Garden picked mature but unripe fresh persimmon fruits were unipackaged in
different thicknesses of polyethylene (PE) and stored at room (18.5-30 degr
eesC) and refrigerated temperature (6 +/- 1 degreesC). Maximum mean methano
l extractable sinapine (0.168%), catechin (1.51%), and leucoanthocyanidine
(10.94 Delta A550/g) were recorded in the unipackaged samples kept at room
temperature during 6 weeks storage, whereas the minimum values for water ex
tractable phenolics (sinapin, catechin and procyanidin) were recorded in un
ipackaged samples under refrigerated temperature. The mean maximum weight l
oss of 12.58 and 7.90% was recorded in control samples kept at room tempera
ture and low temperature, respectively. The weight loss for unipackaged in
different thicknesses of PE ranged between 0.93-0.96% and 0.43-0.45% for sa
mples kept at room and low temperature, respectively. Changes in texture va
lues were significantly faster in control than unipackaged samples (P < 0.0
5). Low temperature combined with unipackaging in PE film performed better
for the maintenance of overall fruit quality during post-harvest storage.