- Title
- Effect of 1-MCP and modified atmosphere on the storage life of tomato, pak choy, and choy sum held at an ambient tropical temperature
- Creator
- Sambath, Sonnthida
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2018
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The vegetable industry in Cambodia is facing many challenges including high postharvest losses and poor quality retailed produce. With limited availability of cool chain facilities, low-cost postharvest technologies are required to combat these challenges. This thesis examined the suitability of fumigation with 1-MCP and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) to improve the quality of tomatoes and the leafy vegetables, pak choy and choy sum, held under Cambodian ambient conditions. The fumigation of green ‘Neang Pich’ and ‘Endeavour’ tomatoes with 1 μl/l 1-MCP for 1 hr at 25 or 30 ˚C retained green skin colour and delayed the time to ripen but storage at 30 ˚C showed abnormal ripe colour development. An atmosphere of 5 % oxygen and 10 % carbon dioxide was found to be optimal in maintaining green colour and ripe fruit quality at 25 ˚C. However, 1-MCP did not generate additional benefit for tomatoes held in the modified atmosphere. The use of MAP alone was found to double the green life of tomatoes stored in Cambodian ambient conditions and offers a low-cost, easy to implement technology for Cambodian farmers marketing green fruit. The use of 1-MCP or MAP had considerably less value for tomatoes designated for sale as ripe fruit in urban markets due to the relatively short times from farms to market. Pak choy and choy sum fumigated with 10 μl/l 1-MCP for 1 or 4 hr at 25 and 30 ˚C delayed leaf yellowing and prolonged postharvest life. Leafy vegetables held in the optimal atmosphere of 5 % oxygen and 10 % carbon dioxide at 25 ˚C showed a delay in leaf yellowing and improved overall quality. Studies under Cambodian ambient conditions showed that produce quality even for the relatively short supply chain from farm to market was better maintained by packing in a MAP and would allow farmers to market a greater weight of shipped produce when there are delays in marketing. Thus, while modified atmosphere packaging was considered to provide tangible benefits for the postharvest handling of tomatoes and leafy vegetables, the relatively small additional benefit and greater logistical requirements associated with 1-MCP fumigation with both produce meant that it was considered currently not suitable for use by small farmers in Cambodia.
- Subject
- 1-MCP; MAP; storage life; tomato; pak choy; choy sum; leafy vegetable; high temperature; tropical ambient temperature
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1355343
- Identifier
- uon:31452
- Rights
- Copyright 2018 Sonnthida Sambath
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 311 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |