4. Conclusions
Although CA and MAP are not recommended for storage of whole green and red peppers, marked benefits could be obtained in FC bell peppers. Storage under 5 kPa O2 + 5 kPa CO2 was highly effective to reduce ion leakage, control soft rots, delay softening and maintain lower metabolic activity. CA stored red pepper strips also maintained in lower counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds. Storage under 5 kPa O2 + 5 kPa CO2 resulted in no negative alterations in fruit color, sugars acidity or antioxidant capacity. Atmospheres with 15 kPa CO2 damaged both green and red fruit and should not be used for FC peppers. Although similar atmosphere combinations are usually recommended for FC peppers regardless of the ripening stage, results showed that red strips were less tolerant to CO2 enrichment in the range of 5–10 kPa CO2 and to O2 reductions below 5 kPa. This may be useful for the development of MAP in the FC pepper industry.