International Journal of Horticulture, 2017, Vol.7, No. 8, 54-63
55
Postharvest losses due to inappropriate packaging are very high. Despite of great potentiality for production, at
present 99.0% of the apple fruits in the market are imported from China and India. To replace import, Nepal has
to develop its own packaging and transportation mechanism. Apple growers of Nepal have not been receiving
anticipated level of income because of higher postharvest loss due to inappropriate traditional postharvest
handling practices. Large amount of fruit losses occurs after harvest and minimizing this loss could save over
25.0% of produce (Gurung, 1998). Gautam et al. (2004) reported that 58.2% apple fruits damage during
harvesting, handling, transportation and distribution due to inadequate postharvest handling technology. All the
apple production areas are located in the higher hills, from where usually the fruits are harvested and transported
to collection centers on conical bamboo baskets by the porters and thereafter to distance market in different CFB
boxes and gunny sacks. Fruits bruise easily due to scratch, compression, impact and vibration forces during
transportation also lead to the damages. The damages may not be apparent and visible to naked eyes immediately
after transport; however become visible after storage. Moreover scratches and wounds created during transport are
the avenue for the entry of microorganism for the development of disease and rotting. Thus damaged fruits have
short storage life as compared to undamaged healthy fruits.
In Nepal, present packaging system for apple fruit is unsuitable and unscientific. The use of traditional forms of
packages like bamboo baskets; reused Beer cartons, noodle cartons, Chinese apple cartons and gunny sacks are
still prevalent which are not convenient containers for packaging, handling, transporting and marketing of fresh
apple for distant market. Rough surface and sharp edge of bamboo baskets cause bruising and scaring;
inconvenience in handling and stacking during transportation.
Among different packaging containers, CFB boxes are capable of withstanding various shipping and
transportation hazards (impact, compression and vibration damages, moisture, etc.), attractive, light weight;
provide cushioning and good stacking strength and excellent cushioning for product protection, offers better
retention of shelf life, quality of product and better printability which helps in efficient marketing (Salunkhe et al.,
1995). One of the important functions of CFB boxes is to provide crush resistance / product protection and
adequate strength for stacking in warehouses. The use of CFB boxes is being made to limited extent in Nepal.
Some traders and cooperatives have initialed to use CFB boxes for packaging and transportation of apple to long
distance market; however packaging containers and packaging methods have not been standardized yet. Apple
growers, cooperatives and traders still use 3 ply Beer cartons and 7 ply CFB boxes of 20 kg capacity
recommended by Fruit Development Directorate of Department of Agriculture (FDD) to pack and transport apples.
At present, nearest cold storage is located in
Kohalpur
,
Banke, Nepal
which is far from the production site. Fruits
are usually stored in cold storage by traders and released periodically for marketing. Postharvest brushing damage
of apple fruits is a serious problem for growers. To overcome this problem, research has been undertaken to
identify appropriate packaging materials for transportation of apple fruits from the production center to the distant
market and thereafter on storage in a prime form and fresh condition so that bruising process can be managed or
controlled more effectively.
2 Material and Methods
Studies were carried out for two consecutive years (2013-2014) to identify appropriate packaging material for
transportation of Red Delicious apple from HRS,
Rajikot
,
Jumla
,
Nepal
to
Kohalpur
,
Banke
,
Nepal
. Fruits were
harvested at commercial maturity stage from HRS,
Rajikot
,
Jumla
(2390 m a.s.l., 29°17’N, 82°13’E) and
transported to
Kohalpur
,
Banke, Nepal
in different types of CFB boxes. To compare with conventional and other
methods, two existing practices were also included as treatments; these were 7 ply CFB box of 20 kg capacity
recommended by FDD and 3 ply Beer carton as local practice (two plies of cardboard papers and one ply of fluted
paper glutted alternately. Six different types of 10 kg capacity CFB boxes (300 mm x 250 mm x 295 mm) having
different plies with different bursting strength were manufactured at Sahara packaging private limited,
Jorpati,
Kathmandu, Nepal
. They were; 5 ply CFB boxes (two outer plies and one intermediate ply of cardboard papers,
two plies of fluted paper glutted alternately) with 140 psi, 160 psi, 180 psi bursting strength, 7 ply CFB boxes
(two outer plies and two intermediate plies of cardboard papers, three plies of fluted papers glutted alternately)
with 140 psi, 160 psi, 180 psi bursting strength. To compare with conventional and other methods, two existing
