Effect of modified atmosphere packaging on shelf life and quality of fresh-cut pineapple

Introduction

The Thai fresh-cut fruit category has expanded from under THB 2.8 billion in 2017 to nearly THB 14 billion in 2023, driven by organised retail, modern urban lifestyles, and the proliferation of quick-commerce delivery platforms [1,5] . Pineapple ranks among the top three fresh-cut fruits in retail rotation, combining year-round availability, appealing colour, and a flavour profile that survives portioning better than many competing tropical fruits [3,11] . But the convenience of a ready-to-eat cube also amplifies the quality-loss challenge: cutting exposes tissue, accelerates respiration, releases cellular fluid, creates new entry points for microbial contamination, and shortens shelf life from weeks to days [2,7] . Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) manages this problem by altering the gas composition inside the pack. Elevated CO₂ suppresses aerobic respiration and microbial growth, reduced O₂ slows oxidative browning and enzymatic degradation, while retaining some O₂ prevents anaerobic fermentation and off-flavour development [4,9,12] . The optimal gas mixture is not universalit depends on commodity, cut geometry, storage temperature, and target shelf-life window. For pineapple, published recommendations span a wide range, from 5% O₂ + 10% CO₂ in balance N₂ up to 50% CO₂ with variable O₂ [6,13,17] . Recent work has suggested that high-O₂ atmospheres above 30% may outperform conventional low-O₂ designs for several cut fruits by triggering a hermetic antimicrobial response [10,14,18] . This idea has been tested for mango, papaya, and strawberry but direct comparative data for fresh-cut pineapple under a high-O₂, high-CO₂ regime are scarce. The present research filled that gap by evaluating three distinct MAP configurations against an ambient-air control across sixteen days of refrigerated storage, with comprehensive quality, microbial, and sensory tracking. Technology, Prachuap Khiri Khan, between August 2023 and January 2024 at commercial colour-break maturity (Stage 3, 30-50% yellow shell colour). Fruits were transported under 25 °C ambient conditions to the processing laboratory, where they were washed, dipped in 100 ppm chlorinated water for 2 minutes, rinsed with cold potable water, and drained. The crown, core, and skin were manually removed and the flesh cut into uniform 2 × 2 × 2 cm cubes using a stainless-steel dicing board sanitised between batches. Each experimental pack contained 150 g of freshly cut cubes placed in a polyamide-polyethylene laminate tray (gas transmission rate 12 cm³/m²/day for O₂) and sealed with a polyester-based lidding film under the required gas composition using a tabletop MAP sealing unit. Four regimes were prepared: C (ambient air, control), MAP-1 (70% N₂ + 30% CO₂), MAP-2 (50% N₂ + 30% CO₂ + 20% O₂), and MAP-3 (30% O₂ + 70% CO₂).

Materials and Methods

Materials

Methods

Packs were stored at 4 ± 1 °C and sampled on days 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16, with three packs per regime per sampling point. Firmness was measured using a Magness-Taylor probe (8 mm) on a universal testing machine. Colour was recorded on five randomly selected cubes per pack using a spectrophotometer calibrated with white and black standards. Weight loss was calculated gravimetrically. TSS was measured by digital refractometer, titratable acidity by titration to pH 8.1 with 0.1 N NaOH, and vitamin C by the dichlorophenolindophenol method. Total plate count and yeast-mould count were determined by standard pour-plate methods. Headspace gas composition inside the pack was measured by gas chromatography before opening. Sensory evaluation used a 12-member trained panel on a nine-point hedonic scale. Statistical analysis applied two-way ANOVA (packaging × time) with Tukey's HSD at p < 0.05.

System Design and Headspace Engineering

The MAP system was designed around two engineering parameters: target gas composition at pack closure and film permeability. Target atmospheres were generated by sequentially flushing packs with pure nitrogen, then introducing CO₂ and O₂ to achieve the specified ratios measured by an in-line gas analyser (±0.5% accuracy). The polyamide-polyethylene laminate was selected for its low O₂ transmission rate (12 cm³/m²/day) and moderate CO₂ transmission rate (38 cm³/m²/day), producing a permeability ratio that permits gradual drift toward an equilibrium atmosphere under pineapple respiration load. The pack geometry (750 cm³ internal volume, 150 g product) gave a gas-to-product ratio of 3.7within the range recommended for respiring horticultural produce at 4 °C [9,14] . Headspace was sampled through a rubber septum using a 250 µL gas-tight syringe, and the drift from initial to measured composition over storage was monitored to detect pack integrity failures.

Results

MAP treatments retained pineapple quality better than the ambient-air control across every measured attribute. The differences between MAP regimes were most evident from day 8 onward.

Discussion

The main findings of this research can be distilled into three points: MAP-3 (30% O₂ + 70% CO₂) provided the strongest quality retention, the high-O₂ atmosphere did not accelerate oxidative browning as might have been expected from classical MAP theory, and the microbial suppression achieved under MAP-3 was stronger than either of the lower-O₂ regimes. The first point aligns with reports by Oms-Oliu and colleagues for fresh-cut melon [4] and by Gonzalez-Aguilar et al. for fresh-cut papaya [15] , both of which identified elevated-CO₂ regimes as producing superior retention of firmness and microbial quality.

The non-result on browning was somewhat surprising given earlier work on fresh-cut apple and potato linking high-O₂ atmospheres to accelerated polyphenol oxidase activity [8,10] . Pineapple appears to behave differently, with its predominantly yellow tissue pigments derived from carotenoids rather than phenolic precursors susceptible to enzymatic browning [6,17] . The superior microbial suppression under MAP-3 likely reflects the combined oxidative stress of high O₂ and the metabolic inhibition of high CO₂a hermetic mechanism also reported for freshcut mango [14] . The broader implication is that the conventional assumption of low-O₂ plus moderate-CO₂ is not a universal optimum for fresh-cut products, and commodity-specific atmosphere design based on respiration physiology, pigment chemistry, and dominant spoilage flora is likely to outperform generic recommendations.

Conclusion

The main contribution of this research is a direct comparative evaluation of four packaging regimes for freshcut pineapple over a 16-day cold-storage window, with MAP-3 (30% O₂ + 70% CO₂) identified as the optimal configuration for commercial retail. Across firmness, colour, weight loss, TSS, vitamin C, microbial load, and sensory acceptability, MAP-3 outperformed the two lower-O₂ MAP regimes and the ambient-air control. The supporting evidence rests on three independent replicates per regime per time point, gas-composition verification at both pack closure and opening, and triangulation across physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory measurements.

The field significance is direct: the recommendation offers fresh-cut pineapple processors a validated atmosphere design that extends retail shelf life from the current industry norm of 4-6 days to a commercially useful 12-16 day window. This extension supports national distribution from pineapple-growing clusters in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chiang Rai, and the eastern seaboard to metropolitan retail markets across Thailand. Several open questions warrant follow-up research: whether the MAP-3 atmosphere holds up under thermal abuse scenarios common in retail display, whether the same regime translates successfully to other tropical fresh-cuts (papaya, mango), and whether the high-O₂ atmosphere introduces any sensory drift during extended storage that a future trained panel should be alert to.

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