Journal of Applied Horticulture. 1999: 1(2): 105-107

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging and ethanol on the deastringency process in jamun (Syzygium cuminii) fruit

Mohammed, M; Wickham, L

Department of Food Production, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.

S. cuminii [S. cumini] fruits were dipped in Ethrel [ethephon] or ethanol and stored at 10 or 30 degrees C for up to 12 days in either sealed low density (LDPE) or high density polyethylene bags (HDPE) or paper bags (PB). Fruits were evaluated for degrees of deastringency and other quality related changes. Ethanol-treated fruits stored in polyethylene bags at 10 degrees C were completely deastringent after 9 days compared with Ethrel-treated fruits over the same period which remained astringent throughout. Untreated control fruits stored at 10 degrees C in paper bags or polyethylene bags showed no changes in astringency and senesced rapidly after 3 and 6 days, respectively. Fruits stored at 30 degrees C, regardless of the packaging or dip treatments, succumbed to 100% decay after 3 days. Despite having the same astringency ratings, ethanol-treated fruits stored in LDPE bags at 10 degrees C were preferred to those stored in HDPE bags based on the lower incidence of decay in the former compared with the latter.