Influence of Types of Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) Films on Cold-Storage Life and Fruit Quality of 'Kinnow' Mandarin (Citrus nobilis Lour X C. deliciosa Tenora)

An investigation was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different MAP films viz., low-density polyethylene (LDPE)-film (25 mu), LDPE-film (38 mu), polypropylene (PP)-film (25 mu), PP-film (38 mu), LDPE-film (25 mu) with pinholes, LDPE-film (38 mu) with pinholes, PP-film (25 mu) with pinholes, and PP-film (38 mu) with pinholes on cold-storage life and fruit quality of 'Kinnow' (Citrus nobilisLour xC. deliciosaTenora) mandarin. The packed and control fruits were kept under cold-storage conditions (5-7 degrees C and 90-95 % RH) up to 75 days. The fruits were sampled following 0, 30, 45, 60, and 75 days cold storage and assessed for different quality parameters. The results indicate variability among the different MAP treatments for weight loss, spoilage loss, juice content, firmness, pectin content, activities of fruit softening enzymes, soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid content, total phenol content, total antioxidant activity, total carotenoids content, and organoleptic sensory attributes. Among all MAP treatments, PP-film (25 mu) with pinholes was the most effective in maintaining various fruit quality parameters such as SSC, TA, ascorbic acid, sensory attributes, and retarding the activities of fruit softening enzymes such as pectin methylesterase (PME) and cellulase fruit up to 60 days in cold storage. Positive correlation was found among ascorbic acid content, total antioxidant activity, and total phenols and between PME and cellulase activity.