Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165

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Journal of Food Engineering

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jfoodeng

A mathematical model for packaging with microperforated films

of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables
Jaime González-Buesa, Ana Ferrer-Mairal, Rosa Oria, María L. Salvador *
Laboratory of Vegetal Food, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013 Zaragoza, Spain

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: For the design of modified atmosphere packaging with microperforated films it is necessary to know the
Received 3 February 2009 respiratory kinetics of the product and the gas interchange through the packaging. The aim of this work
Received in revised form 22 April 2009 was to describe an empirical equation that relates the microperforation area with the transmission rate in
Accepted 25 April 2009
order to present a mathematical model, valid for packages of constant volume. The model should take
Available online 5 May 2009
into account the dependency of the respiration rate with the gas composition and the existence of a
hydrodynamic flow through the microperforations. The evolution of the gas composition inside the pack-
Keywords:
age predicted by the model has been compared with the results of experiments conducted at 4 °C with
MAP
Gas exchange
minimally processed peach (‘Andross’ and ‘Calante’ cultivars), fresh-cut cauliflower and whole black truf-
Respiration rate fle, by using seven packages of different number (0–14) and size (from 90  50 lm to 300  100 lm) of
Peach microperforations. The respiratory kinetics of these products was previously determined in a closed sys-
Cauliflower tem. It has been established that the rate of O2 consumption is a potential function of the O2 concentra-
Truffle tion, while the production of CO2 is linear, except in the case of the truffle which showed a linear
dependency for O2 and CO2. The experimental data and those predicted by the model showed a satisfac-
tory agreement for the O2, while the CO2 is underestimated for products with RQ < 1 but in agreement
when RQ > 1. The reason for this behaviour could be the CO2 concentration gradient within the package
owing to the air flow that moves to compensate pressure differences.
Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction for predicting the evolution of the gas composition during conser-
vation of the product.
Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of minimally processed Many of the early models developed for modified atmosphere
fruits and vegetables combined with cold storage are considered as packaging concentrated on the analysis of equilibrium atmo-
the best way to maintain sensory and microbiological quality of spheres (Mannapperuma et al., 1989; Emond et al., 1991; Cameron
fresh-cut produce (Kader et al., 1989; Philips, 1996). Low O2 and et al., 1994; Talasila et al., 1994). However, for minimally pro-
elevated CO2 atmospheres reduce the product respiration rate cessed products in particular, the time required to reach this equi-
(Watada et al., 1996), while the CO2 accumulation favours the inhi- librium can represent a significant percentage of their short useful
bition of microbial growth responsible for product deterioration life (7–9 days). Furthermore, in some circumstances the CO2 can
(Bennik et al., 1998). reach a maximum concentration different from that of equilibrium,
Modified atmosphere design (MAP) for fruit and vegetables is a especially if films with a high permeability quotient, b ¼ Q CO2 =Q O2 ,
complex task requiring an understanding of the dynamic interac- are used (Fishman et al., 1995; Salvador et al., 2002). The products
tions established between the product, the atmosphere generated are therefore subjected to CO2 concentrations higher than their tol-
within the package and the package itself (Yam and Lee, 1995). A erance limit, despite the fact that the concentrations in the equilib-
large number of variables should be integrated: the respiration rate rium might or might not be adequate.
of the product as a function of the temperature, the optimum gas As the use of perforated films became more widespread as an
composition and tolerance limits, gas transport through the pack- alternative to overcome the limitations of conventional polymeric
age depending on the temperature, gas exchange area, free volume, films, research works began to be published about the modelling of
weight of the product, etc. Mathematical models are useful tools gas exchange in this type of packaging. However, the majority of
for defining the characteristics that a package should have and these studies (Emond et al., 1991; Fishman et al., 1996; Fonseca
et al., 1996; Lange et al., 2000; Paul and Clarke, 2002) referred to
quite large perforations (from 0.2 up to 17 mm in diameter). The
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 976 762739; fax: +34 976 761612.
high respiration rate of minimally processed products requires
E-mail address: [email protected] (M.L. Salvador). much greater permeability than that provided by unperforated

