Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) being highly perishable is
susceptible to rapid water loss after harvest leading to
diminished quality. This study evaluated the efficacy of
activebag® which is a new modified atmosphere packaging
(MAP) product in the Kenyan market. Fruits harvested at 60-65
and 75-80 days after anthesis were either packaged in
activebag® or ordinary polyethene bags and allowed to ripen
under ambient room conditions. MAP maintained the quality of
fruits harvested at both stages of maturity and prolonged their
shelf life by at least 14 days compared to the unpackaged
controls. Packaging significantly slowed weight loss, which was
lower at 7% compared to the unpackaged controls that lost up to
26% of the weight. Both MAP packages reduced ethylene
production and respiration rate and slowed other
physicochemical changes associated with passion fruit ripening.
Although the ordinary polythene bag packaging prolonged the
fruits’ shelf life compared to unpackaged control, their positive
effect was negated by high incidence of rotting evident after 14
days of storage. These results indicate that use of activebag®
can prolong the shelf life by maintaining quality attributes and
external appearance of purple passion fruits and hence extend
their marketing period.