IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i14p11334-d1198805.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Opuntia ficus-indica L. Fruits Cold Storage Using Different Packaging Materials

Author

Listed:
  • Sofia Trindade

    (MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal)

  • Maria Inês Rouxinol

    (MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal)

  • Ana Cristina Agulheiro-Santos

    (MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Departamento de Fitotecnia, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal)

Abstract

The prickly pear is a non-climacteric fruit and highly perishable. Therefore, it is crucial to find methods to extend its shelf life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the storage behavior of prickly pears under modified atmosphere conditions (2 °C, 90% RH) using different packaging materials (a cardboard box commercially used by the company, a rigid PET (polyethylene terephthalate) box, and a biodegradable plastic flexible bag). The fruits were produced in the Alentejo region and belong to a regional variety usually referred to as the “orange” variety. According to this study, the “orange” variety fruits could be stored at the specified temperature for 30 days. Among the storage methods tested, the biodegradable plastic bag was the most effective in maintaining the fruit’s quality throughout the entire period. The biodegradable package exhibited a weight loss lower than 5% for 30 days of storage, while the cardboard box showed great weight loss (>6%) and more fruit contamination by fungi. Fruit firmness also decreased during storage, going from 10.1 N to 4.35 N, with bigger losses happening in the PET box. Throughout the study, the fruit acidity remained stable with values of 0.03% and 0.02%.

Suggested Citation

  • Sofia Trindade & Maria Inês Rouxinol & Ana Cristina Agulheiro-Santos, 2023. "Opuntia ficus-indica L. Fruits Cold Storage Using Different Packaging Materials," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:11334-:d:1198805
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/11334/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/11334/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Goretti L. Díaz-Delgado & Elena M. Rodríguez-Rodríguez & Eva Dorta & M. Gloria Lobo, 2022. "Effects of Peeling, Film Packaging, and Cold Storage on the Quality of Minimally Processed Prickly Pears ( Opuntia ficus-indica L. Mill.)," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Lucía Andreu-Coll & María Emma García-Pastor & Daniel Valero & Asunción Amorós & María Soledad Almansa & Pilar Legua & Francisca Hernández, 2021. "Influence of Storage on Physiological Properties, Chemical Composition, and Bioactive Compounds on Cactus Pear Fruit ( Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Mill.)," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Goretti L. Díaz-Delgado & Elena M. Rodríguez-Rodríguez & M. Pilar Cano & M. Gloria Lobo, 2024. "Storage Conditions of Refrigerated Prickly Pears in Small Processing Industries," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:11334-:d:1198805. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.