Effect of Temperature and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Globe Artichoke (Cynara scolymus,L.) Quality during Storage

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out on globe artichoke cultivar “French Hyrious” in the winter seasons of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 in private farm at Behiera Governorate and in Horticulture Research Institute, Agricultural research Center postharvest laboratory to study the physical and chemical changes in the heads. To improve the storage ability of the heads, two kinds of cold storage, two types of packages were examined. Stored heads under cold storage conditions of 0ºC and 95% R.H. were much better than those stored at 5ºC and 95% R.H as it possessed the lower loss in weight and unmarketable percentage beside maintained the higher visual quality and colour in addition to contain more concentrations of T.S.S., total sugars, inulin, ascorbic acid and lower respiration rate. On the other hand, the heads stored in plastic boxes either lined with perforated polypropylene or unlined under 0ºC or 5ºC and 95% R.H exhibited that lined plastic boxes existed lower loss in weight, unmarketable percentage, higher visual quality, greater colour retention and kept more concentrations of T.S.S., total sugars, inulin, ascorbic acid beside lower respiration rate comparatively to those heads stored in the unlined ones.