Effective Transport and Storage Condition for Preserving The Quality of ‘Jiro’ Persimmon in Export Market

Abstract

Abstract This study was carried out to determine the favorable conditions for preserving the quality of ‘Jiro’ persimmon during overseas transport and subsequent storage. Persimmon were packed using two types of packaging materials: plain cardboard boxes and cardboard boxes with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) using 40-μm thick low density polyethylene (LDPE) film as an inner packaging material. These fruits were exported to Hong Kong via sea for 7 days using reefer containers at set temperatures of 2 °C and 15 °C. After delivery, the fruits were stored at 10 °C and room temperature for 6 days. The number of softened fruits in each test was counted on the day of delivery and on every second day during storage. The softening of fruit was judged directly by touch and fruits that had even slightly softened were regarded as softened fruits. Simultaneously a laboratory test was conducted under conditions mimicking the transport conditions to determine the effect of MAP on persimmon quality based on the evaluation of headspace O2 and CO2 concentration inside the package, fruit skin color, and ion leakage. The number of softened fruit was less at 2 °C than at 15 °C transportation temperatures on the day of delivery, but during shelf-life conditions at both 10 °C and room temperature, the number of softened fruit increased rapidly on the fruit that was transported at 2 °C. These results indicate that the selection of an appropriate transportation temperature, considering the chilling sensitivity of ‘Jiro’ persimmon fruits, is very important to increase the number of marketable fruits, thereby increasing its overseas trade value. Storage at room temperature after transportation prolonged the shelf-life of fruits better than those stored at 10 °C. Using MAP was more effective at preventing quality loss of persimmon not only on the delivery day but also on the day after delivery. ‘Wase-Jiro’, which is an early-ripening type, was more sensitive to chilling than ‘Futsu-Jiro’, which is a middle-ripening type. Moreover, it was found that high-grade persimmon is more suitable for export.