Innovative Food Technologies

Innovative Food Technologies

Simultaneous use of precooling process and modified atmosphere packaging on the quality properties and shelf life of sweet cherry

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Habibeh Nalbandi 1
Sadegh Seyedlou 2
Media Sighar Ghiasi 2
Shamsollah Abdolahpour 2
1 university of tabriz
2 Department of Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz
10.22104/ift.2026.8185.2281
Abstract
Precooling process and modified atmosphere packaging, have a significant effect on maintaining quality and increasing the shelf life of sweet cherry. In this study the effect of precooling methods, type of packaging and storage time were studied on the quality properties of sweet cherry. The precooling methods was the forced air cooling (FAC), hydrocooling (HC) and no cooling (NC). The type of packaging was the commercial package (CP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Fruit was stored at 3 ˚C for 20 days and fruit quality was measured at the harvesting day, and days 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20. The quality properties were the mass loss, decay, stem browning and TSS. In addition, fruit were stored for 6 days at ambient temperature (28 ˚C) after storing at cold storage. For example, fruit which exited from cold storage after 4 days, were stored at laboratory (at 28 ˚C) for other 6 days. The results indicated the lowest mass loss by the value of 0.24 % was observed in the fruit cooled by FAC method and then packed as MAP (FAC+MAP). The stem browning in the fruit packed as MAP by the value of 7.64 % was lower than those packed in the CP (11.57 %). Firmness and TSS was better preserved in the fruit which cooled. At all treatment, no decay was observed during the cold storage of fruit. In addition, the storage of all fruit at the ambient temperature showed that the lowest mass loss of fruit (2.04 %) and stem browning (43.90 %) was obtained in the fruit treated by the FAC+MAP and no decay was observed in the fruit up to 4 days. Therefore, precooling of sweet cherry by the FAC and following packing as MAP was the best method to storage the fruit.

Graphical Abstract

Simultaneous use of precooling process and modified atmosphere packaging on the quality properties and shelf life of sweet cherry

Highlights

  • Simultaneous utility of precooling process and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is necessary to increase the shelf life of sweet cherry.
  • Simultaneous utility of forced air cooling (FAC) and MAP led to maintain the quality of fruit during cold storage for 20 days and 6 days at ambient temperature.
  • The stem color of sweet cherry was preserved during the storage by simultaneous utility of FAC and MAP.
  • In simultaneous utility of FAC and MAP, fruit and its stem quality was preserved better than those treated by hydrocooling and MAP.

Keywords
Modified atmosphere packaging
Precooling
Shelf life
Stem browning
Sweet cherry
Subjects
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Innovative Food Technologies
Volume 13, Issue 4
Summer 2026
Pages 383-404

  • Receive Date 25 March 2026
  • Revise Date 25 April 2026
  • Accept Date 07 May 2026
  • First Publish Date 07 May 2026
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026