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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #314789
Title: Effect of modified atmosphere packaging (map) on the quality of sea buckthorn berry fruits during postharvest storage

Author
item LI, JINYAN - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item SONG, WEI - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item BARTH, M - Responsible Source
item Zhuang, Hong
item ZHANG, LANWEI - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item WANG, LI - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item LU, WEIHONG - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item WANG, ZHENYU - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item HAN, XUE - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)
item LI, QI - Harbin Institute Of Technology (HIT)

Submitted to: Journal of Food Quality
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/7/2014
Publication Date: 11/26/2014
Citation: Li, J., Song, W., Barth, M.M., Zhuang, H., Zhang, L., Wang, L., Lu, W., Wang, Z., Han, X., Li, Q. 2014. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging (map) on the quality of sea buckthorn berry fruits during postharvest storage. Journal of Food Quality. 38(1):13-20.

Interpretive Summary: Sea buckthorn is a thorny fixing deciduous shrub, which is native to Asia and Europe. The berries contain many bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, phenolic compounds, tocopherols, carotenoids and phytosterols and have often been used to produce juice, jam, dairy product flavoring, candy, dried fruit, pulp oil, and food additives. However, the SBT berry fruits are considered highly perishable due to weight loss, color change, and softening from the time of harvesting to market. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is an effective tool used to reduce postharvest quality losses in highly perishable fruit. Presently, there are no known reports of the use of MAP for the quality preservation of SBT fruits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of semi-permeable films (160 and 525 oxygen transmission rate [OTR]) on the headspace composition and the quality of the fruits. Our results show that film of 160 OTR effectively maintained the initial quality parameters and antioxidant activity of berries compared with the non-packaged fruit control. The film with 160 ORT can be used to package fresh sea buckthorn fruit and extend its quality during post-harvest handling.

Technical Abstract: The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the quality of the berry fruits of sea buckthorn (SBT) during refrigerated storage was investigated. SBT berries were packaged in 160 and 525 oxygen transmission rate (OTR) films or in vented clamshell containers (air control) and stored at 10C for 10 days. Changes in the quality of the berries were determined by the evaluation of their headspace composition, moisture content, dry weight, pH level, color, total soluble solids, texture, and antioxidant activity. The results indicated that the 160 OTR film presented good competency to maintain a proper atmosphere for storage. Both the 160 and 525 OTR films showed better capability for retaining the firm and springy texture of the berries, as well as their weight. The total soluble solids of 160 OTR packed fruits remained a stable value. The pH of SBT berries packed in different films and control samples increased in general during storage compared with the initial pH of fruits. The antioxidant activity of the berries was higher in MAP samples, especially those in the 160 OTR packages.