0260-8774/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2009.04.025
 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165 159

Nomenclature

a1, a2 constants R gas constant (Pa m3 mol1 K1)

A film area (m2) Ri respiration rate expressed as consumption or produc-
Ah microperforation area (m2) tion of a gas i (m3 kg1 s1)
CO2 carbon dioxide concentration (%) RO2 respiration rate expressed as consumption of O2 (m3
d diameter of the microperforation (lm) kg1 s1)
Jfi transmission of gas i across the film (mol s1) RCO2 respiration rate expressed as production of CO2 (m3
Jhi flow of gas i through the holes (mol s1) kg1 s1)
Ji total permeation flow of gas i through the film (mol s1) t time (s)
Jp,i hydrodynamic flow of gas i (mol s1) T temperature (K)
L thickness of the film (m) TRi gas i transmission rate (m3 s1)
ni moles of gas i V free package volume (m3)
O2 oxygen concentration (%) W product mass (kg)
P pressure (Pa) k molecular mean free path (m)
pi partial pressure of gas i inside the package (Pa) l gas viscosity (Pa s1)
pi,out partial pressure of gas i outside the package (Pa) adjustable parameters: m, n, q, s
Qi gas i permeability coefficient of the polymeric film (m2
s1 Pa1)

films. In addition, perforated films have a permeability quotient hydrodynamic flow to compensate for the differences in pressure.
close to 1 (Brody, 2005) and this allows the required concentra- Finally, the experimentally measured evolution of the gas compo-
tions of CO2 to be reached without anaerobiosis, taking into ac- sitions in the interior of the packages is compared with those pre-
count that the respiration coefficient of the product can fluctuate dicted by the model.
between 0.7 and 1.3 (Kader, 1987). These factors justify the inter-
est in using perforated films. However, the size of the perforations
normally used in MAP is between 50 and 200 lm in diameter, 2. Material and methods
appreciably smaller than the sizes referred to above. The extrapo-
lation of predictions of gas transmission obtained with the sizes re- 2.1. Preparation of produce
ferred above to microperforations could lead to errors which
directly affect the composition of the package atmosphere. It is The two cultivars of peach, ‘Andross’ and ‘Calante’, were har-
therefore important to quantify the influence of the microperfora- vested at commercial maturity stage (soluble solids: 13.6 ± 1.7°
tion size, total exchange area, equivalent radius and film thickness Brix for ‘Andross’ and 11.4 ± 0.9° Brix for ‘Calante’; acidity:
on the gas transmission rate. In a previous work (González et al., 5.1 ± 0.1 g/L in ‘Andross’ and 6.1 ± 1.0 g/L in ‘Calante’; firmness in
2008), an empirical equation that relates the area of a microperfo- penetration test with cylindrical punch of 6 mm diameter:
ration with the transmission rate of oxygen and carbon dioxide 5.7 ± 1.0 kg cm2 for ‘Andross’ and 3.6 ± 0.4 kg cm2 for ‘Calante’).
was derived from experimental data. The results were compared Upon arrival at the laboratory they were refrigerated to a temper-
with other experimental data (Ghosh and Anantheswaran, 2001) ature of 0–1 °C, after which they were disinfected (100 ppm active
and with those predicted by five other models (Heiss, 1954; Beck- chlorine, 5 min) to reduce the surface microbial charge and left to
er, 1979; Emond et al., 1991; Fishman et al., 1996; Fonseca et al., drain for 10 min. The peaches were peeled with a semi-automatic
1996). The O2 and CO2 transmission rates predicted by the empir- peeler (Orange Peel model, Pelamatic). The stones were removed
ical equation were very close to those obtained with the modified with a manual corer, while a special Granton fruit knife was used
Fick’s equation in which the total diffusive pass length of a perfo- to cut them into 10–12 slices. They were immersed during 30
ration is considered as the sum of the perforation length and a cor- min in a cold bath (2 °C) containing 2% ascorbic acid, 1% citric acid
rection factor, which is approximately 0.5 times the diameter of and 1% calcium chloride. The segments were then immediately
the perforation. Unlike the other proposed equations, this equation drained cold on a sieve for 15 min.
can be used for a wide range of conditions (diameters between The cauliflower, Brassica oleracea var. Botrytis L. of the ‘Meridien’
40 lm and 10 mm, and thicknesses between 30 lm and 1.5 mm). cultivar, was supplied by a local distributor (Cooperativa San Lam-
The aim of this work is to verify experimentally the gas exchange berto, Zaragoza, Spain). The approximate mass of the cauliflowers
predictions through microperforated films with packages contain- was 900 g, with a diameter of 15 cm. The leaves were removed
ing minimally processed products. To achieve this objective, first and any cauliflowers with blemishes or in bad condition were re-
the respiration kinetics of the products were determined. These jected. They were cut into 15–20 g pieces with a knife (Granton,
measurements are considered necessary for the following reasons: UK). Afterwards they were washed (at 2 °C, with 100 ppm of active
(i) fresh-cut products have a physiology that differs from intact chlorine, 5 min) and drained for 10 min.
produce (Martínez et al., 2005), (ii) the respiration rates given in The black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) used in this study were
the literature do not always take into account their dependence obtained from artificial truffle grounds in Teruel (Spain). The truf-
on the gas composition while MAP design for fresh-cut produce re- fles, dug with the help of trained truffle dogs, were all at a similar
quires a suitable model for the prediction of the respiration rate as stage of maturity and surrounded by a layer of soil in insulated
a function of the gas composition (Iqbal et al., 2009; Fonseca et al., boxes with ice bags and transported immediately to our labora-
2002) and (iii) the respiration activity varies with the cultivars. A tory. Upon arrival, the soil was removed by brushing the truffles
mathematical model is subsequently proposed that takes into ac- with a wet soft brush. They were then rinsed with tap water and
count the physiological activity of the products, the diffusive flow dried in a fluid laminar cabinet. Qualitative selection of the carpo-
through the microperforations, the film permeability, as well as the phores was made by discarding truffles with softened texture, dip-
160 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165

