Quality Changes in Unsulfured Sun Dried Apricots During Storage

Abstract

The sun dried apricots (Hacihaliloglu) from Malatya region of Turkey without sulfur dioxide application packaged in polyvinyl chloride laminated with polyethylene bags of different thickness under normal and modified atmosphere were stored at 5 ± 1, 15 ± 1, and 25 ± 1°C, respectively. The changes in quality characteristics of dried apricots were investigated by using objective and sensory methods of evaluation during a storage period of 48 weeks. The study showed that the unsulfured sun dried apricots have a storage life of up to 30 weeks provided that they are packaged under modified atmosphere and stored at 5 ± 1°C after processing.

Keywords:

• Unsulfured sun dried apricots
• Packaging of apricots
• Storage of apricots

INTRODUCTION

Apricot fruit (Prunus armeniaca L), which is mainly cultivated in the Mediterranean region is consumed because of its delicate flavor and high nutritional quality. Apricots can be consumed as whole fresh fruits, dried fruits (organic, unsulfured, sulfured), fruit puree, jam, marmalade or as fruit juice.[1–5] Traditionally, apricots are sun dried after pretreatment with sulfur dioxide to prevent spoilage and to retard enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning reactions during drying and storage. With the application of sulfur dioxide, the natural reddish-yellow color of the apricot is maintained during drying, processing and storage. Thus, the sulfured apricots have a long storage-and shelf-life, which is mutually beneficial to the consumer and the grower.[6,7] While some countries have set up regulations restricting the use of sulfur dioxide in dried product, alternative additives, or the treatments that could retard the browning reactions in apricots have also been attempted.[2] Although sulfurization has several advantages, there are groups of consumers who are allergic to sulfur-containing foods, and they prefer apricots that are not treated with sulfur dioxide. Products that are sun dried without prior application of sulfur dioxide are called as “natural apricots,” and their consumption has gained importance in the recent years. During storage, these types of apricots can be susceptible to rapid darkening and decomposition of chemical structure that leads to objectionable changes in color, texture, and flavor. Storage of sulfured apricots have been investigated in several studies.[2,8–11] However, little is known about the storage stability of unsulfured sun dried apricots.[5] The aim of the present study is to investigate the changes in the quality characteristics of unsulfured sun dried apricots during storage and the effect of the packaging and storage temperature on these changes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Apricots

Hacihaliloglu apricots (Prunus armeniaca L.) were harvested in the Malatya region of Turkey in August 2002. The apricots were destoned manually prior to drying and they were sun dried without sulfur dioxide application. Sun drying of apricots was achieved under direct sunlight in late summer with an overall maximum daytime air temperature around 30–34°C, and a minimum night temperature of approximately 20°C over a 7–9 day cycle with relatively low air humidity between 20–45%, and with no rain. The products were placed on drying beds placed on plastic covered ground. The final sorting of the dried apricots were done by removing pits, debris, colored pieces, and other foreign materials. Fruits were frozen for 24 hours at −26 ± 1°C to destroy insect species, larvae, and acarina and stored at 25 ± 3°C in the warehouse for 1 day.

Packaging and Storage

Two hundred sixteen kg of washed and sorted apricots were separated into two lots containing 108 kg of apricots each and packaged. Packaging films were made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) laminated with polyethylene (PE). The permeability of packaging films used are described on Table 1. In packaging, two different systems using normal and modified atmospheres were applied. In the normal atmosphere (NA) packaging system (Onersan, Turkey), 400 g of apricots were placed on polystyrene trays (PS) 12 × 17 × 2.5 cm deep with 0.5 cm thickness. Trays were covered with a PVC film of 17 μm thickness and passed through a heating tunnel at 140°C within 2 seconds. In the modified atmosphere (MA) packaging (MAP) system (Tiromat Compact Model 1089, Convenience Food System, EU), the PVC laminated with PE trays 10 × 15 × 4.5 cm deep with 321 μm thickness were formed at the forming station of the machine to which 400 g of processed apricots were placed. At the sealing station, the pressure in the tray was first reduced by evacuating to 7000 Pa and then increased to 27000 Pa by addition of nitrogen gas, and the trays were heat sealed with a PVC film of 70 μm thickness. Each of the 108 kg lots of packaged apricots was split into three separate 36 kg lots and stored at 5 ± 1, 15 ± 1, and 25 ± 1°C for a period of 48 weeks.

