Effect of perforated and non-perforated films on quality and storage life of guava fruits

An investigation was conducted to study the effect of different packaging materials to maintain quality and for extensions of storage life of guava cv. Sardar under cold storage conditions. Fruits of guava were harvested at firm mature stage, packed in different packaging materials, viz. LDPE, HDPE, PP films with and without perforation (5% venting area) and kept in CFB boxes followed by storage at 6-8 degrees C and 90-95% RH. The conventional packaging such as newspaper lining and unpacked (control) in CFB boxes were also included for comparison. The fruits packed in different packaging films had lower PLW, more firmness, negligible spoilage, better colour development, acceptable quality and organoleptic rating as compared to control fruits. After two weeks of storage, fruits packed in perforated LDPE maintained higher organoleptic rating (8.63), lower PLW (0.91%), desirable firmness (8.30 lbf), excellent colour (a = -0.60; b = 26.15), minimum spoilage (0%) and better quality as compared to other treatments. The study revealed that guava fruits packed in 5% perforated LDPE polythene films can be stored for 14 days, as compared to unpacked control fruits which had storage life of 7 days.