Packaging is an important
consideration in vegetable and fruit market. The use of properly
designed containers for transporting and marketing of vegetables can
significantly reduce their losses and maintain their freshness
succulence and quality for longer period. Packaging also provides
protection from mechanical damage and undesirable physiological changes
and pathological deterioration during storage, transportation and
marketing.
Many vegetables are transported in
gunny bags of bamboo baskets. Packaging material such as polythene
films, paper boars, and boxes lived with polythene and other materials
can effectively prolong the shelf life of vegetables. By using plastic
films vegetables can be protected from dry air. Polythene packaging,
provides modified atmosphere and consequently reduces decay, softening ,
and loss of solids. The thickness and permeability to CO2, O2 and
water vapour of films needs to be standardized for each vegetable.
Example:
In case of Brinjal and Cauliflower,
thick films were found to develop off-flavour whereas thin and gas
permeable films maintained Cauliflower for longer period and Okra
fruits could last for nine days without deterioration and quality.
Packaging of vegetables in perforated films significantly reduces weight and water loss in transportation. Ex. Carrot.
Wide variety of containers such as
Wooden boxes, baskets woven from bamboo or trees, hessian sack ,
earthen pots and Corregulated Fibre Board ( CFB) boxes are important
package forms used in transportation and distribution of fruits in most
of the developing countries.
All the package must have some amount
of ventilation in order to prevent physiological break down, the wooden
boxes have a good stacking strength but they are heavy in weight.
Corregulated Fibre Board are made from
the craft paper which can easily be manufactured from Bamboo, grasses
and various types of agricultural residues as well as by recycling the
used Card Boards or Papers.
Advantages of Corregulated Fibre Board Boxes:
1. They are light in weight.
2. They cause much less damage to fruits.
3. They are easy to handle and print.
4. They improve the product image.
5. They reduce the fright cost.
2. They cause much less damage to fruits.
3. They are easy to handle and print.
4. They improve the product image.
5. They reduce the fright cost.
Packaging is the vital component of
post harvest management of fruits and vegetables. It helps in
minimizing deterioration during handling and marketing of fruits and
vegetables. Adequate packaging protects the fruits and vegetables from
Physiological, pathological, and physical deterioration and retains
their attractiveness. In India, packaging of fruits and vegetables is
not done properly and hence, it acts as major cause of post harvest
losses.
The wide range of package is used for
fruits and vegetables. These include gunny bags, bamboo basket, wooden
crates, corrugated fibreboard boxes, metal trunks, etc. Different sizes
and shape of these package are used.
Presently corrugated fibre board ( CFB) boxes are used for export of fruits, vegetables and flowers.
In big package, the cushioning
material such as paddy straw, hay, paper shavings, tissue, etc are used
to avoid bruising of fruits and vegetables during transportation and
marketing
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