Effect of Active and Passive Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Quality of Pomegranate Fruits (Ponica granatum cv. Rabab Ney-Riz) during Cold Storage

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of active and passive-modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on quality attributes of pomegranate fruits (Ponica granatum cv. Rabab Ney-Riz) stored at 5°C for 4 months. Fruits were individually packaged in a high barrier polyamide/polyethylene film under active-MA free of Co2 (1% O2 + 99 % N2, 3 % O2 + 97 % N2, 5% O2 + 95 % N2), passive-MA and open top in air. Evaluation of results showed that fruits stored under polyamide/polyethylene film had the minimum weight loss compared to those stored in air. Titratable acid content was increased in all packaging methods with increasing storage time. Titratable acid and total Soluble Solid contents were not influenced by gas composition. High O2 atmosphere (open air) well maintained antioxidant activity of fruits. Contents of total anthocyanin, total phenol and ascorbic acid were affected by the storage atmosphere and time. The Highest contents of total anthocyanin were observed in samples of open air and passive-MAP which increased with the progress of storage time. Total phenolic contents in fruits were highest for 1% O2 packages which had the lowest O2 compared to the other treatments. Ascorbic acid content of fruits was decreased with increase in storage time and revealed the most reduction in samples stored under 3 % O2, 5% O2, and open air.