Influence of Different Packaging Materials on Biochemical Parameters and Overall Acceptability of Kinnow Mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) during Ambient Storage
Lakshay Kumar
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana-122505, India.
Rajesh Mor
*
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana-122505, India.
Preeti Singh
Department of Natural Resource management, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana-122505, India.
Manjeet
Department of Social Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana-122505, India.
Kanika
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana-122505, India.
Rakhi Yadav
Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, SGT University, Gurugram, Haryana-122505, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of different packaging materials on the biochemical characteristics and overall acceptability of Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) under ambient storage conditions. The investigation was conducted at the Horticulture Laboratory, SGT University, Gurugram, during the 2025–2026 academic year. Uniformly sized, healthy fruits were subjected to nine packaging treatments, including newspaper, brown paper, nylon net bags, plastic crates, shrink film, low-density polyethylene (LDPE; 25 µm), gunny bags, high-density polyethylene (HDPE; 25 µm) and corrugated fibreboard boxes, alongside an unpackaged control. Total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total sugars, reducing and non-reducing sugars, ascorbic acid and overall acceptability were assessed at 0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 days of storage. Shrink-film packaging (T5) produced the smallest relative increase in total soluble solids (5.98%) and the lowest total sugar content (6.18%) after 16 days. It also retained the highest titratable acidity (0.73%), ascorbic acid content (23.64 mg/100 g pulp) and overall acceptability score (8.42). In comparison, control fruits (T0) had total soluble solids of 13.13 °Brix, total sugars of 7.61%, titratable acidity of 0.65%, ascorbic acid content of 21.22 mg/100 g pulp and an overall acceptability score of 7.49. LDPE and HDPE packaging also showed favourable retention of several quality attributes. These results suggest that shrink-film packaging can help maintain the measured biochemical and sensory characteristics of Kinnow mandarin over 16 days of ambient storage.
Keywords: Kinnow mandarin, Citrus reticulata, postharvest quality, ambient storage, packaging materials, shrink film, low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, biochemical changes, sensory acceptability