Effect of postharvest storage of whole fruit on physico-chemical and microbial changes of fresh-cut cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L. reticulatus cv. Glamour)

Cantaloupes continue to ripen after harvesting which is caused by ethylene production due to climacteric behaviour during postharvest storage. In this study, the cantaloupe fruits harvested at commercial maturity were evaluated for quality attributes during three weeks of storage at 10°C and a relative humidity (RH) of 90±5%. In addition, fresh-cut samples were stored for a further 19 days at 2°C and 87% RH. The fresh-cut samples were prepared on a weekly basis by dipping into deionised water (control) at 2°C for 1 minute. The effect of postharvest storage of cantaloupe on the physico-chemical properties and microbial activity was observed prior to fresh-cut processing. It was found that firmness, luminosity (L*), and titratable acidity (TA) decreased, while total soluble solids (TSS), pH, TSS:TA ratio, microbial activity (total plate count (TPC) and yeast and mould (YM)) of the fresh-cut increased over the postharvest storage period of the fruit. Meanwhile, the orange colour and the intensity (hue angle, hab, and chromaticity) of the flesh did not differ significantly during storage. The cantaloupe stored for three weeks at a low temperature indicated a successful potential for fresh-cut processing due to good maintenance of the product quality

Effect of different packagings and storage temperatures on the quality of fresh-cut red chilli

Abstract The effect of three different types of packaging namely, 250 ml polypropylene (PP) semi-rigid container, airtight PVC (aPVC) and non-airtight PVC (nPVC) containers was evaluated for storage of minimally processed (MP) chilli. The samples were stored at 2 °C for 4 weeks and 25 °C for 3 days. There was significant (p < 0.05) changes in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) production, and slight changes in total titratable acidity (TTA) and ascorbic acid (AA) content during storage at 25 °C. At 2 °C, the changes of TTA and AA content, CO 2 and C 2 H 4 production rates of MP chilli were reduced significantly (p <0.05). The percentage of weight loss of MP chilli packed in nPVC was significantly (p < 0.05) increased during storage at 2 °C and at 25 °C. It caused faster dehydration. This occurrence can be prevented by using PP and aPVC packages. MP chilli in aPVC softened and became soggy quickly which might be due to condensation of water vapour from respiration and low O 2 content in packages resulted in alcoholic fermentation. Microbiological analysis of MP chilli indicated a reduction in coliform contamination and increment in yeast and mould for all samples during storage at 2 °C. The storage life of MP chilli packed in PP can be maintained up to 4 weeks at 2 °C. However, at 25 °C the product can be stored for only 2 days. Therefore, PP container can be used for commercial packing of MP chillies at 2 °C compared to aPVC and nPVC