Abstract
Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic culinary herb used for flavour addition and decoration in many foods and drinks. A crucial postharvest problem of sweet basil is short shelf life due to water loss and abscission of leaves. Sweet basil branches were packed in 60 μm polyethylene (PE) bags (20x45 cm dimension) and stored at 13°C and 95% RH. The number of abscised leaves was highest in sealed PE bags containing an initial concentration of 2500 ppm ethylene lowest in sealed PE bags containing an ethylene adsorbent. Ethylene accumulating in the bags also induced leaf abscission. Basil stored in PE bags lost less weight resulting in extended storage life compared to non-packed branches. Packing basil in non-perforated PE bags resulted in decay after 6 days. Perforated PE bags with 16 holes (12.56 cm 2 /bag) provided the best condition in maintaining the quality of basil for 9 days.
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