Effects of Type of Packaging Material on Postharvest Storage Quality of ‘Okubao’ Peach Fruit

The goal of this study was to compare the effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), on the quality of ‘Okubao’ peach fruit. After harvest, peaches were subjected to MAP treatments by using 35 um antifogging cast polypropylene (CPP), 30 um polyethylene (PE) and 88 um antibacterial film and then kept at 0±0.1°C and 90±5% for 49 days, while peaches stored for 35 days with unpackaged as control (CK). Physical and chemical changes [woolliness incidence, weight loss, healthy fruit index, color, flesh firmness, soluble solids contents (SSC), titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid, ethylene production and respiration rate, activities of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD)] were recorded at harvest and every 7 days of storage. Fruit flesh firmness significantly decreased during storage for all treated fruits while MAP maintained firmer than control. Compared with CK, MAP-stored fruits showed significantly reduced incidence of woolliness and PPO, POD activities, as well as higher hue angles, SSC, TA, ascorbic acid contents and lower ethylene production and respiration rates. Peach could be stored for 28 days and 35 days by PE and antibacterial film, respectively, while stored successfully for up to 42 days using the CPP material. Peaches stored in CK maintained marketable for 21days. These results showed that MAP resulted in a considerable improvement in keeping postharvest quality and providing longer storage, while CPP exerted the best effect.