Innovative Packaging of Fruits and Vegetables: Strategies for Safety and Quality Maintenance

This forthcoming volume,Innovative Packaging of Fruits and Vegetables: Strategies for Safety and Quality Maintenance, addresses the challenges of the short shelf-life of fruits and vegetables. Innovative packaging technologies are the most promising strategies for overcoming these limitations. The book will provide a host of sustainable packaging solutions that deliver protection, branding, consumer attractiveness, and speed to market in a competitive retail environment.
Many new packaging technologies were developed to maintain the quality and freshness of the products, thus extending the shelf-life, reducing the food losses, and facilitating commercialization and export. Extending the shelf life by just three to four days by using an innovative packaging prevents large amounts of these perishables from spoiling during transportation and handling. When stored in an optimal atmosphere, their metabolism slows down, thus the produce remains fresh and crunchy.
Innovative packaging solutions include gas controllers that can be incorporated in the packaging materials to delay senescence. Intelligent packaging, such as freshness or time-temperature indicators, monitors product quality and safety and enhances the marketing of the packaged fruits and vegetables. These new technologies require specific knowledge and appropriate training/understanding for rational in selecting the most suitable packaging for each product and intended use.