within polyethylene film liners to a large extent and also in
wooden crates in some areas. Shrink packaging in plastic
punnets is also carried out which affects the texture of fresh
cherries to a large extent. The boxes are stacked to a pallet and
the removal of heat under these conditions is very slow.
Boxing and palletizing creates barriers that result in widely
different gas atmospheres and the chances of spoilage are
higher. Recently, Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of
cherries has been used and widely studied to enhance the
shelf life and reduce post harvest losses.