Eco-friendly packaging system for ready-to-eat tomatoes

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a fruit vegetable consumed worldwide in various forms, both fresh and processed. Increased consumer awareness of nutritious food choices has increased the consumption of tomatoes due to their beneficial effects on human health. Being a climateric fruit, tomato has a relatively short postharvest life, as many biological and physical processes take place. Packaging and refrigeration are valuable in extending shelf life and maintaining freshness. Moreover, to limit the accumulation of plastics in the environment, the development of innovative biodegradable materials, similar to synthetic plastics for food packaging, is essential. In this study the performance of a sustainable and biodegradable film and a conventional packaging system was evaluated by monitoring the quality parameters of ready-to-eat ‘Angelle’ mini plum tomatoes. Fruits were sanitized, blotted with paper and then divided into two groups: the first group was packaged in polylactic acid (PLA) trays and the second in non-perforated coextruded polypropylene bags (oxygen permeability of 2150 mL m-2). After closing the trays and sealing the bags, samples were stored under refrigerated conditions (10±1°C). Quality parameters were monitored at 0 (packaging day), 7, and 14 days of storage. In particular, weight loss, headspace gas composition, tomato colour index, texture, total polyphenols, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, antioxidant activity, total carotenoids and ascorbic acid content were included. A similar performance in terms of shelf life was observed for both packaging materials. In fact, no significant differences were registered between conventional and sustainable packaging for most of the abovementioned variables, except for total phenols, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, headspace gas composition and weight loss.