Efficacy of Aqueous Ozone and Chlorine in Combination with Passive Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Postharvest Shelf-Life Extension of Green Chillies (Capsicum annuum L.)

摘要

Aqueous ozone and chlorine treatments were evaluated for their effectiveness on postharvest quality of green chillies packed under passive modified atmosphere (MA) conditions. Ozone (30 mg) treatment was found significantly (p > 0.05) more effective in maintaining the postharvest quality of chillies as compared to chlorine-treated (100 mg kg(-1)) and untreated samples. Use of passive modified atmospheric packaging further maintained the quality of chillies and increased their shelf-life when stored at (8 +/- 1 A degrees C). Ozone washing also delayed senescence and maintained firmness of chillies during storage. The results suggest that microbial population in terms of total plate count, coliforms, as well as yeast and mold counts of fresh green chillies can be reduced without depleting its major bioactive compounds except for ascorbic acid using combined treatments of ozone wash and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). This combination treatment (ozone + MAP) also maintained pigment stability in chillies during storage and extended the shelf-life up to 36 days against 28 and 22 days in the case of chlorine-washed and untreated samples, respectively.