Derim (Jun 2018)
Impact of modified atmosphere packaging on fruit quality and postharvest life of ‘0900 Ziraat’ cherries
Abstract
The sweet cherry is highly perishable with a restricted storage and shelf-life and in some cases unable to reach the final consumer at optimal eating quality after being transported to the market. For this reason, in this research, the effects of different modified atmosphere packaging materials on postharvest life and fruit quality of ‘0900 Ziraat’ cherries (Prunus avium L.) were investigated to extend storage and marketing period. For this purpose, cherries were stored for 50 days at 0°C temperature with 90-95% relative humidity in three different types of packaging materials. The first group of cherries was packed in micro-perforated Xtend bags (MAP-1). The second group of cherries was packed in ordinary non-perforated polyethylene bags (MAP-2) and the third group of cherries was packed in ordinary perforated polyethylene bags (MAP-3-Control). Fruit samples were taken from different storage rooms at intervals of 10 days and physical and chemical changes were determined in the fruits. Experiment results showed that the lowest weight losses were obtained on the cherries stored in MAP-1. The cherries stored in MAP-2 had higher soluble solids content. Titratable acidity increased during the first 10 days of storage and then decreased. The fruit stored in MAP-1 had the highest flesh firmness, titratable acidity, L*, C* and taste values. The most effective MAP treatment for controlling pitting and stem browning was MAP-1. It can be concluded that ‘0900 Ziraat’ cherry fruits were successfully stored at 0°C temperature and 90-95% RH up to 50 days in MAP-1.
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