The effect of storage on the quality characteristics of dried fig under modified atmosphere packaging conditions

In this study, dried figs obtained from the commercial company operating in Aydın are packaged in 5 different gas compositions (normal atmosphere, 100% N2, 100% CO2, 75% CO2 + 20% N2 + 5% O2, 75% N2 + 20% CO2 + 5% O2) stored at 2 different temperatures (4 and 25⁰C) for a period of 9 months. During storage, moisture content, water activity, color, hardness, water-soluble dry matter (TSS), titration acidity, UV-absorbance and browning index, aflatoxin B1, glucose, fructose, and total phenolic contents, yeast, mold and total aerobic bacteria counts and sensory analyses were performed. As a result of the study, it was observed that the moisture and weight loss of figs could be reduced by storage at low temperatures. L (lightness) values of figs did not show a significant difference depending on the gas compositions and storage conditions, while a and b values increased with increasing storage temperature and time. Hardness values of the samples increased with storage time, the amount of total soluble solids (TSS) was increasing depending on the gas composition and storage temperature,Titration acidity values decreased with storage time, and the packages gas composition. The highest total phenolic content (TFC) (1.26 mg GAE / g KM) was in the samples packaged under normal atmosphere, and there was no significant difference among the samples packaged with other gas composition. Aflatoxin B1 values and microbial load of figs were below the legal limits. According to the organoleptic properties evaluation, the samples stored at 4°C had an acceptable (> 3) score in taste, sweetness, color change, wrinkling and hardness after 9 months of storage.