ters and coleoptera larva or those extremely damaged during the

harvest.
All the products were cooled to a temperature of 4 °C prior to
having the respiration rate measured.

2.2. Closed system respiration experiments

The respiration rate was determined in a closed system at 4 °C.

A quantity of product (0.5 kg of peach, 0.345 kg of cauliflower or
0.050 kg of truffle) was placed in hermetic containers (1230 mL
capacity for peach and cauliflower and 250 mL for truffles), and
both the consumption of O2 and the production of CO2 were mea-
sured. The composition of the gas inside the containers was deter-
mined with a Hewlett Packard 4890 (Geneva, Switzerland) gas
chromatograph equipped with a thermal conductivity detector
and a CP-Carboplot Chrompack (Bergen op Zoom, Norwegian) cap-
illary column of 25 m in length with a film thickness of 25 lm, and
an internal and external diameter of 0.53 mm and 0.75 mm,
respectively. Helium was used as a carrier gas (12.6 mL min1). Fig. 2. Time course of CO2 accumulation in the closed container atmosphere
The monitoring of the evolution of the gaseous composition in containing fresh-cut peach (j ‘Calante’, h ‘Andross’), cauliflower () or truffle (r).
the interior of the containers was done by triplicate until the O2
levels reached 1%. The results shown (Figs. 1 and 2) are average
values of the three measurements taken. for cauliflower, and 250 mL and 50 g for black truffle. The initial
gas composition was similar to that of the atmosphere. Samples
2.3. Packages were kept in a cold room (4 °C, 80% RH).

