Control of Fruit Softening during Marine Transport Bound for Southeast Asia in ‘Nakatani-Wase’ Persimmon

• Published in: Engeigaku kenkyuu Vol. 19; no. 3; pp. 299 - 307
• Main Authors: Furuta, Takahiro, Wanaka, Manabu, Kumamoto, Shohei, Ikenaga, Hirokazu, Nishime, Reiko, Kawai, Takashi, Fukamatsu, Yosuke, Fukuda, Fumio, Kubo, Yasutaka, Nakano, Ryohei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Kyoto-City THE JAPANESE SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE 2020; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: 1-methylecyclopropene; Astringents; Atmosphere; Boxes; Carbon dioxide; early-maturing persimmon; Fruits; Marine transportation; modified atmosphere packaging; Packaging; Quality control; reefer container; retention temperature; Room temperature; Shelf life; Softening; Temperature control; Asia; Southeast Asia; Singapore
• ISSN: 1347-2658; 1880-3571
• DOI: 10.2503/hrj.19.299

The combined effect of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) application on CO2 exposure for astringency removal and packaging techniques on suppressing fruit softening during marine transport bound for southeast Asia was tested in early-maturing persimmon, ‘Nakatani-Wase’ fruit. In tests while simulating marine transport, 1-MCP application in combination with all packaging techniques tested in this experiment effectively suppressed the softening of fruit. Under conditions simulating the shelf-life after arrival, the combination of 1-MCP application and modified atmosphere (MA) packaging at both individual fruit and carton box levels suppressed fruit softening for 7 days at room temperature and for more than 10 days at 5°C. On the other hand, fruit packaged in normal carton boxes or boxes coated with water-impervious material softened immediately after arrival at room temperature and after 5 days at 5°C. Practical transport tests involving marine transport bound for Singapore confirmed that the combination of 1-MCP application and MA packaging in carton boxes led to the complete absence of softened fruit upon arrival in Singapore and reduced it to just 13.3% 6 days after transfer to room temperature. These results indicate that the combination of 1-MCP application, MA packaging, and a reefer container for temperature control is a practical quality control technique for marine transport of ‘Nakatani-Wase’ fruit bound for southeast Asia.