Effect of different active packaging materials on storage of persimmon cv. Fuyu

Persimmon is a high value climacteric fruit and deteriorate rapidly after harvest. Therefore, an investigation on extending storage life of persimmon fruits using active packaging technology was done with the following treatments viz., T1 (Control), T2 (Cloth bag + 3g activated charcoal), T3 (Non-woven pp bag + 3g Activated charcoal), T4 (Butter paper bag + 3g Activated charcoal), T5 (Polypropylene + 3g Activated charcoal), T6 (Cloth bag + 6g KMnO4), T7 (Non-woven pp bag + 6g KMnO4), T8 (Butter paper bag + 6g KMnO4) and T9 (Polypropylene + 6g KMnO4). These were stored at 4±1°C and 85-90% RH and analyzed for different physiochemical properties at 10-day intervals. Polypropylene packaging with 3g Activated charcoal or 6g KMnO4 resulted in the longestshelf life and good quality fruits at more than 50 days of storage. Modified packaging with polypropylene + 3g Activated charcoal preserved fruit firmness, greater β-carotene content in pulp and lowest PLW (%), while fruits packed in Polypropylene + 6g KMnO4 resulted in the highest pH, ascorbic acid, peel β-carotene and pectin content and lowest TSS, total and reducing sugar content. The highest BCR amongst various treatment combinations was found in fruits packaged in Polypropylene + 6g KMnO4 on the 70th day of storage