The Amcor P-Plus (Amcor Flexibles, Ledbury, UK) films used 2.4. Mathematical model
have a polymeric matrix, made up of one layer of low density poly-
ethylene and another of polyester, and microperforations of differ- The model was developed for packages whose volume remains
ent sizes. Using equipment based on the ASTM D3985-05 norm, the constant. The physiological activity of the product together with
permeability coefficients of the matrix, Qi, were experimentally ob- the gaseous exchange through the film are the two processes that
tained at 4 °C. The thickness of the film, 40 lm, was determined as contribute to the change in quantity of moles of a gas i (ni) in the
the average of five measurements with a Mitutoyo (Kawasaki, Ja- interior of a package containing fruit or vegetables:
pan) gauge. The size of the microperforations was measured with dni P
a Zeiss (Thornwood, NY, USA) microscope provided with a cali- ¼ Ri W þ Ji ð1Þ
dt RT
brated ocular micrometer. The sizes of the microperforations were
where Ri is the respiration rate, W is the product weight, P the pres-
between 90  50 and 200  100 lm.
sure, T the temperature, R the gas constant, and Ji is the total perme-
The products were placed in polypropylene trays wrapped in
ation flow through the film. In the case of microperforated films the
polyethylene, which can be considered as a barrier to gas transmis-
total flow is:
sion effects (during the market life of the product). The upper part
of the package (96 cm2) was heat sealed with the microperforated J i ¼ J fi þ J hi ð2Þ
film described above. The volume of the package and the weight of
the product in each case was: 500 mL and 185 g for ‘Andross’ where Jhi is the flow of a gas i through the holes and Jfi is the trans-
peach, 700 mL and 250 g for ‘Calante’ peach, 600 mL and 200 g mission of a gas i across the film, and can be expressed as (Geanko-
plis, 1993):
Q i Aðpi  pi;out Þ P
J fi ¼  ð3Þ
L RT
where pi and pi,out are the partial pressures of gas i inside and out-
side the package, L is the thickness of the polymeric film, A is the
film area, and Qi is the gas i permeability coefficient of the poly-
meric film.
The flow of the gas i through the perforation, Jh,i, has been con-
sidered to be produced by two mechanisms (Hernandez, 1997;
Del-Valle et al., 2003): ordinary diffusion (d/k P 100) and hydrody-
namic flow, Jp,i, resulting from the changes in pressure caused by a
respiration coefficient different to one. The diffusion flow is itself
the result of two magnitudes: the molar flow resulting from the
overall movement of the fluid and the flow resulting from the dif-
fusion superimposed on the overall flow (Bird et al., 2007):

pi X
n
ðpi  pi;out Þ
J h;i ¼ J  TRi þ J p;i ð4Þ
P i¼1 h;i RT

where TRi is the transmission rate of gas i and which according to

Fig. 1. Time course of O2 depletion in the closed container atmosphere containing the results obtained in a previous study (González et al., 2008)
fresh-cut peach (j ‘Calante’, h ‘Andross’), cauliflower () or truffle (r). can be expressed as:
 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165 161

a
TRi ¼ a1;i  Ah2;i ð5Þ
Ah being the microperforation area, and a1, a2 constants for each gas
i. The values of the constants are determined from the experimental
data obtained at 23 °C (a1 = 0.880 ± 0.111, a2 = 0.577 ± 0.0132
with r2 = 0.988 for O2; a1 = 0.830 ± 0.111, a2 = 0.569 ± 0.0140 with
r2 = 0.986 for CO2 and a1 = 1.169 ± 0.253, a2 = 0.558 ± 0.0195 with
r2 = 0.984 for N2). For its use at another temperature, in respect of
ordinary diffusion, the transmission rate is considered proportional
to T3/2. The validity of Eq. (5) (experimentally determined for
L < 60  106 m and Ah < 3.8  108 m2) has been checked for
L < 1.5  103 m and Ah < 7.8  105 m2, comparing it with the
empirical equations in this interval proposed by other authors
(González et al., 2008).
The hydrodynamic flow of gas i can be described by Poiseuille’s
law in laminar flow conditions:

pd4 ðPout  PÞpi;out 1

If Pout > P then J p;i ¼ ð6Þ
128 lL RT
Fig. 4. Respiration rate of ‘Calante’ peach at 4 °C expressed as O2 consumption (j)
pd4 ðPout  PÞpi 1 and CO2 production (N), versus O2 concentration.
If Pout < P then J p;i ¼ ð7Þ
128 lL RT
where d is the microperforation diameter, Pout  P is the pressure
differential and l is the gas viscosity.

