Advances in Packaging of Litchi Fruit to Maintain the Quality

Litchi is distinctly a delicate, delicious summer delight, juicy, flavoured and attractive bright red colour fruit having good source of minerals and vitamins. India and China account for about 91 percent of the world’s litchi production but it is mainly marketed locally. Despite its wide popularity and demand in domestic and international market, transporting the fruit to distant markets has remained a challenge due to its highly perishable nature. Postharvest interventions therefore become indispensable to preserve litchi fruit quality for longer duration. One among such interventions is packaging that directly influences transpiration losses and respiratory metabolism in litchi fruit. Packaging plays the all important roles of containment, protection, convenience, and communication. Previously, gunny bags, bamboo basket, wooden boxes were used for packaging, but are now being rapidly replaced by corrugated fibre board (CFB) boxes for the versatility they bring. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) of litchi in combination with postharvest treatments offers promising solutions to preserve litchi fruit quality. Intelligent packaging through use of sensors, wireless sensor networks, radio-frequency identification device (RFID) etc show the way ahead for future packaging solutions. Nonetheless, innovation in litchi packaging will require careful considerations of all factors that lead to quick fruit deterioration and generation of waste.