Individual Seal-packaging of Fruit and Vegetables in Plastic Film—A New Postharvest Technique

Abstract

Individual seal-packaging has been developed in the last decade as a new technique for postharvest handling of fruit and vegetables. This technique, mainly used with citrus fruit, may extend shelf life, reduce shrinkage, weight loss, the occurrence of various blemishes, and refrigeration costs. Individual seal-packaging helps in securing the beneficial aspects of a water-saturated atmosphere (WSA) and in mitigating its disadvantages. If the sealed fruit is not pretreated against decay, however, it may develop decay faster and have a higher percentage of stem-end rot than nonsealed fruit. The choice of films has been extended, but polyethylene of various densities is the main one used. These films offer an attractive appearance and characteristics, adapted to the needs of both the fruit as well as the machines which have been developed to seal individual fruit automatically. So far, this technique has been tested commercially in Israel, Australia, Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, Italy and Spain, and experiments are under way in other locations.