Abstract:
Curry leaves tree (Murraya koenigii L.) is a popular leafy spice and a leafy
vegetable used in Sri Lanka and many other countries, except its usage for medicinal
purposes due to phytochemicals present in the plant. Even though it is a very useful
and commonly used herb, the freshness and the post-harvest shelf life under ambient
condition is around for two days which is a huge limitation for marketing. Modified
atmospheric packaging (MAP) has used as an effectivemethod to extend the shelf life
of fresh commodities including leafy vegetables. Hence, this experiment was planned
to evaluate the effectiveness of MAP on post-harvest shelf life of Curry leaves.
Experimental treatments were perforated and non-perforated low density
polyethylene bags with gauge 150 (38 micron) and 300 (75 micron) where control
samples without package. Thirty gram bundles of fresh curry leaves were used per
each treatment. Leaf color values (L*, a* and b*), leaf defoliation percentage,
physiological weight loss, chlorophyll content, total carotene content and visual
observations were used as measurements. Control samples existed only for 2 days
where completely dried out at 3 day of storage. Irrespective of the thickness, perforated rd
polyethylene packages extended the shelf life for 4 days. Sealed polyethylene of
thickness 75 micron showed one day of storage life where it produce unpleasant odor
at 2 day of storage. Sealed polyethylene thickness of 38 micron extended the shelf nd
life up to 6 days which was 200% increment of storage period.At6%defoliation level,
samples were considered as unmarketable and end of storage life.
