EVALUATION OF SHRINK WRAPPING ON SHELF LIFE AND QUALITY OF CUCUMBER DURING DIFFERENT STORAGE CONDITIONS

Immature green cucumber (‘Padmini’) fruits were individually shrink wrapped with Cryovac D955 (60 gauge) film and stored at 12±1°C, 90-95% RH as well as ambient conditions (29-33°C, 65-70% RH). At 12±1°C and 90-95% RH, individual shrink wrapped cucumber recorded minimum PLW (0.66%) as compared with unwrapped fruits (11.11%) at the end of refrigerated storage (15 days). The loss of firmness was maximum (1304.6-876.6) in unwrapped cucumbers whereas in shrink wrapping, minimum loss in firmness (1304.6-1065.3) was observed after 12 days storage at 12±1°C and 90-95% RH but greater loss of weight and firmness makes the control cucumbers unmarketable after 9 days of storage.
There was no rotting at all both in shrink wrapped and unwrapped cucumbers up to 15 days of storage at 12±1°C and 90-95% RH. After 15 days storage of shrink wrapped cucumbers at 12±1°C and 90-95% RH, there was loss of green colour and development of yellowness and decay.
The sensory attributes score was highest in shrink wrapped cucumbers as compared to unwrapped cucumbers at the end of both storage conditions.
Thus, it can be concluded that individual shrink wrapped (60 gauge) cucumber can be stored well up to 15 days at 12±1°C and 90-95% RH and for 5 days at ambient conditions (29-33°C, 65-70% RH) with maximum retention of green colour, no spoilage, minimum weight and firmness loss and very good sensory quality attributes whereas, unwrapped fruits can be stored well up to 9 days at 12±1°C and 90-95% RH and for 2 days at ambient conditions with maximum retention of physico-chemical quality attributes.

VI International Postharvest Symposium

R.K. Dhall, B.V.C. Mahajan, A. Garg, S.R. Sharma

cucumber, shelf life, shrink wrapping, storage, quality

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2010.877.52