Improvement of the postharvest keeping quality and colour development of bell pepper (cv. ‘Maor’) by packaging with polyethylene bags at a reduced temperature

Abstract

The keeping quality of red bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) is relatively low, since the fruits are sensitive to low temperature (< 7 °C), rot development and water loss. The effect of packaging red bell pepper fruits in various kinds of polyethylene bags, having various percentages of perforation (0.064 – 0.42%), was examined as a means of reducing water loss in fruits stored at the usual storage temperature (7–8 °C) and at 3 °C. In addition, prestorage holding of fruits for two-three days at various temperatures, combined with polyethylene-bag packaging was examined as a means of improving fruit colour development. Several beneficial effects were found: (1) polyethylene-bag packaging reduced water loss by 40–50% in fruits stored for two weeks at 7.5 °C and an additional three days at 17 °C, thereby resulting in maintenance of fruit quality; (2) packaging did not significantly increase rot development in the stored fruits during either storage or shelf-life; (3) polyethylene-bags enabled bell peppers to be stored at a reduced temperature (3 °C) without the appearance of chilling injury symptoms; (4) prestorage holding of peppers packed in perforated bags for two days at 25 °C, resulted in full red colour development at the end of their 12 days storage period, without loss of their firmness and quality.