The effect of packaging treatment on the storage quality of minimally processed bunched onions

Storage quality of minimally processed (MP) bunched onions, as affected by plastic film packaging, was investigated to determine the optimum packing method for this vegetable product. Five different packaging treatments, including two passive modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), two active MAP and a moderate vacuum packaging (MVP), were used for MP bunched onions. Quality attributes of the samples were evaluated periodically in terms of weight loss, colour, decay ratio, microbial counts and sensory properties during storage at 10 °C for 28 days. Various sealed-packaging treatments did not significantly influence changes in colour of white stem and green leaf tissues, flesh weight loss and microbiological populations including mesophiles, psychrotrophs and lactic acid bacteria. However, sensory attributes and disease incidence were affected by packaging type. MVP with a gas-permeable plastic film retained better quality bunched onions, with reduced microbial decay and visual sensory aspects, as compared with the other packages.