Modified Atmosphere Packaging of tomatoes; controlling gas and humidity

Modified atmosphere (MA) packaging technology is a modern technique of which the application is steadily growing. Its essence is to reduce the decay of perishable produce by creating a special atmosphere around the produce. The MA factors influencing the quality behaviour of the produce are oxygen concentration, carbon dioxide concentration and relative humidity. A MA model calculates the oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations inside the package. A modified humidity (MH) model calculates the humidity inside the package. Aspects determined by the packaging concept, such as dimensions, gas and water vapour permeation characteristics, the presence of water adsorption materials, are input parameters of the MA and MH models. A physical model has been derived for the water sorption by an additional water adsorber in the package. The description of the produce is based on the biochemical description of respiration and a physical description for the water loss. The results of the model calculation are in good agreement with the experimental food data. The MA and MH models can be developed independently. However, a combination of the MAP and MHP models results in a full description of the packages.