Modified atmosphere and moisture condensation in packaged fresh produce: Scientific efforts and commercial success

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) of fresh produce is a dynamic system that relies on the modification of the atmosphere inside the package by the natural interplay between respiration of the product and permeability of the packaging film. Over the last two decades, scientists have put tremendous efforts in developing equilib-rium MAP solutions for fresh fruit and vegetables. Its commercial adoption in postharvest chain has been extended from limited number of commodities to fresh-cut produce, wherein the packages are truly optimized to maintain the O2 and CO2 within the recommended range often with help of microperforation. This review will focus on key issues relevant to the implementation of MAP and moisture condensation dynamics in horticultural supply chain. A critical review of scientific effort in the last two decades has been made in this review.

Automated summary

Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is a dynamic system that modifies the atmosphere inside the package by the natural interplay between respiration of the product and permeability of the packaging film. Scientists have made tremendous efforts in developing equilibrium MAP solutions for fresh produce, and its commercial adoption has expanded to fresh-cut produce. This review critically summarizes the scientific progress in the last two decades in implementing MAP and understanding moisture condensation dynamics in the horticultural supply chain.