Gas Absorbent Based Modified Atmosphere Packaging to Optimize Dragon Fruit Shelf Life

¹ Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering Department, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia
² Biological Technology and Veterinary Department, Vocational College, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: bayu.nugraha@mail.ugm.ac.id

Abstract

Dragon fruit is a promising export commodity for Indonesia. But its short shelf-life is a big challenge for an international shipping by sea. This study aims to prolong the dragon fruit shelf life by implementing gas absorbent based Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) in combination with cold storage. This technique decreases the fruit physiological processes by lowering O2 concentration (%) inside the MAP. The selected dragon fruit was packed with gas absorbent-based MAP with different O2 absorber capacities (30 cc; 60 cc; and 120 cc) and plastic types (biodegradable plastic and LDPE). Each treatment was also varied with the use of H₂O absorbent and perforation. Then, the dragon fruit in MAP was stored at 5°C and 90% RH for 6 weeks as shipping simulation. After storage, the dragon fruit was transferred to 27°C room temperature without MAP. The results showed that the application of gas absorbent-based MAP, additional treatments, and low temperature were generally able to maintain the quality of dragon fruit up to 6 weeks in cold storage. However, dragon fruit developed signs of chilling injury, increased water loss, increased weight loss, decreased hardness, skin damage, fin withering, and mold growth after transfer at 27°C room temperature without MAP.