Ready-to-eat sweet cherries: Study on different packaging systems

In this study the influence of different packaging systems on quality loss of ready-to-use cherries was assessed. In particular, the fruits were packaged in oriented polypropylene-based bag and in a bio-based polymeric matrix under ordinary and modified atmosphere conditions (MAP). Cherries quality during storage was determined by monitoring headspace gas concentration, weight loss, titrable acidity, total soluble solids, maturity index, antocyanins level, pH, viable cell load of various microbial groups and sensory quality. Results suggest that under ordinary atmosphere conditions, OPP shows the best performances. Otherwise, under MAP. both investigated films exert similar effects on the portioned fruit. Industrial relevance: Due to changes in consumer attitudes, ready-to-use fruit market has grown rapidly in recent years. At the same time there is a real need to prevent the environmental pollution provoked by packaging material. Therefore, the combination of a biodegradable film to modified atmosphere packaging could gain widespread acceptance by the industry. This paper, in fact, suggests effective packaging solution to delay the quality decay kinetic of ready-to-use cherries. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.