Postharvest Stability of Peeled Garlic Cloves (Allium sativum L.): A Study on Packaging Materials and Shelf-Life Environmental Interactions

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of storage environments and packaging materials on peeled garlic's physicochemical, phytochemical, and microbiological stability (Allium sativum L.) during a 30-day storage period. Four packaging materials, waxed paper (WP.B.), perforated low-density polyethylene (P-LDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and mesh bags (M.B.), were evaluated under two storage conditions: refrigeration at 4°C and ambient temperature at 25°C. A comprehensive set of quality indicators was monitored, including firmness, moisture content, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), pH, color change, pyruvic acid, allicin content, and microbial counts. Results revealed that storage temperature was the dominant factor influencing quality degradation. Peeled garlic stored at 25°C exhibited rapid declines in firmness, allicin, and pyruvic acid, alongside significant increases in weight loss, color change, and microbial loads. In contrast, refrigerated storage significantly slowed deterioration, particularly when combined with breathable packaging materials like (WP.B.) and (P-LDPE), which maintained higher levels of bioactive compounds and reduced microbial proliferation. Correlation matrix analysis showed strong negative correlations between storage time and key quality parameters (firmness: r = −0.981, allicin: r = −0.999), while principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed the clustering of spoilage-related variables along PC1 under ambient conditions. These findings highlight the need for targeted storage strategies and the development of advanced, intelligent packaging technologies. The study recommends modeling degradation kinetics, exploring thermodynamic parameters for bioactive stability, and integrating multi-topic microbial profiling for predictive quality control. This approach will enable more sustainable, science-driven garlic storage solutions tailored to diverse postharvest supply chains.