Effects of Packaging Materials Processed with Oak Charcoal on the Quality of Oriental Pears during Storage and Distribution

Abstract

The packaging of fruits is very important because appropriate packaging can optimize the maintenance of freshness of fruits during their distribution in low or normal temperatures until the products reach consumers. The focus of this study was on the use of functional packaging materials for the post-harvest maintenance of the freshness of fruits. Oak charcoal has excellent far infrared emission and ethylene absorption qualities, and we developed a charcoal-processing packaging linerboard to evaluate the possibility for the use of charcoal as a functional packaging material for pears. Oriental pears of the Niitaka cultivar used in this study account for about 70% of pears harvested every year, and are a very popular domestic fruit in Korea. Pears packaged in packaging materials processed with charcoal were of significantly higher quality (p<0.05) than those packaged with conventional packaging materials, suggesting that charcoal-processed packaging materials can be used as functional packaging material for extending the storability and distribution time of fruits. Charcoal-coated linerboard was shown to be the most appropriate packaging material based on its compression strength, ethylene absorption performance, and the firmness and minimal weight loss of pears.

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