3. Results and discussion

The respiratory kinetics have been determined from the results

obtained in the closed system experiments. Figs. 1 and 2 show the
evolution over time of the O2 and CO2 concentrations for the four
products. Given that in each case the free volume/weight ratio of
the product (V/W) is different, from these data it is not possible
to arrive directly at comparative conclusions regarding the respira-
tion rate of the various products, though the high CO2 production
in the case of the truffle can be remarked on.
The respiration rates for each product were calculated using
these equations:
1 V dO2
RO2 ¼  ð8Þ
W 100 dt
1 V dCO2
RCO2 ¼ ð9Þ
W 100 dt
Fig. 5. Respiration rate of cauliflower at 4 °C expressed as O2 consumption (j) and
CO2 production (N), versus O2 concentration.

Fig. 3. Respiration rate of ‘Andross’ peach at 4 °C expressed as O2 consumption (j) Fig. 6. Respiration rate of black truffle at 4 °C expressed as O2 consumption (j) and
and CO2 production (N), versus O2 concentration. CO2 production (N), versus O2 concentration.
162 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165

Table 1 Table 2
Parameters m, n, q and s (Eqs. (12) and (13)) for the different products. Values of the parameters used in Eqs. (12)–(14).

Product m n r2 q s r2 Q O2 (m2 s1 Pa1) 4.04  1019

Q CO2 (m2 s1 Pa1) 1.32  1018
‘Andross’ 2.559 0.318 0.972 0.0383 3.753 0.998
Q N2 (m2 s1 Pa1) 4.22  1019
‘Calante’ 1.192 0.632 0.998 0.216 2.230 0.999
Pout (Pa) 98,792
Cauliflower 2.287 0.732 0.999 0.0399 8.158 0.997
Truffle 0.814 7.778 0.999 0.936 9.751 0.999 Hole TR (m3 s1  1011)
O2 CO2 N2
One 90  50 lm 102 90 117
Two 90  50 lm 204 180 234
The respiration rates thus obtained are shown in Figs. 3–6. In Two 125  75 lm 234 205 259
all cases a decrease in the respiration rate was observed as the One 200  130 lm 282 246 311
One 210  135 lm 298 259 327
oxygen concentration diminishes. In air, the respiration rate of Two 200  120 lm 404 349 438
the minimally processed ‘Calante’ peach is greater than that of Three 200  100 lm 458 397 496
the ‘Andross’, but the dependence of the latter on the oxygen Fourteen 150  80 lm 830 712 882
concentration is less marked. The cauliflower initially shows a
low respiratory quotient, RCO2 =RO2 = 0.42, but owing to the re-
duced dependence of the CO2 production rate on the oxygen con- A fourth-order Runge–Kutta method has been used for the
centration, this ratio increases up to 1.1. The truffle is the numerical solution of these differential equations. Table 2 shows
product with the highest respiration rate, even though it is not the values of the parameters used in the calculations. The solution
a fresh-cut product, managing to consume oxygen 3.5 times more allows the prediction of the evolution of the gas composition inside
quickly than the ‘Andross’ peach and to produce CO2 at a rate 6.5 the microperforated package.
times greater, showing respiration coefficients always greater To verify the suitability of the model, and to check whether it is
than 1 (1.18–1.20). The respiration of vegetables is an enzymatic capable of a good prediction of the behaviour of the package atmo-
process, but it was decided to use equations which provide a sphere, the experimental results have been compared with those
good fit with the experimental values without any mechanistic obtained from the Eqs. (12)–(15). The model gives a correct
