Evaluation of vacuum containers for consumer storage of fruits and vegetables

Plastic containers, capable of being evacuated to 50 kPa, were investigated for maintaining quality of fruits and vegetables. Celery, lettuce, broccoli, grapes, green beans, melon, and strawberry were kept at 4°C, broccoli, okra and tomato were kept at 8°C in vacuum containers and in conventional, sealed, plastic food containers. For each produce item, similar concentrations of carbon dioxide accumulated in each container type. After sealing containers for 3 days oxygen fell below 5 kPa for strawberry, okra and broccoli in conventional containers and for all types of produce in vacuum containers. The color of produce in vacuum containers was usually darker (lower L value) and less saturated (lower chroma) than in conventional containers. A higher proportion of strawberry fruits were infected by fungi in vacuum containers than in conventional. Water soaked lesions appeared on green beans kept in vacuum containers. Okra in vacuum showed less darkening of seeds than in conventional containers. Overall the vacuum containers showed little advantage over conventional containers for the types of produce tested. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.