PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of a medium concentration-ozone treatment in maintaining the quality of freshness of ''Daw'' longan packed in different types of packaging materials. For fumigation with ozone gas, a batch size of 3 kg of longan fruit was fumigated for 5 minutes at a concentration of 4,000 ppm. The longan was then packed in three different types of packaging- polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and wrap film (WF), and was then stored at 5C for a shelf life of up to 36 days. Non-ozonated longan was kept as a control. The results showed that as storage time lengthened, the longan became more susceptible to disease incidences, pericarp browning, and weight loss under all treatments. During storage, the longan slightly changed in its firmness although there was no significant difference (p≥0.05) among the three different types of packaging. The ozonated longan stored in PE, PP, WF, and those with no-packaging had more L* and b* values and a longer shelf life, than those of the control. Among the three different types of packaging, the ozone fumigated longan stored in PE yielded the longest storage time with a shelf life of up to 36 days; an extended 140% longer shelf life as compared to the control.