. One researcher suggested that the coating should not have taste, because silk has no taste.

Despite the fact that the new solution for coating can greatly save costs, producers should weigh the cost of perishable ingredients with the cost of any possible change in the taste when using the coating of the silk protein.

The problem of food waste has become a major industry. Innovation supply chain include the use of "ugly" products and reuse of wastewater for other products or packaging. Nestle and General Mills have recently spoken out in support of national standardization date on the packaging of food products.