EFFECT OF FILM PACKAGING IN EXTENDING SHELF LIFE OF DRAGON FRUIT, HYLOCEREUS UNDATUS AND HYLOCEREUS POLYRHIZUS

Abstract

Red and white dragon fruit (Hylocereus polyrhizus, Hylocereus undatus) are types of climbing cacti that has been developed as exotic fruit crop due to its highly nutritional value. This fruit which is also known as red or white pitaya is enclosed by red peel while the pulp is embedded with small black seeds. However the fruit has limited shelf life in the presence of normal air by two means; the physicochemical effect of atmospheric oxygen and the aerobic microbial growth. These factors either solely or in association with one another cause changes in colour, texture, flavour that eventually lead to postharvest deterioration. Nevertheless, extending the shelf life of many fresh fruit has been made possible by the usage of modified atmosphere packaging. This is because packaging can affect atmospheric conditions within a fresh fruit so as to extend the shelf life by slowing down the respiration rate that influences the physiological and biochemical properties. Generally, modified atmosphere packaging utilizes polymeric films with different permeabilities for O 2 , CO 2 , other gases, and H 2 O to create a modified atmosphere around the packaged fruit. Benefits of film packaging include maintenance of high relative humidity, reduction of water loss, reducing contamination during handling and thus maintaining the postharvest fruit quality. Furthermore, interest has been shown in the use of plastic films mainly polyethylene with various thickness for modified atmosphere packaging. In this study, plastic film were used to investigate the effects on shelf life and fruit quality attributes of dragon fruit.