The influence of protective properties of packaging materials and application of modified atmosphere on packed dried apricot

Abstract

The influence of protective properties of packaging materials and modified atmosphere on quality changes of dried apricot is shown in this paper. In our investigation, we used four different characteristic combinations of packaging materials with different barrier properties for packaging of dried apricot: polyester-polyethylene (PET/PE), paper-polyethylene (PAP/PE), paper-aluminium-polyethylene (PAP/Al/PE), polyester-aluminium-polyethylene (PET/Al/PE) and two different atmospheric conditions: normal and modified (30% CO₂, 60% N₂). The parameters evaluated in this study were moisture content, the content of the brown component and the hidroxymethilfurfural (HMF) content. During the storage period of 12 months, changes in moisture content, and colour changes of brown component and HMF contents were affected by the type, combination and applied packing conditions. During the investigation period, the moisture content increased, as well as the content of the brown component and the HMF content. The highest changes in moisture content are reported for dried apricot packaged in the PAP-PE under normal atmosperic condition (increased from 31.2 to 39.6%, taking into consideration 100 g of the sample, after 12 months of storage). The highest value of HMF content was recorded for dried aprricot packaged in the PAP-Al-PE with modified atmospheric condition after nine months of storage (0.152 mg/g). The research results indicate that sustainability of dried packaged apricot is affected by the selection of packaging material and the applied atmospheric conditions.

Keywords: Packaging, modified atmosphere, dried apricot