Modeling of Respiration Rate of Fresh Date Fruits (Barhi Cultivar) Under Aerobic Conditions

There is a demand to utilize modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) for prolonging shelf life of fresh date fruits (Barhi cultivar at Khalal stage of maturity). Barhi fruits are good source of fiber, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins and have a sweet taste and popular in marketing. Respiration of the produce with proper gas exchange through the packaging films can create a modified atmosphere inside a package that can be utilized to extend the shelf life of fresh dates at Khalal stage of maturity. Modeling of respiration rate is a crucial tool to design a proper modified atmosphere packaging system of fresh dates. The present study was conducted to determine the respiration rate of fresh Dates (Barhi cultivar) fruits in a closed system at temperatures 1, 5, 15 and 25 °C, and to develop and test a mathematical model for predicting the respiration rate of the date fruits as a function of O2 and CO2 concentrations, time, and storage temperature. The respiration data corresponding to different temperatures indicated that rise in temperature increased the respiration rate. However, respiration rates were found to decrease with time in the range of temperatures examined. This could be attributed to the decrease in O2 and proportional increase in CO2 as the time progress. A mathematical model was developed based on the respiration data measured and calculated at different temperatures and time interval using the closed system method. The model showed good agreement with the experimentally data with R values above 0.973.