Quality Preservation of Fruits and Vegetables by Simple Spotted Cooling System and/or by Packaging Using New Plastic Films

Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly
ISSN 00213551
NII recode ID (NCID) AA0068709X
Full text
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A simple spotted cooling unit (SCU) and micro-perforated plastic films with a high gas permeability were developed in order to improve the distribution system of fruits and vegetables practically. SCU with a bellows structure was designed to maintain the air temperature at about 15°C. When spinach which had been pre-cooled and transported at near 15°C to a collection and delivery center in summer, was stored within SCU, less than 10% of the L-ascorbic acid content decreased for about 10 h. On the other hand, nearly 50% of the L-ascorbic acid content decreased when spinach was left in open-air without any remarkable changes in appearance. Micro-perforated (MP) films were produced by processing the surface of the films by passing through press-perforating rollers with a good reproducibility. The use of MP films, which were laminated with oriented polypropylene and polyethylene and showed a gas permeability of O2 19,000 and CO2 28,000 mL/(m2•24 h•101.325 kPa) at 15°C, respectively, and thickness of about 40 μm, enabled to obtain practical and effective hermetic packaging for the preservation of broccoli for 14 days at 15°C without appreciable changes in appearance. Utilization of SCU and MP film packaging or the combination of the two was found to be suitable for freshness preservation in the distribution of fruits and vegetables.

Date of issued
Creator Yoshihiko NAWA Hiroshi HORITA Kazunori SATO Takasuke ISHITANI
Subject

cold chain

modified atmosphere packaging

micro-perforated film with high gas permeability

Publisher Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Available Online
NII resource type vocabulary Journal Article
Volume 35
Issue 2
spage 105
epage 115
DOI 10.6090/jarq.35.105
Rights Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences
Language eng

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