page 135

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on maintenance of quality in apple

F. A. Khan, A. H. Rather, N. A. Qazi, M. Y. Bhat1, M. S. Darzi,
M. A. Beigh and Imtiyaz Ahmad

Plant Physiology Section, Division of Post Harvest Technology
Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology of Kashmir

Shalimar Campus, Srinagar-191121, India
E-mail: fakphtskuastk@rediffmail.com

ABSTRACT

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the quality of
‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ apples. Freshly harvested fruits were wiped clean and (25 µm thick) with
varying number of perforations and stored in cardboard boxes at ambient temperature. ‘Golden Delicious’
showed higher incidence of bitter pit as compared to ‘Red Delicious’ apples. MAP proved effective in controlling
the bitter pit disorder and in maintenance of quality. The least incidence of bitter pit in ‘Golden Delicious’ was
recorded with T

4 
(30 x 2 mm perforation) and T

3
 (20 x 2 mm) treatment in ‘Red Delicious’ apples. However,

MAP retained more freshness in ‘Golden Delicious’ than in ‘Red Delicious’.

Key words: Apple, modified atmosphere packaging, bitter pit, quality

J. Hort. Sci.
Vol. 1 (2): 135-137, 2006

1Directorate of Extension Education

Bitter pit of apples has long been recognized as a
serious physiological disorder of stored apples and limits
the local as well as export market resulting in economic
losses. Bitter pit has been described as a physiological
breakdown of cells under the skin, causing slight
depressions, which are generally concentrated around the
calyx end of the fruit.

The tissue in the depressed areas is dry and spongy
with a bitter taste (Ferguson and Watkins, 1989). This is
generally associated with low levels of calcium in the fruit
(Perring, 1986); however, the exact cause of bitter pit is
not understood (Steenkamp et al, 1983; Witney and Kushad,
1990). Application of calcium salts as pre- or post-harvest
treatment has long been practiced as a measure to control
development of bitter pits in apple (van Goor, 1971). It has
been reported that reduction in bitter pit can also be achieved
by storing fruits in controlled or modified atmosphere.
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) refers to the storage
of fruits in polymeric films, which restrict transmission of
respiratory gases. It is a simple and cheap means of storage
but care must be taken to avoid injuriously high CO

2
 or

low O
2,
 levels which may develop around the fruit due to a

change in respiration rates under fluctuating temperatures.
Insertion of small holes into polymeric film bags has been
shown to moderate CO

2
 and O

2
 fluctuations and may be a

safer way of obtaining desired atmospheric conditions.
However, information on influence of MAP on reduction
of bitter pits in apple is inadequate (Hewett and Thompson,
1989). Therefore, the present study was carried out to
examine the effect of MAP on bitter pit development and
quality in Kashmir apples.

Physiologically mature fruits of ‘Red Delicious’
and ‘Golden Delicious’ apples were obtained from a private
orchard of Shopion (Dist.- Pulwama, J&K) in the last week
of September. Large and uniform sized fruits were surface-
cleaned and packed in 25 µm thick polymeric film of 30 x
30 cm size. Various treatments of MAP comprised of
polymeric film without perforation (T

1
), polymeric film with

10 x 1 x 2 mm perforations (T
2
), polymeric film with 10 x

2 x 2 mm perforations (T
3
), and polymeric film with 10 x 3

x 2 mm perforations (T
4
). Fruits without polymeric film

packaging (T
5
) served as the control. Each treatment with

ten fruits was replicated five times. Packed fruits were kept
in separate cardboard boxes and stored at ambient
temperature (180C/120C). After four months of storage,
observations were recorded on incidence of bitter pit and
on other quality parameters. Fruit firmness and TSS were
measured with penetrometer and hand refractometer,
respectively. Acidity was determined following the
procedure of Ranganna (1986). Data were statistically

Short communication



page 136

analyzed using standard procedures (Gomez and Gomez,
1984).

