Advanced Packaging Technologies for Fruits and Vegetables

Packaging of Fresh Produce: An Introduction

Fresh horticultural products like fruits, vegetables and flowers are highly perishable and hence appropriate product-specific packaging assumes great significance in preventing their rapid deterioration during storage and transport. Packaging is an important step in the post harvest management of any horticultural product and major objective of packaging of any horticultural commodity should be the prevention of physical damage and microbial contamination during its storage, transport and distribution while taking appropriate post harvest measures to ensure the maintenance of its ‘fresh-like’ quality as long as possible. Shelf life extension of a fresh produce may successfully be achieved by adopting proper packaging solutions for preventing dehydration or dampness of the product and its nutritional losses while keeping the product in optimal storage conditions.

Figure 1: Jute Bags/Gunny Bags

Traditional packaging of horticultural produce in gunny bags, wooden crates, bamboo baskets, cartons, bulk bins, and palletized containers has now replaced with modern packaging solutions such as modified atmosphere packaging, modified interactive packaging and controlled atmosphere packaging solutions. Currently, there are thousands of different types of packaging solutions available in global markets and the number continues to increase as the packaging industry regularly innovates and introduces new packaging concepts with a wide range of packaging sizes to meet the diverse requirements of producers, processors, buyers, wholesalers, retailers, shippers and consumers.

Figure 2: Bamboo Baskets

Current Packaging Practices: Traditional packaging systems are still popularly practiced in third world countries including India and China. This is mainly because of the economic viability, biodegradability and cheap availability of traditional packaging materials like corrugated fiber board (CFBs), jute bags, paper and pulp. However, developed nations have already started adopting most modern packaging technologies like modified atmosphere packaging, modified interactive packaging, active and intelligent packaging etc in the field of fresh produce packaging.

Figure 3: Card Board Boxes

An illustration of current packaging systems for fresh fruits and vegetables as practiced in India and USA is shown in Table 1 and Table 2 respectively.

Table 1: Current Packaging Practices in India

Table 2: Current Packaging Practices in USA

Packaging Materials Available Today: Traditionally, paper, pulp and jute are being used to pack various horticultural commodities. These packaging materials are not only cheap but biodegradable also. Jute bags and carton boards are one of the oldest traditional types of packaging solutions and are still in use today. Jute is the most cost effective, high tensile vegetable fibers and therefore jute bags are used as the most eco-friendly packaging option in the bulk packaging sector while paper bags are extensively used in the retail sector. However, in modern times, the use of paper, pulp and jute as packaging materials is getting replaced with eco-friendly polymer-based packaging solutions.