Increasing the shelf- life of papaya through vacuum packing.

The main objective of this study was to increase the shelf life of fruits through vacuum packing. Papaya fruits were pretreated with waxing, oil application, purafil packets, tissue paper wrapping given along with control and were packed in 150 gauge thickness polyethylene film bags under vacuum and another set of these samples under without vacuum. The fruits were then stored at room and refrigerated temperature and analyzed for chemical changes. Results showed that the shelf life of the fruits increased under vacuum packing with room and refrigeration temperatures for one and four weeks respectively. The fruits packed without any pretreatment in 150 gauge polyethylene bags maintained the quality with minimum changes followed by waxing, purafil and oil application. During storage moisture, acidity, Vitamin C and total sugar decreased whereas reducing sugar and total soluble solids (TSS) increased during storage. The sensory qualities declined with the period of storage and temperature differences. The study concluded that vacuum packaging and refrigeration conditions increased the shelf life of the papaya fruits.