Studies on shelf life of "Lateblue" highbush blueberries

There is a considerable scope to mantain the quality and extend shelf-life of perishable and soft fruits such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries by developing and evolving packaging strategies. A study on the packaging of blueberries in plastic film for short-to-medium term storage was carried out. Blueberries cv Lateblue were hand-picked from a commercial plantation and packaged in different barrier films. Four commercially available films were used as packaging materials: two micro-perforated (0.3 mm and 1 mm in diameter), a non-perforated and a macro-perforated (6 mm in diameter). All the samples were stored at 4°C for 15 days. The benefits of small packages (consumer packs), were evaluated through chemical (Total Soluble Solid content, Titratable Acidity and ph), visual (colur intensity, surface shine, firmness by touch, intensity of odour and overall appearance) and sensory (crispness, sweet taste, acidic taste, total flavour and overall appreciation) evaluation. The berries packaged in micro-perforated (1 mm in diameter) and non-perforated film maintained better quality attributes (high T.S.S. content and titratble acidity) throughout the cold storage. The non-perforated film maintained also berry crispness and a good intensity of flavour. Non and micro-perforated packaging films gave the best results, and appeared to be a feasible practice in order to ensure good quality during medium-term storage of blueberries. Moreover non-perforated film treatment was the only treatment that reduced in little or no significant pathogen-induced decay during cold storage.