Premium
Utilisation of modified atmosphere packaging to extend the shelf life of Khalas fresh dates
Author(s) -
AlEid Salah M.,
Barber Andrew R.,
Rettke Michael,
Leo Annunziata,
Alsenaien Waleed A.,
Sallam Abdulkader A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
international journal of food science and technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.831
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1365-2621
pISSN - 0950-5423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2621.2012.03000.x
Subject(s) - modified atmosphere , ripening , shelf life , atmosphere (unit) , food science , stage (stratigraphy) , environmental science , chemistry , biology , meteorology , geography , paleontology
Summary Completely matured tamr stage dates are widely available and consumed throughout the year. However, for some date varieties, the earlier khalal stage crunchy fruit is considered a premium product. This work examines the use of modified atmosphere packaging to extend the shelf life of khalal dates under refrigerated conditions. Modified atmosphere packaging with 10% or 20% CO 2 in air was successful in reducing the rate of the ripening processes while control‐packaged dates showed signs of ripening development such as significant weight loss and darkening in date colour (identified visually and as low lactic acid bacteria measurements at 18 and 27 days after packaging), similar to that observed in tamr stage fruit.