Packaging of fresh-cut onion with biodegradable film and determination of shelf life

In this thesis, samples from 10x10 mm chopped cubes and onions washed with 75 ppm peracetic acid solution were used for the determination of shelf lifes. Onion samples were packaged in two different ways, namely passive and active, by using three types of packaging films manufactured abroad, which are declared to be biodegradable and suitable for packaging fresh fruits and vegetables. To determine the shelf life of the packaged samples, 4±1°C was selected for the cold storage and 13°C as the shelf temperature used in markets. Relative humidity for the warehouse was selected as %80-85. In the initial phase of the two stage research is the determination of the main polymer material by applying FTIR analysis to packaging films. FTIR analysis revealed that two of the films are polypropylene (PP) based and the other one was found to be polyethylene (PP) based. Futhermore, biodegradability test was applied to films and it has been identified that the films are non biodegradable. On the final stage, to determine the shelf life of the samples, physical, chemical, microbiological and sensory analyzes were applied periodically and the results were evaluated. As a result of the study; the shelf life for fresh and chopped onions ready for consumption is determined as six days for polypropylene based (PP_1 and PP_2) films. However, for polyethylene based (PE_1) films, a significant quality losses has seen after three days of storage and these losses increased steadily during storage.