Sampling took place with a hypodermic needle through a septum pasted on the packaging film. The CO2 and O2 production rate of unpackaged control chillies was measured by placing the chillies in an air tight container (PET jar) and the changes in the head space were measured using a PBI Dansensor CO2/O2
analyzer. For determining the respiration rate, concentration of CO2 inside the packets was checked at every 1 min intervals over a period of 2 h