Low temperature and controlled atmosphere storage of rambutan

Abstract

Three cultivars of rambutan (Nephilium lappaceum L.) were cool-stored for 25 days at 0 to 20°C. Deterioration in skin colour was the primary limiting factor to shelf-life at lower temperatures, whereas eating quality limited storage at higher temperatures. Under normal atmospheres, maximum shelf-life for cvs. R162, Jit Lee and R156 was attained at 7.5°C (15 days), 10°C (13 days) and 10°C (11–12 days), respectively. Cv. R162 appeared more chill-tolerant than cvs. Jit Lee or R156. Chilling injury was characterised by a dark-maroon coloration of the skin in cvs. R162 and Jit Lee (red cultivars) and bronzing in cv. R156 (yellow cultivar). Storage of cv. R162 under enhanced carbon dioxide (9–12%) retarded colour loss and extended shelf-life by 4–5 days. Reduced oxygen (3%) or low levels of ethylene (5 ppm) did not significantly effect the rate of colour loss. Objective measurements of colour (L*a*b*) were highly correlated to subjective skin colour quality assessment. Colour quality of cvs. Jit Lee and R162 was best correlated to value (r2 = 0.91 and 0.90, respectively) while cv. R156 was highly correlated to both and values (r2 = 0.91).