ABSTRACT
A comparative impact analysis about conventional packaging materials and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the postharvest life of cucumber was conducted in the post-harvest lab of HICAST on mid June 2023. The experiment was conducted under ambient condition of 28-32℃ and 70-80% relative humidity. Five different treatments consisting of one control and 4 different packaging materials which included polythene bag, perforated polythene, muslin cloth and MAP bag were applied to access the effect on post-harvest life and different quality parameters of cucumber. The experimental setup was based upon completely randomized design with each treatment being replicated four times.
The physiological loss of weight (PLW) across treatments ranged from 0.35% to 9.37% (days 1-4) and 1.13% to 9.55% (days 4-8) with cucumbers in non perforated polythene bags recording lowest PLW at 0.35% and 1.13% in both cases. The firmness of cucumber initially which was at 2.856 kg/cm2 decreased to a range of 1.410 to 2.410 kg/cm2 by day8 with biodegradable MAP bags retaining the maximum firmness while the control group had lowest. MAP also ensured stable TSS, delayed chlorophyll degradation, and maintained cucumber freshness throughout storage. During the experiment MAP demonstrated superior performance in preserving various quality parameters and also significantly enhanced cucumber marketability over extended storage period. While polythene can reduce weight loss, it raises problems with firmness, marketability of the packaged material along with its pertinent environmental issues. The MAP stands superior over conventional polythene packaging by preserving the overall quality of cucumbers for longer period.
Key words: MAP, Post-harvest, Cucumber, Packaging Materials, shelf life