ISHS Acta Horticulturae 464: International Postharvest Science Conference Postharvest 96
MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING ENABLES PROLONGED STORAGE OF 'FUERTE' AVOCADO FRUIT |
| Authors: | S. Meir, D. Naiman, J.Y. Hyman, M. Akerman, G. Zauberman, Y. Fuchs |
| Abstract:
The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the keeping quality of ‘Fuerte’ avocado fruit during prolonged storage was studied. Experiments were performed at 5°C, using 40 x 70 cm polyethylene (PE) bags of 30 μm thickness. Elevated (5–7%) concentrations of CO2, combined with reduced (3–5%) oxygen concentrations within the bags, probably made possible the prolonged fruit storage at 5°C for 8 weeks, without appearance of any significant chilling injury (CI). In addition, the MAP storage significantly reduced fruit weight loss. Thus, at the end of a 6.5-week storage period at 5°C and an additional shelf-life period at 20°C until ripening, fruit sealed in MAP lost only 5% of their initial weight, whereas unpacked fruit lost about 11%. Ethylene accumulated within the sealed bags to a concentration around 0.2 μl/l, which did not affect fruit ripening. Results of this study suggest that MAP can be a reliable method for commercial storage of ‘Fuerte’ avocado fruit when a storage period of up to 8 weeks is desired. | |
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