background. Using a Michaelis–Mentel type equation resulted description of the evolution of the oxygen concentration in all
in very large values for the Vm parameter (maximum respiration the products and films used (Figs. 7–10). For the two varieties of
rate) given that at high oxygen concentrations the inverse of the peach, extreme permeability conditions have been used ranging
respiration rate has values close to zero. The respiration rate ex- from a small package microperforation (90  50 lm) or even pack-
pressed as consumption of O2 is considered to vary potentially ages without microperforations, to three microperforations of rel-
with the O2 concentration for the two peach cultivars and the atively large sizes (200  100 lm). This meant that it was
cauliflower: possible to obtain very different equilibrium gas compositions for
RO2 ¼ m  On2 ð10Þ the different types of packages tested and simulated, checking
the validity of the proposed model for a large number of situations.
while for the truffle the dependence is linear. In all cases, the rate of Anoxia conditions were reached quickly with films without micr-
CO2 production is also linear: operforations, while for packages with high effective permeability
RCO2 ¼ q  O2 þ s ð11Þ the concentration of oxygen in equilibrium is higher than would be
recommended for this type of product (Gorny et al., 1999). In the
The values of the parameters m, n, q and s are shown in Table 1 case of the truffle (Fig. 10), a wide disparity was recorded in
for the different products. the experimental results due to the peculiarities of a very
Taking the above equations into account, and specifying for
each of the gases involved, the differential equations that describe
the variation over time of the number of moles of O2, CO2 and N2
inside a microperforated package containing a product with a spe-
cific respiratory activity are:
dnO2 TRO2 pO  
¼ ðpO2 ;out  pO2 Þ þ 2 J h;O2 þ J h;CO2 þ J h;N2
dt RT P
Q O2 A  P P
þ ðpO2 ;out  pO2 Þ  RO2 W þ J p;O2 ð12Þ
RT L RT
dnCO2 TRCO2 pCO2  
¼ ðpCO2 ;out  pCO2 Þ þ J h;O2 þ J h;CO2 þ J h;N2
dt RT P
Q CO2 A  P P
þ ðpCO2 ;out  pCO2 Þ þ RCO2 W þ J p;CO2 ð13Þ
RT L RT
dnN2 TRN2 pN  
¼ ðpN2 ;out  pN2 Þ þ 2 J h;O2 þ J h;CO2 þ J h;N2
dt RT P
Q N2 A  P
þ ðpN2 ;out  pN2 Þ þ J p;N2 ð14Þ
RT L
Given that the volume of the package has been considered to re-
main constant, the pressure in its interior, P, can be calculated with
the expression: Fig. 7. Experimental and predicted evolution of O2 composition for different
‘Andross’ peach packages: without microperforation (j, continuous line), one
90  50 lm hole (h, dash line), two 90  50 lm holes (s, dash dot line), one
ðnO2 þ nCO2 þ nN2 ÞRT 210  135 lm hole (, dot line), two 125  75 lm holes (N, continuous thick line),
P¼ ð15Þ
V three 200  100 lm holes (D, dash dot dot line).
 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165 163

Fig. 8. Experimental and predicted evolution of O2 composition for different Fig. 10. Experimental and predicted evolution of O2 composition for black truffle
‘Calante’ peach packages: without microperforation (j, continuous line), one packages: without microperforation (j, continuous line), two 90  50 lm holes (h,
90  50 lm hole (h, dash line), two 90  50 lm holes (s, dash dot line), one dash line).
200  130 lm hole (, dot line), two 200  120 lm holes (N, dash dot dot line).

