Journal of Food Processing & Technology

Controlled atmosphere storage of fruits and vegetables

International Conference and Exhibition on Food Processing & Technology

November 22-24, 2012 Hyderabad International Convention Centre, India

Selvakumari Padmanaban, N. Deepa Devi and V. Ponnuswami

Posters: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

Appropriate production practices, careful harvesting, and proper packaging, storage and transport all contribute to good produce quality. Controlled atmosphere (CA) storage involves altering and maintaining an atmospheric composition that is different from air composition (about 78% N2, 21% O2, and 0.03% CO2) generally, O2 below 8% and CO2 above 1% are used. Atmospheric modification should be considered as a supplement to maintenance of optimum ranges of temperature and RH for each commodity in preserving quality and safety of fresh fruits, ornamentals, vegetables and their products throughout postharvest handling. Benefits of CA include i) Retardation of senescence (including ripening) and associated biochemical and physiological changes ie., slowing down rates of respiration, ethylene production, softening and compositional changes ii) Reduction of sensitivity to ethylene action at O2 levels < 8% and/or CO2 levels > 1% iii) Alleviation of certain physiological disorders such as chilling injury of avocado and some storage disorders, including scald of apples iv) CA can have a direct or indirect effect on postharvest pathogens (bacteria and fungi) and consequently decay incidence and severity. For example, CO2 at 10 to 15% significantly inhibit development of botrytis rot on strawberries, cherries, and other perishables. Low O2 (< 1%) and/or elevated CO2 (40 to 60%) can be a useful tool for insect control in some fresh and dried fruits, flowers, and vegetables and dried nuts and grains. Detrimental Effects of CA includes i) Initiation and/or aggravation of certain physiological disorders such as internal browning in apples and pears, brown stain of lettuce, and chilling injury of some commodities. ii) Irregular ripening of fruits, such as banana, mango, pear, and tomato, can result from exposure to O2 levels below 2% and/or CO2 levels above 5% for > 1 mo iii)Development of off-flavors and off-odors at very low O2 concentrations (as a result of anaerobic respiration) and very high CO2 levels (as a result of fermentative metabolism). iv) Increased susceptibility to decay when the fruit is physiologically injured by too low O2 or too high CO2 concentrations.

Biography :

Sneha Chawla is a graduate in B.Sc. (App.Sc.) Food Technology and Gold Medalist in MBA (Agri & Food Business) from Amity University, Noida. She is currently working as Agri Business Faculty in Amity Institute of Organic Agriculture. Her area of interest is in Research in Field of Consumer Behavior for Food Products, Food Marketing and Rural Marketing etc. She is a certified professional for Food Safety and quality Management Systems (FSMS/QMS) from SAI Global and Six Sigma Green Belt from BSI. She has also undertaken academic projects with industries like Britannia Industries, Mother Dairy pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, Nirula?s Pvt. Ltd.