Table 1 The permeability of packaging films used in packaging treatment of unsulfured sun dried apricots

		cm^3/m^2 in 24 hr at 1 atm.
		O2	CO2	N2	Water vapor
Normal packaging	atmosphere	700	170	3600	130
Modified atmosphere packaging	Sealing film	2	10	1	6.7
	Tray	ND	3.2	ND	2.7

Moisture and Water Activity Analysis

The moisture content of the apricots was estimated by using Dried Fruit Association (DFA) method as recommended by the AOAC[12] and the results were expressed as percentage of moisture. Water activity (a_w) was measured with direct reading humidity probe (Model HMI31, Vaisala UK Ltd., Finland) that was inserted into a flask and the results were expressed as percentage of the humidity.

Chemical Analysis

Total acidity was estimated by the titrimetric method[13] using phenolphthalein as an indicator and the results were expressed as % malic acid. Total sugars were determined by the Lane-Eynon method.[14] Browning values were determined spectrophotometrically as recommended by Baloch et al.[15] β-carotene content was determined by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) as recommended by Chen and Chen.[16] The chemical analyzes were performed in duplicate and the results were given on dry basis.

Color and Texture Measurement

Color was measured with a Minolta Model CR 300 chromameter and the results were expressed as L, a, b values by measuring both sides of 12 different apricots. Saturation index (ΔC) was calculated as ((a_x-a₀)² + (b_x-b₀)²)^1/2. Hardness measurements were conducted by using an Instron model texturemeter with a 5 kg load cell and 3 mm diameter cylindrical probe at 500 mm/min and recorded as the mean value obtained from 14 different apricots. Results were evaluated by measuring the height of the peaks.

Sensory Evaluation

Sensory evaluation was conducted in an air conditioned sensory test laboratory equipped with individual booths. Apricots were served at room temperature (20–23°C) to involve 10 fruits on white porcelain plates coded by using randomly selected 3-digit numbers. Panelists sensitivity to major tastes and odors were tested according to ISO-3972:1991.[17]

Sensory analysis of the apricots was conducted by the scoring method, using a numerical scale representing successive levels of quality.[18] Six trained assessors judged the appearance, texture and flavor characteristics by using a 5-points scoring scale (Table 2). Three one-hour training sessions were conducted prior to the formal evaluation of apricots and the panelists were trained for 2 weeks about the meaning of the scores. For this purpose, unsulfured sun dried apricots of different brands were presented to the panel and descriptive terms for expressing the quality attributes of each score related to appearance, texture, and flavor were derived. The samples having average scores below 3 for each quality attribute (appearance, texture, flavor) were regarded as having poor quality and unacceptable by the panel. The scoring test was performed as triplicate for each sample.

Table 2 Scoring scale used in sensory evaluation of unsulfured sun dried apricots

APPEARANCE
Score	Descriptive terms
5 – excellent	Creamy light reddish brown in color, bright, fine surface texture
4 – good	Reddish brown in color, bright, fine surface texture
3 – fair	Dark brown in color, slightly dull, slight dry surface texture
2 – poor	Uneven dark brown color, dull, dry surface texture
1 – very poor	Uneven black color, dull, extremely dry surface texture
TEXTURE
Score	Descriptive terms
5 – excellent	Soft, slightly chewy, juicy
4 – good	Slightly soft or hard, slightly chewy, juicy
3 – fair	Moderately soft or hard, chewy, slightly juicy
2 – poor	Soft or hard, slightly tough, very dry
1 – very poor	Too hard or too soft, tough, very dry
FLAVOR
Score	Descriptive terms
5 – excellent	Intense natural apricot flavor, sweetness-sourness balanced, slight caramel flavor
4 – good	Typical natural apricot flavor, sweetness-sourness balanced, caramel flavor
3 – fair	Slightly decreased natural apricot flavor, slightly decreased sweetness, slightly increased sourness, caramel flavor
2 – poor	Decreased natural apricot flavor, decrease or increase in sweetness, decrease or increase in sourness, intense caramel flavor
1 – very poor	Intense off flavor, burned, foreign flavor

Statistical Evaluation

Data were analyzed by using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's Multiple Range tests at 95% confidence level to evaluate the significance of the changes in different quality attributes during 48 weeks of storage period.[19]

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Changes in moisture, water activity, total titratable acidity, total sugars, browning, and β-carotene values of unsulfured sun dried apricots during storage are shown on Table 3. It can be observed from table 3 that NA and MA packaged apricots could preserve their moisture and water activity at 5 and 15°C, whereas significant (p < 0.05) decreases were obtained in both packaging conditions at 25 ± 1°C. Dehydration of food is lower at low temperatures during processing and storage[20] and the moisture and equilibrium humidity of dried fruits are important in designing packages and selecting storage conditions.[21] Since the relative humidity of the apricots stored at 25°C was lower than the samples stored at 5°C, and the water vapor permeability of the packaging material used in modified atmosphere was lower in comparison with the material used in normal packaging (Table 1), MA packaging seems to have an advantage against moisture losses during storage of unsulfured sun dried apricots at higher temperatures.

