STUDY THE EFFECT OF PACKAGING AND PRE-PACKAGING TREATMENTS ON SHELF LIFE AND QUALITY OF MINIMALLY PROCESSED FRESH GARLIC

Minimally processed fresh garlic (whole and sliced) is gaining popularity in the  market of fresh produce. Processing not only add value to the product, but also makes it more convenient to the consumers. The effect of packaging materials, e.g. polypropylene thick (PPH), polypropylene thin (PPL) & polyethylene (PE) and dipping treatments, e.g. hydrogen peroxide solution (0.2%), potassium permanganate (0.02%) & citric acid (2%) on the quality of minimally processed garlic was investigated. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) heads of Improved Balady variety were used. Whole and sliced dehulled cloves were dipped in different dipping solutions and packaged in different pouches and stored in refrigerator at 4°C. Weight loss, TSS, pH, microbiological and sensory attributes were studied. The data indicated that the mean values of weight loss for fresh whole and fresh cut garlic gloves packaged in PPH were lower than those of other packaging materials. The mean values of TSS for fresh whole garlic packaged using PPH and PPL showed same values for hydrogen peroxide and potassium permanganate treatments, 26.0 and 26.25, respectively, whereas the mean value of TSS for fresh cut garlic packaged in PPH was higher than those packaged in PE and PPL after 18 days of storage. The mean values for microbial counts of fresh whole garlic treated with potassium permanganate (0.02%) were lower than those treated with hydrogen peroxide (0.2%). While, the mean values of fresh cut garlic treated with citric acid (2%) were lower than that other tested dipping solutions. packaging materials and dipping solutions of fresh whole and fresh cut garlic  did not cause any clear effect on  studied sensory attributes. The polypropylene thick (PPH) showed better results in comparison with other packaging materials for both fresh dehulled whole and sliced garlic during storage. The potassium permanganate (0.02%) was the best dipping treatment for fresh whole garlic while citric acid (2%) was the best dipping treatment for fresh cut garlic.