ศูนย์นวัตกรรมเทคโนโลยีหลังการเก็บเกี่ยว

Modified atmosphere packaging of fresh fruit and vegetables - an overview.

Day, B. P. F.

ISHS Acta Horticulturae 553: 585-590.

2001

บทคัดย่อ

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) has become a widely used food preservation technique, which minimally affects fresh product characteristics, and hence fits in well with the recent consumer preference for fresh and additive-free foods. MAP is now being used increasingly for extending the shelf life, improving the product image and reducing the wastage of a wide range of whole and fresh prepared fruit and vegetables (i.e. produce). Current low oxygen (O2) MAP techniques are often sub-optimum in their application and suffer from many inherent disadvantages. Novel high O2 MAP is an innovative development that has been shown to be particularly effective at inhibiting enzymatic discoloration, preventing anaerobic fermentation reactions and inhibiting both aerobic and anaerobic microbial growth. Recent experimental trials carried out under the auspices of a major EU FAIR CT96-1104 project have clearly demonstrated the beneficial effects of high O2 MAP in comparison with conventional low O2 MAP and air packaging in microperforated films. This paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art MAP of fresh produce as well as introducing some salient technical and commercial considerations. A major focus of this paper is on the rationale behind and potential applications for the use of high O2 MAP for fresh prepared produce. Brief details on the results obtained from the use of novel argon (Ar) and nitrous oxide (N2O) MAP are also mentioned.