EXTENDING SHELF LIFE: ETHYLENE ADSORPTION PACKAGING STATEGIES FOR PRODUCE TRANSPORT

Historically how to preserve and store food for consumption when there might be a food shortage has given birth to such packaging innovations as using glass, wooden barrels and cans to protect and later transport food. The invention of the cardboard box at the end of the 19th century and the invention and discovery of plastic and polyethylene in the 1920s and1930s opened up a new era in protecting and transporting foods. The ongoing drive to find new technologies for preserving and transporting food has changed our lives significantly from one where we consumed what was available nearby to a world where out-of-season or exotic foods can be found year round at any neighborhood market. Growers, packers, distributors and retailers of food are challenged on a daily basis to find the most efficient ways to conserve our food resources and minimize loss. more