Packaging and storage of pomegranate fruits and arils: A review

Abstract

Pomegranate is one of the most important fruit crops in India because of its adaptable nature, high profitability and being cultivated on a commercial scale in India and the fruits are good source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, mainly anthocyanins which exhibit strong chemo-preventive activities such as antimutagenicity, antihypertension, antioxidative potential and anti-cancer properties. Pomegranate fruit is a non-climacteric fruit with relatively low respiration rate and produces trace amounts of ethylene. Generally, fruit has a long storage life ranging. However, the arils removed from fruits have short storage life owing to exposure to outer environment and tissue damage resulting from processing operations. Damage to arils leads to increase in rate of respiration and ethylene production rates, alters metabolic activity, increases the rate of deterioration of nutritional and sensory attributes and notably reduces the shelf-life. In order to meet the consumers present demand for fresh, convenient and high quality ready-to-eat arils, various processing techniques have been developed among which, modified atmosphere packaging along with low temperature storage are being increasingly employed to extend the shelf life of arils.