Articles
PERFORATION-MEDIATED MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING: INFLUENCE OF PACKAGE GEOMETRY AND PERFORATION LOCATION ON OXYGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE TRANSFER
Article number
600_47
Pages
333 – 336
Language
English
Abstract
The importance of maintaining high quality of
intact and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables during the distribution chain has
led to the use of modified atmosphere packages (MAP), and alternative materials
and packaging systems are being investigated for this purpose.
Perforation-mediated
MAP relies on the use of perforations (tubes) of different dimensions to
control package O2 and CO2 exchange in order to create
the desired atmosphere for preservation of intact and fresh-cut fruits and
vegetables.
This is a promising technique for bulk packages that require rigid
containers.
The design of a perforation-mediated MAP for preservation of fresh
fruits and vegetables requires knowledge of the O2 and CO2
exchange rates through perforations.
The air circulation surrounding the
package and the draft induced by multiple perforations are important factors
that should be studied.
In this work, a set of experiments was performed to
analyze the influence of tube location and number, as well as package geometry,
on the O2 and CO2 mass transfer coefficients and the
ratio.
Top and side tube locations, different locations on the same
side of the package, and different package geometries were found to influence
the mass transfer coefficients.
Two perforations tripled O2 and CO2
exchange, showing the importance of draft effects, but the relative position of
the tubes did not show a significant effect on the process.
The ratio was not significantly different for all the conditions tested.
intact and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables during the distribution chain has
led to the use of modified atmosphere packages (MAP), and alternative materials
and packaging systems are being investigated for this purpose.
Perforation-mediated
MAP relies on the use of perforations (tubes) of different dimensions to
control package O2 and CO2 exchange in order to create
the desired atmosphere for preservation of intact and fresh-cut fruits and
vegetables.
This is a promising technique for bulk packages that require rigid
containers.
The design of a perforation-mediated MAP for preservation of fresh
fruits and vegetables requires knowledge of the O2 and CO2
exchange rates through perforations.
The air circulation surrounding the
package and the draft induced by multiple perforations are important factors
that should be studied.
In this work, a set of experiments was performed to
analyze the influence of tube location and number, as well as package geometry,
on the O2 and CO2 mass transfer coefficients and the
ratio.Top and side tube locations, different locations on the same
side of the package, and different package geometries were found to influence
the mass transfer coefficients.
Two perforations tripled O2 and CO2
exchange, showing the importance of draft effects, but the relative position of
the tubes did not show a significant effect on the process.
The
ratio was not significantly different for all the conditions tested.
Authors
S.C. Fonseca, F.A.R. Oliveira, J.K. Brecht, K.V. Chau
Keywords
Transport, bulk package, fresh produce, air circulation, multiple perforations.
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