Bitter pit incidence was higher in ‘Golden
Delicious’ than in ‘Red Delicious’ apples (Table 1). Fruits
packed in polymeric film containing perforations had
significantly less bitter pit incidence than fruits in sealed
polymeric film and without perforation polymeric film. The
incidence was found to decrease with increasing number
of perforations (Fig1). The incidence of the disorder in
‘Golden Delicious’ (15.1%) was the highest in T

1
 treatment

followed by T
5
 (7.8%) and the least (1.8 %) in T

4
.  ‘Red

Delicious’ apples also showed the highest incidence (3.7%)

in T
1
 followed by T

5
 (2.7%) and the least incidence of bitter

pit in T
3
 (1.5 %), and T

4
 (1.8%). Higher incidence of bitter

pit in ‘Golden Delicious’ apples may be due to low levels
of calcium in the fruits tissue as compared to ‘Red Delicious’
apples (Khan et al, 2006). ‘Golden Delicious’ apple has
also been reported to be the most susceptible cultivar with
reference to bitter pit development (Snowdon, 1990).
Efficacy of perforated polymeric film in reducing the
incidence of bitter pit has also been shown by Hewett and
Thompson (1989) with ‘Cox’s Orange Pippina apples, On
the contrary, fruit spoilage due to internal breakdown was
significantly higher in ‘Red Delicious’ compared to ‘Golden
Delicious’ apples (Fig 2). This may be attributed to
accumulation of CO

2
 in the intercellular spaces of the fruit,

as, ‘Red Delicious’ apples have thicker skin than ‘Golden
Delicious’ which may have hindered the diffusion of CO

2

from the fruit. A possible reason for the increased rate of
spoilage in fruits stored in polymeric film with a smaller
number of perforations may be accumulation of
acetaldehyde, ethanol, malic acid and succinic acid.  The
activity of glycolytic and Krebs cycle enzymes is known to
be inhibited by low levels of 02 leading to accumulation of
CO

2
 around the fruits (Parritt et al, 1982). It is also evident

from table 1 that physiological loss of weight (PLW)
increased with increasing number of perforations, and, fruits
of both the cultivars packed in polymeric films without
perforation exhibited minimum weight-loss  compared to
fruits stored without polymeric film packing. The
physiological loss in weight is attributed chiefly to
transpiration. Higher number of perforations in polymeric

J. Hort. Sci.
Vol. 1 (2): 135-137, 2006

Khan et al

136

Table 1. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on quality
parameters in apple cultivars

Treatment PLW Fruit T.S.S. Titrable
(%) firmness (lbs) (%) acidity (%)

‘Golden Delicious’
T

1
5.3 10.3 9.8 0.228

T
2

7.1 11.0 9.2 0.258
T

3
9.0 9.3 8.6 0.265

T
4

10.2 9.6 11.2 0.188
T

5
15.5 8.2 13.2 0.154

C.D (P=0.05) 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.038
‘Red Delicious’

T
1

7.3 8.8 13.4 0.165
T

2
6.5 7.8 14.6 0.158

T
3

7.7 7.1 16.8 0.135
T

4
9.8 7.6 15.3 0.128

T
5

16.2 8.5 14.8 0.184
C.D (P=0.05) 0.7 0.4 0.8 NS

T
1 
: without perforation; T

2 
: 10 x 1 x 2mm perforation; T

3
 : 10 x 2 x

2mm perforation; T
4 
: 10 x 3 x 2mm perforation; T

5 
: without polyethylene

packaging.

Fig 1. Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on bitter pit
development in apple.
T

1 
: without perforation; T

2 
: 10 x 1 x 2mm perforation; T

3
 : 10 x 2 x

2mm perforation; T
4 
: 10 x 3 x 2mm perforation; T

5 
: without polyethylene

packaging.

Fig 2.  Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on fruit spoilage in
apple.
T

1 
: without perforation; T

2 
: 10 x 1 x 2mm perforation; T

3
 : 10 x 2 x

2mm perforation; T
4 
: 10 x 3 x 2mm perforation; T

5 
: without polyethylene

packaging.



page 137

J. Hort. Sci.
Vol. 1 (2): 135-137, 2006

Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on apple

137

films may have may increase VPD leading to higher
transpiration and weight-loss. Fruit firmness decreased with
increasing number of perforations whereas total soluble
solids showed the opposite trend. Decrease in fruit firmness
with increased perforation could be the result of enhanced
activity of glycolytic and Krebs’ cycle enzymes due to an
increased level of oxygen in perforated polybags (Parritt et
al, 1982; Mir and Beaudry, 2002). Greater water loss from
the tissue may also be one of the reasons for decreased
fruit firmness through decreased turgor pressure of cells.
Increased TSS in better aerated packing may also be
attributed to hydrolysis of complex food materials to simpler
forms due to aerobic respiration and to concentration of
the juice due to dehydration. Similarly, titrable acidity also
differed significantly in ‘Golden Delicious’ apples but did
not show marked variation in ‘Red Delicious’ with
perforated polymeric films packing.

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            Plate 1. Bitter pit in Golden Delicious apple

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(MS Received 3 June 2006 , Revised 27 September 2006)