Modeling Respiration of Apple Slices in Modified‐Atmosphere Packages

Modified‐atmosphere packaging was used to provide respiratory data for apple ( Malus xdomestica Borkh.) slices at 0, 5, 10 and 15°C. The maximum rate of O 2 uptake increased with increasing temperature. The lowest O 2 partial pressure to which fruit could be exposed without fermentation also increased with increasing temperature. A mathematical model of film permeability data characterized the effect of fruit mass, film permeability to O 2 , activation energy of O 2 permeation, temperature, and the film type, area, and thickness on O 2 partial pressure for hermetically packaged apple slices. The model identified a minimum (fruit mass filmthickness)/(film area) ratio for apple slices, which would simplify package design calculations.