Eco friendly packages for freshness retention and shelf life extension of tuberose flower

Abstract

Tuberose is one among the important commercial flower crops popular for its pleasant fragrance in domestic as well as export market. Packaging material plays an important role in retention of freshness of tuberose flowers. At present, tuberose flowers are packaged in bulk in wet gunny bags and sold in whole sale market. For retail market, polyethylene covers are largely used for packaging of tuberose flowers which is not eco friendly. Hence, an attempt is made to standardise alternate eco friendly packages which will retain freshness and extend the shelf life of tuberose flowers. Experiments were conducted by packaging loose tuberose flowers (cv. Local Single) in areca nut sheath cup, banana leaf cup and peepal leaf cup. The samples were stored in both ambient (Temp 25-26°C, RH 52%) and low temperature (Temp 10p C, RH 86%). Periodical observations on colour index, freshness index and fragrance index were done using standard procedures. Studies revealed that arecanut sheath cup was found suitable for retail packaging of tuberose with higher freshness (82.26%), fragrance (71.21%), had shelf life upto 2 days in ambient storage condition when compared to flowers packaged in banana sheath cup and peepal cup which had less freshness and fragrance index in similar storage condition. In low temperature storage also tuberose flower packaged in areca nut sheath cup had higher freshness index (87.84), colour index (79.63) and fragrance index (71.21), as compared to flowers packaged in banana sheath cup and peepal leaf cup and shelf life of 7 days.