Determination of the optimum packaging, with the view to reduce moisture loss on Charisma apricots

2011

• Charisma apricots harvested at different maturities were packed in Polyethylene (PE) plum wrappers and PE bags with 54 x 2, 54 x 6, 108 x 6 and 162 x 6 mm perforations.
• Fruit were examined for moisture loss, external and internal quality, as well as taste after 32 days in cold storage at -0.5°C and after a shelf life of 5 days at 10°C.
• Flesh firmness was affected negatively by PE wrappers and perforated outer
• Decay tended to be higher in PE wrappers and
• Taste was of fruit packed in PE wrappers and bags was inferior, compared to the control (no bag or wrapper).
• Internal disorders were low after cold storage but were higher in wrappers and bags after shelf
• Mass loss and wilting were reduced significantly by wrappers and perforated 2012
• Due to the negative effects of PE bags and wrappers on flesh firmness, decay and taste, paper wrappers were tested in 2012 in an effort to reduce moisture loss without the negative effects on quality found with perforated PE bags.
• The paper wrappers did not affect flesh firmness significantly. After shelf life, Harvest 2 (H2) Charisma apricots packed in perforated plum wrappers were significantly softer than control apricots.
• Decay, shrivel, wilting, gel breakdown and overripeness was not affected significantly by the wrappers tested.
• Mass loss was not affected in Harvest 1 (H1) fruit, but in H2 fruit, mass loss was reduced significantly by all the wrapper treatments, compared to the controls. Mass loss in the PE and paper wrapper treatments was similar.
• Reduction in diameter (shrinkage) was reduced in H1 fruit by the plum wrapper. Shrikage was similar in the paper wrappers and the control fruit.
• Albeit non-significant, taste was affected negatively by the PE plum wrapper, compared to the controls and the paper wrappers. Taste in the paper wrappers was similar or better than the controls.

2013

• In the semi-commercial trial with Imperial apricots, earlier results with paper wrappers were Flesh firmness was not affected by the wrappers and mass loss was reduced significantly. The paper wrappers did not affect internal quality and no decay occurred.