Modified atmosphere packaging for mixed loads of horticultural commoditiesexposed to two postharvest temperatures

A procedure to maintain desired levels of O-2 and CO2 inside packages that are exposed to different surrounding temperatures was designed and tested. This procedure included the design of packages for a high temperature, ambi ent atmosphere conditions simulating retail display conditions and the use of a controlled atmosphere (CA) environment surrounding the packages at a l ower temperature simulating storage or transport conditions. To test the co ncept, strawberries and snap beans were held at 7 degrees C for 4 days and 19 degrees C for 2 days to simulate mixed storage/transport and retail disp lay at these respective temperatures. The strawberries were stored in jars fitted with a short tube to modify the interior atmosphere; snap beans were stored in commercially available, semipermeable plastic bags. Both package types were placed in a CA of 14.8% O-2 plus 8.3% CO2 at 7 degrees C follow ed by storage in air at 19 degrees C. Under these conditions, it was possib le to maintain atmospheres that were close to the desired atmospheres for t he products at both temperatures. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.