Quality retention and shelf-life prolongation of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) under different cool storage systems with passive modified atmosphere bulk packaging

Storage plays an important role in maintaining the post-harvest shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables. Cool storage of perishables is costly due to higher energy input. So, to reduce the operating cost and minimize the postharvest loss, a low-cost on-farm storage structure is required, especially in tropical developing nations. In this study, the effectiveness of different cool storage systems was validated by conducting shelf-life studies on freshly harvested seedless cucumbers with (LDPE bags; 37.5-mu m thickness) and without packaging (open plastic crates) under ambient (25.0 +/- 8 degrees C; 55 +/- 14% RH), cool storage (10.0 degrees C; 90 +/- 5% RH), and evaporative cool storage (ECS) systems (19 +/- 3 degrees C; 82.0 +/- 9% RH). The shelf life and quality of cucumbers were determined based on weight loss, titratable acidity, total soluble solids, ascorbic acid, firmness, and total colour difference. Analysis of the data revealed that the effect of storage conditions and packaging on shelf life and quality was significant (p <= 0.05). It was found that the samples packaged in LDPE films had better firmness and lower weight loss as compared with unpackaged samples. Adoption of the evaporative cooling system helped in achieving temperatures of 8-10 degrees C lower than the ambient depending on the environmental parameters. The relative humidity of the evaporative cooling system ranged from 75% to 90%, which is highly suited for the storage of fruits and vegetables. Although the shelf life of cucumbers was longer under cool storage (24 days), ECS could be used as an alternative for low-cost on-farm short-term storage of fresh fruits and vegetables before marketing.

Automated summary

The study validated the effectiveness of low-cost on-farm storage structures for maintaining the shelf life of fresh cucumbers, showing significant impacts of packaging and storage conditions on product quality and shelf life. The evaporative cooling system proved to be a suitable option for storage of fruits and vegetables.