Comparison of reusable and single‐use plastic and paper shipping containers for distribution of fresh pineapples

This paper presents the effects of different packaging systems and fruit orientation on bruising and pre‐cooling time of pineapples during distribution. The package types studied were reusable plastic containers, single‐use paper corrugated containers and plastic foam containers (FCs). Simulated vibration tests were performed to evaluate the shipping containers on their protective performances. After the vibration tests, pineapples were evaluated for bruise damage and decay during storage for 5 days. Pineapple fleshes were also evaluated for bruise volume and changes in colour, firmness, total soluble solids content (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) after storage of 5 days. Bruise damage was more intense as the storage time increased. Package types had significant effects (p ≤ 0.05) on bruise damage of pineapples. The corrugated containers showed the best protective performance for pineapples, while the FCs showed the worst. The corrugated containers with paperboard partitions showed the lowest damage levels as compared to other package types studied. Foam‐net cushion reduced bruise damage of pineapples. L values and firmness of pineapple flesh were highly associated with degree of bruising. The results suggested that slight bruising on the skin may signify severe bruising on the flesh and bruising accelerated decay in pineapples. Orientation did not show a significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) on bruising. The highest pre‐cooling rates were observed in the reusable plastic containers, while the slowest rates were observed in the single‐use paper containers. The results indicated that careful handling in the proper packaging with optimum cushion can minimize bruise damage and decay of pineapples after shipments. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.