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Enzyme activity, sugar composition, microbial growth and texture of fresh Barhi dates as affected by modified atmosphere packaging

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Abstract

The effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on various physicochemical quality attributes of fresh Barhi dates at the Khalal (yellow) stage were studied. Polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) plastic with varied perforation sizes (0, 50, 100 and 150 µm) were evaluated for storage of date fruits at temperatures of 1, 5, 15 and 25 °C up to 45 days. MAP showed significant effects on fruit quality. PP date packages perforated with 150-µm perforations and stored at 5 °C had the lowest acidity and microbial load. Dates packed in PE exhibited higher pectin methylesterase (PME) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities than dates packed in PP. Dates stored in nonperforated packages had the highest PME, PPO and invertase activities. The maximum fructose and glucose contents were observed in PP-packaged dates stored at 15 °C. Analysis of the interactions of several MAP variables revealed temperature as the major variable controlling the quality of dates. The findings showed that MAP can be effectively employed to preserve the quality and improve the shelf life of Barhi dates using PP with 150-µm perforations as the packaging material during storage for 2 weeks at 5 °C.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thanks King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia for financially supporting the project 09-ADV913-02. We also extend our thanks to the Vice Deanship of Research Chairs, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, PO Box 2460, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Omer N. Alsawmahi, Fahad Y. Al-Juhaimi, Kashif Ghafoor, Isam A. Mohamed Ahmed, Bakri H. Hassan & Oladipupo Q. Adiamo

  2. Department of Food and Fish Technology, Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Marine Biology, Hadhramout University, Mukalla, Hadhramout, Yemen

    Omer N. Alsawmahi

  3. Chair of Dates Industry and Technology, Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, PO Box 2460, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Abdullah M. Alhamdan, Kheled A. Ehmed, Diaeldin Abdelkarim, Mahmoud Younis & Nasser Alashmawe

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  1. Omer N. Alsawmahi
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  2. Fahad Y. Al-Juhaimi
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  11. Oladipupo Q. Adiamo
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Correspondence to Fahad Y. Al-Juhaimi.

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Alsawmahi, O.N., Al-Juhaimi, F.Y., Alhamdan, A.M. et al. Enzyme activity, sugar composition, microbial growth and texture of fresh Barhi dates as affected by modified atmosphere packaging. J Food Sci Technol 55, 4492–4504 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3378-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-018-3378-5

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