• KOREAN JOURNAL OF PACKAGING SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2013

The effects of chlorine dioxide gas ($ClO_2$) treatments between high-concentration-short-time and low-concentration-long-time on maintaining the quality of cherry tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv 'unicorn') were investigated. Tomatoes were treated with 5 ppm for 10 min and 10 ppm for 3 min as high-concentration-short-time $ClO_2$ gas treatment conditions and 1 ppm for once a day interval in terms of low-concentration-long-time $ClO_2$ gas treatment condition, respectively. After $ClO_2$ gas treatments, tomatoes were storage at 5 and $23^{\circ}C$ for 7 days. Weight loss, changes in tomato color, firmness, soluble solids content, pH, growth of total microorganism, and decay rate were evaluated. On day 7, tomatoes treated with chlorine dioxide gas showed low values of respiratory rate, total microbial growth, and decay rate compared to those of tomato without chlorine dioxide gas treatment. Additionally, tomatoes treated the chlorine dioxide were kept the values of firmness and soluble solids content during storage. However, chlorine dioxide gas treatment on tomatoes had no direct effect on weight loss, pH, and color. Results showed that both $ClO_2$ concentration and treatment time played the important roles for keeping the quality of tomatoes during storage. Tomatoes with chlorine dioxide gas treatment of low-concentration-long-time had more effective values of firmness, the total microbial growth, and decay rate than those with two chlorine dioxide gas treatments of high-concentration-short-time. Results suggest the potential use of chlorine dioxide gas treatment of low-concentration-long-time as an highly effective method for keeping the freshness of cherry tomato.