Storability of 'Algerie' and 'Golden Nugget' loquats in modified atmosphere packaging

Loquats have a short postharvest life if not properly handled. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) reduces weight loss and shriveling in loquats and can significantly prolong the shelf-life. Objective of this experiment was to assess the impact of a MAP generated by an easy-to-open polylactic acid (a biodegradable polymer) tray on fruit of ‘Golden Nugget’ and ‘ Algerie’ loquats. Fruit were packaged and stored for 5, 10 or 15 days at 5 or 10°C plus 7 days at 20°C and 60-65% RH to simulate marketing conditions (SMC). The rate of degradation of titratable acidity was mainly affected by storage temperature, while the increase in pH was higher in packaged fruit than in un-packaged one and at 10 than at 5°C. Although trays’ lids were not hermetically sealed, the overall gas transmission rate was drastically reduced, generating an average in-package CO2 partial pressure of 3.3 and 4.83 kPa in fruit stored at 5 and 10°C, respectively, which increased to about 15 kPa when fruit were transferred to 20°C; accordingly in-package O2 dropped from 16.3-17.7 kPa of cold storage to about 6 kPa in SMC. Nevertheless, weight losses, browning and overall visual quality in packaged fruit underwent negligible changes during storage, especially at 5°C, while the rate of deterioration dramatically increased in SMC in unpackaged fruit. Although packaged fruit were rated lower for sweetness and sourness than un-packaged ones, the overall preference was scored better than un-packaged one. For relatively short storage time, the use of easy-to-open punnets, despite the low permeability to gases, is a good alternative to modified atmosphere packaging achieved with film wrapping that can easily be managed directly on the farm soon after harvest.