Extending cut rose shelf life using modified atmosphere packaging during cold storage
¹Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt. ²Manufacturing Engineering and Food Packaging Research Department, Food Technology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt. ³Antoniadis Research Branch, Ornamental Plants and Landscape Gardening Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Alexandria, Egypt. ?Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt. Corresponding e-mail: dr.taghreed.eissa.2019@gmail.com
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37855/jah.2026.v28i02.74
Roses are among the most commercially valuable cut flowers worldwide; however, their vase life is often limited by petal abscission and rapid deterioration during transport and storage. The current study investigated the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on postharvest quality and shelf life of cut roses (cv. ‘Anna’) during long-distance shipping. The experiments were carried out during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Two factors were investigated: packaging film type (low-density polyethylene, LDPE, and polypropylene, PP) and five atmospheric compositions. The treatments included passive MAP (ambient air), MAP with 5% O? +5% CO?, 5% O? + 10% CO?, and 5% O?, + 15% CO? in addition to an open-package control. The results showed that MAP significantly significantly improved postharvest performance.. To simulate export conditions, a set of flowers was removed after 5 days of cold storage to evaluate vase life, which reached 17.80 and 17.90 days in the first and second seasons, respectively, under active-MAP with PP films. Simultaneously, the maximum total storage life was evaluated for flowers kept under continuous refrigeration, achieving a significant extension of up to 28.87 days under the same treatment. This treatment also enhanced fresh weight, water uptake, total carbohydrate content, and general appearance, and decreased water loss while maintaining higher anthocyanin content. The present results suggest that PP films combined with a modified atmosphere of 5% O2 +15 CO2 can be a practical and practical approach to maintain freshness, reduce physiological damage, and prolong the marketability of cut roses during long-distance transport.
