Modified atmosphere packaging alleviates chilling injury in cucumbers
Yi Wang Chien and Qi Ling
Postharvest Biology and Technology Vol: 10 Issue: 3 Pages: 195-200.
1997
บทคัดย่อ
Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) packaged in perforated or sealed 31.75
m
(1.25 mil) low density polyethylene (LDPE) bags were found to have less severe
chilling injury than nonwrapped fruit in storage at 5°C and
90-95% relative humidity. The onset of chilling injury was also delayed by the
LDPE packaging compared to the nonpackaged control. The concentrations of CO2
increased to 3% while O2 levels decreased to 16% in the sealed bags.
Fruit in the sealed bags had the least decay. The O2 and CO2
concentrations inside the perforated bags changed very little from the ambient
atmosphere. However, there was a marked difference in the weight loss between
nonwrapped cucumbers and fruit from perforated or sealed bags. The weight loss
of nonwrapped fruit reached 9% in 18 days while perforated and sealed samples
lost less than 1% during the same period. Chilling stress induced increases in
putrescine levels in all treatments but the sealed fruit had the highest levels
of putrescine. Sealed fruit and perforated fruit also had higher content of
spermidine than non-wrapped fruit. These high levels of polyamines may have
contributed to the increase of chilling tolerance in fruit from perforated and
sealed packages.