to that obtained when there are no microperforations, while the

heterogeneous product. In any case, the theoretical predictions O2 concentration is more substantially modified. The reduction of
were within the interval defined by standard deviation. the CO2 transport through the microperforations compared to the
Regarding CO2, the model is not able to describe its evolution estimated value, which brings about a greater accumulation of this
when there are microperforations in the packages of peach and component, could be due to the entry of a continuous air flow in-
cauliflower (Figs. 9, 11 and 12). For example, for the ‘Andross’ vari- side the package as a consequence of a difference in pressure gen-
ety the estimated CO2 concentration for packages with perfora- erated by the respiratory activity of the product. The respiratory
tions of 90  50 lm correspond to the experimental results when coefficient of the peach and the cauliflower is lower than 1, which
there are two perforations of this same size. For the ‘Calante’ vari- causes a depression inside the package that is immediately com-
ety, the predictions for packages with a perforation of pensated for by the entry of air from the outside through hydrody-
200  130 lm agree with the experimental results for two perfora- namic flow. This entry of air can generate in the area around the
tions of 200  120 lm. These discrepancies are also observed for perforation a CO2 concentration appreciably different to that exist-
the cauliflower, where again the calculated results are lower than ing inside the package. The real diffusive flow of CO2 through the
the experimental values. The respiratory kinetics do not appear perforation would be lower than the estimated value if on the
to be the reason given that the model provides acceptable predic- internal side of the perforation the concentration was the same
tions of data obtained for packages without microperforations. The as that existing near the product. The hydrodynamic flow would
coefficient between the transmission rates of the CO2 and the O2 is also have an effect on the oxygen, but in this case the ‘sweeping’
0.89 ± 0.05, coming within values obtained by other authors effect of the air to the entrance would be lower given that the dif-
(Emond et al., 1991; Silva et al., 1999). However, it was observed fusion goes in the same direction as the hydrodynamic flow. If the
experimentally that when a microperforation of 90  50 lm is
incorporated, the CO2 concentration changes very little compared

Fig. 11. Experimental and predicted evolution of CO2 composition for different
‘Andross’ peach packages: without microperforation (j, continuous line), one
Fig. 9. Experimental and predicted evolution of gas composition for cauliflower 90  50 lm hole (h, dash line), two 90  50 lm holes (, dash dot line), one
inside packages with fourteen 150  80 lm holes: O2 (j, continuous line) and CO2 210  135 lm hole (, dot line), two 125  75 lm holes (N, continuous thick line),
(N, dash line). three 200  100 lm holes (D, dash dot dot line).
164 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165

Fig. 12. Experimental and predicted evolution of CO2 composition for different Fig. 14. Experimental and predicted evolution of CO2 composition, modified with a
‘Calante’ peach packages: without microperforation (j, continuous line), one correction factor, for different ‘Andross’ peach packages: without microperforation
90  50 lm hole (h, dash line), two 90  50 lm holes (, dash dot line), one (j, continuous line), one 90  50 lm hole (h, dash line), two 90  50 lm holes (,
200  130 lm hole (, dot line), two 200  120 lm holes (N, dash dot dot line). dash dot line), one 210  135 lm hole (, dot line), two 125  75 lm holes (N,
continuous thick line), three 200  100 lm holes (D, dash dot dot line).

difference in pressure between the exterior and the interior of the

package was null, or rather if the hydrodynamic flow went in the and for all the films used, the value of k0 was between 0.40 and
opposite direction, it ought to be possible to model the CO2 con- 0.55. Figs. 14 and 15 show the evolution of the CO2 predicted
centration correctly. A product such as the truffle whose CO2 pro- by the model modified with the correction factors for ‘Andross’
duction exceeds its O2 consumption could approach the conditions and ‘Calante’ peaches, respectively. Despite the fact that the con-
of this supposition. The respiratory coefficient of the truffle is high- sumption and transmission rates of O2 do not depend on the CO2
er than 1 and therefore the hydrodynamic flow would go from the concentration, the oxygen concentration can be seen to be
interior to the exterior of the package. Theoretically, the O2 ex- slightly modified by a change in the CO2 composition. This is
change through the microperforation could be difficult in this case, due to the fact that a greater accumulation of CO2, originated
but is unlikely in fact due to the continuous movement of air in the by the inclusion of the correction term k0 , produces a reduction
storage rooms where the product is kept. The experimental evolu- in the difference of pressure between the interior and the exte-
tion of the CO2 in the packages with truffle coincides with the mod- rior, and therefore in a higher hydrodynamic flow. However, this
el predictions, Fig. 13. This appears to suggest that the reasons for influence is very small and in all cases the term k0 modifies the
the lack of agreement between the experimental and calculated evolution of the O2 concentration by less than 3.2%. Obviously
values are those given above. the introduction of a correction factor, although useful, should
The value of a correction factor, k0 , has been estimated by be considered as a temporary solution. Future models need to
which the transmission rate of the CO2, TRCO2 , should be multi- be developed that are devoid of such factors in which the depen-
plied in order to obtain the correct fit of the experimental results. dence of the concentration of the different gases with the spatial
For the three products with respiratory coefficients lower than 1, coordinates is taken into account.

