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Determination of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Gas Transmission Rates

 of Mango (Mangifera indica L. cv ‘Carabao’) Peel Using Exponential Decay Method and Respiration Mass Balance

Fidelina T. Flores1, Kevin F. Yaptenco2, and Edralina P. Serrano3

 ABSTRACT

The quality of the commodity should be maintained during handling, storage and transport. Commodities undergo series of physiological processes like respiration, transpiration, and ethylene production which could affect the quality and market value of products.  One important factor that could affect these physiological processes is the exchange of gases between the commodity and the environment. Exchange of gases is affected by commodity characteristics like maturity, storage conditions and the permeability of the packaging material.   Diffusion barriers like the peel of the fruit and the packaging material restrict movement of gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide to cells in fruits. Two methods of determining the oxygen and carbon dioxide transmission rates (O2TR and CO2TR) of mango (Mangifera indica L.) peel were done. The first method was the Exponential Decay Method of Gas Transmission Rate of Films by Moyls (1992) where a modified Fick’s law relates the gas transmission rate with the partial pressure inside and outside a gas chamber. The other method was the respiration rate mass balance where the internal gas concentration within the fruit was measured. The results of the two methods showed that overmature fruits at 27°C had the highest O2TR and CO2TR (1.64 mLO2/cm2-hr and 4.74 mLCO2/cm2-hr for Method 1 and 1.26 mLO2/cm2-hr and 3.85 mLCO2/cm2-hr for Method 2) while immature fruit at 14°C had the lowest O2TR and CO2TR (1.10 mLO2/cm2-hr – 3.32 mLCO2/cm2-hr for Method 1 and 0.72 mLO2/cm2-hr and 2.36 mLCO2/cm2-hr for Method 2). Results also showed that storing the fruits at low temperature decreased the gas transmission rate between the fruit and the environment; and that the difference of the gas transmission rate values between the two methods was significant.

 

 Keywords — oxygen transmission rate, carbon dioxide transmission rate, respiration rate mass balance, internal gas, fruit peel

1Assistant Professor 1, Agricultural and Bio-Process Division, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 College, Laguna, Philippines

2Professor 2, Agricultural and Bio-Process Division, Institute of Agricultural Engineering, College of Engineering and Agro-Industrial Technology, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 College, Laguna, Philippines

3Adjunct Professor, Institute of Crop Science, College of Agriculture and Food Science, University of the Philippines Los Baños, 4031 College, Laguna, Philippines

Citation:

Flores, F.T., Yaptenco, K.F., and Serrano, E.P. (2019). Determination of Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Gas Transmission Rates of Mango (Mangifera indica L. cv ‘Carabao’) Peel Using Exponential Decay Method and Respiration Mass Balance.  Philippine Journal of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, (15):63-74.