USE OF ACTIVE PACKAGING FILLED WITH ANION SALICYLATE TO PRESERVE THE SHELF-LIFE OF SEEDLESS TABLE GRAPE

Table grape is a non-climacteric fruit highly appreciated by consumers for its pleasant sensory attributes and high nutritional value. Unfortunately, this fruit is considerably perishable during postharvest handling due to mechanical damage, water loss and microbial decay. Active packaging is an innovative approach among traditional postharvest technologies. It is a package incorporated with antimicrobial or/and antioxidant substances that interact with the food by releasing or absorbing these substances inside the package; it avoids rapid decay and prolongs the storability of the product. It could be a valid tool to increase the shelf-life and preserve the quality of table grape. Thus, in this research work, an active packaging based on PET coated with a Layered Double Hydroxide (LDH) filled with the antimicrobial 2-acetoxybenzoic anion (salicylate) was prepared and characterized. Then, seedless table grape (CV Egnathia) was packed into active (Active Tray) or non-active (Tradition Tray) packaging and stored under thermal stress conditions (20 °C) for 7 days. During storage, decay of table grape was evaluated on the base of a 1 to 5 rating scale (1=no decay; 2=slight decay, but product saleable, <2% affected; 3=moderate decay, product useable but not saleable, <5% affected; 4=moderately severe, <15% affected; and 5=severe, unusable). As result, the Active Tray showed a significant inhibition of mold development (slight decay, but product saleable) compared to the Tradition Tray (moderate decay, product not-saleable), keeping the samples marketable until the end of storage