Fig. 15. Experimental and predicted evolution of CO2 composition, modified with a
correction factor, for different ‘Calante’ peach packages: without microperforation
Fig. 13. Experimental and predicted evolution of CO2 composition for black truffle (j, continuous line), one 90  50 lm hole (h, dash line), two 90  50 lm holes
packages: without microperforation (j, continuous line), two 90  50 lm holes (h, (, dash dot line), one 200  130 lm hole (, dot line), two 200  120 lm holes
dash line). (N, dash dot dot line).
 J. González-Buesa et al. / Journal of Food Engineering 95 (2009) 158–165 165

4. Conclusion Fonseca, S.C., Oliveira, F.A.R., Chau, K.V., 1996. Modeling oxygen and carbon dioxide
exchange through a perforation, for development of perforated modified
atmosphere bulk packages. Abstract and Poster Session at: IFT Annual
The model proposed for describing the evolution of the gas Meeting and Food Expo, June 22–26, New Orleans, USA.
composition in packages with microperforated films and with con- Fonseca, S.C., Oliveira, F.A.R., Frias, J.M., Brecht, J.K., Chau, K.V., 2002. Modelling
respiration rate of shredded Galega kale for development of modified
stant volume, taking into account the permeation through the
atmosphere packaging. Journal of Food Engineering 54 (4), 299–307.
films, the diffusive and hydrodynamic flow through the microper- González, J., Ferrer, A., Oria, R., Salvador, M.L., 2008. Determination of O2 and CO2
forations and the respiration rate of the packaged product, is a use- transmission rates through microperforated films for modified atmosphere
packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables. Journal of Food Engineering 86, 194–
ful tool for predicting the evolution of O2 composition. The
201.
predictions of the model represent an acceptable match with the Geankoplis, C.J., 1993. Transport Processes and Unit Operations, third ed. Prentice
experimental O2 composition for all the products and packages Hall, New Jersey, USA.
tested. The main novelty of this model lies in the inclusion of a po- Ghosh, V., Anantheswaran, R.C., 2001. Oxygen transmission rate through micro-
perforated films: measurement and model comparison. Journal of Food Process
tential relation between the microperforation area and the trans- Engineering 24, 113–133.
mission rate, (Eq. (5)). However, the CO2 levels estimated by the Gorny, J.R., Hess-Pierce, B., Kadder, A.A., 1999. Quality changes in fresh-cut peach
model are lower than the experimental values for products with and nectarine slices as affected by cultivar, storage atmosphere and chemicals
treatments. Journal of Food Science 64 (3), 429–432.
respiratory coefficients lower than 1 (‘Andross’ and ‘Calante’ pea- Heiss, R., 1954. Verpackung Feuchtigkeitsempfindlicher Lebensmittel. Springer,
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In: Valentas, K.J., Rotstein, E., Singh, R.P. (Eds.), Food Engineering Practice. CRC
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outside the package that reduces the CO2 concentration around Iqbal, T., Rodrigues, F.A.S., Mahajan, P.V., Kerry, J.P., 2009. Mathematical modeling of
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Acknowledgement Postharvest Physiology of Vegetables. Marcel Dekker, New York, USA,
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Kader, A.A., Zagory, D., Kerbel, E.L., 1989. Modified atmosphere packaging of fruits
The authors express their gratitude to the ‘Ministerio de Educa-
and vegetables. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 28 (1), 1–30.
ción y Ciencia’ (Spain) for providing the financial support for the Lange, J., Büsing, B., Hertlein, J., Hediger, S., 2000. Water vapour transport
study (Project PET 2007-009-C05-03). through large defects in flexible packaging: modeling, gravimetric
measurement and magnetic resonance imaging. Packaging Technology and
Science 13, 139–147.
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