Consumer’s demand for sweet cherry has increased due to its sweet taste, attractive colour
and high amounts of antioxidants. However, the fruit is highly perishable with a limited
shelf life of 7–10 days, and in some cases fails to reach the consumer at optimal quality after
being transported to the market. Loss of firmness, colour and flavour, stem discoloration,
desiccation and mould growth limit their shelf life over extended periods of time. The
harvest time, cultivar, handling, cooling practices and packaging greatly influence the shelf
life of cherries. Developments in packaging e.g. modified atmosphere packaging have
shown promising results in extending the shelf life of fresh produce including fresh
cherries. Properly designed modified atmosphere packs can be exploited to prevent moisture
loss, fungal growth, discoloration of pigments, and loss of bioactives during post-harvest
storage. The article intends to review the critical factors that play an important role in
determining the shelf life of sweet cherries. The combinations of modified atmosphere
packaging with active packaging principles would further help to maintain the optimal
quality of fresh cherries. This would further allow industries to assess long distance markets
with high quality fruits.
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