Table 3 Changes in moisture, water activity, total titratable acidity, total sugars, browning, and β-carotene values of unsulfured sun dried apricots during storage

Storage conditions		Storage period (weeks)	Moisture content (%)		Water activity		Total acidity (% malic acid)		Total sugars (%)		Browning		β-carotene (mg/kg)
			x	SDx	x	SDx	x	SDx	x	SDx	x	SDx	x	SDx
5°C	NA	0	17.50	0.04	0.62	0.01	0.33	0.01	41.75	0.17	0.007	0.001	153	0.6
		6	17.00	0.21	0.62	0.01	0.35	0.04	40.64	0.04	0.013	0.001	116	0.3
		12	16.88	0.01	0.63	0.01	0.80	0.07	39.83	0.14	0.040	0.002	103	0.1
		18	16.81	0.08	0.65	0.03	0.81	0.07	39.62	0.16	0.041	0.003	95	0.8
		24	16.73	0.01	0.64	0.03	0.71	0.07	36.32	0.22	0.041	0.001	91	0.5
		30	17.45	0.03	0.62	0	0.67	0.10	35.08	0.11	0.042	0.004	88	0.7
		36	17.40	0.07	0.60	0.03	0.45	0.06	44.81	0.27	0.042	0.006	85	0.4
		42	17.80	0.04	0.59	0.03	0.45	0.03	44.80	0.21	0.043	0.001	78	0.6
		48	17.85	0.01	0.59	0	0.44	0.03	41.90	0.35	0.045	0.004	72	0.5
	MA	0	17.50	0.4	0.62	0.01	0.33	0.01	41.75	0.17	0.007	0.001	153	0.6
		6	17.65	0	0.62	0.01	0.40	0.06	40.40	0.51	0.012	0.003	140	0.2
		12	17.54	0.21	0.62	0.04	1.14	0.03	39.70	0.42	0.020	0.011	101	0.3
		18	17.18	0.03	0.61	0	1.14	0.01	39.50	0.42	0.021	0.008	94	0.8
		24	16.55	0.11	0.62	0.04	0.79	0.01	35.54	0.45	0.023	0.006	90	0.4
		30	17.55	0.01	0.63	0.07	0.63	0.01	21.03	0.33	0.026	0.008	90	0.3
		36	17.50	0.01	0.61	0.01	0.47	0.03	39.98	0.95	0.028	0.008	87	0.7
		42	17.75	0.08	0.61	0.01	0.47	0.04	35.59	0.49	0.030	0.014	85	0.5
		48	17.65	0.16	0.60	0.01	0.46	0.01	35.53	0.68	0.032	0.004	81	0.6
15°C	NA	0	17.50	0.04	0.62	0.01	0.33	0.01	41.75	0.17	0.007	0.001	153	0.6
		6	17.25	0.01	0.62	0.02	0.36	0.01	40.84	0.23	0.015	0	89	0.3
		12	17.01	0.03	0.61	0.04	1.00	0.01	39.82	0.27	0.020	0.010	83	0.6
		18	16.90	0.03	0.60	0	1.02	0.01	39.09	0.24	0.030	0.004	83	0.4
		24	16.28	001	0.63	0.02	0.69	0.01	34.96	0.35	0.035	0.007	82	0.5
		30	16.45	0.03	0.64	0.01	0.64	0.03	31.14	0.14	0.036	0.007	80	0.4
		36	16.40	0.01	0.58	0.01	0.46	0.04	46.96	2.46	0.039	0.010	74	0.5
		42	16.40	0.10	0.57	0.01	0.45	0	45.32	0.28	0.044	0.013	72	0.7
		48	16.35	0.01	0.61	0.01	0.45	0	44.69	0.42	0.046	0.007	63	0.1
	MA	0	17.50	0.04	0.62	0.01	0.33	0.01	41.75	0.17	0.007	0.001	153	0.6
		6	17.25	0.01	0.62	0.01	0.35	0	40.60	0.57	0.013	0.003	135	0.2
		12	17.01	0.11	0.62	0.04	1.13	0.01	39.72	0.15	0.019	0.008	102	0.3
		18	16.99	0.04	0.62	0	1.13	0.02	39.50	0.64	0.021	0.008	92	0.3
		24	16.50	0.01	0.62	0.01	0.79	0.03	35.55	0.78	0.033	0.004	88	0.8
		30	17.45	0.03	0.62	0	0.75	0.04	30.03	0.52	0.035	0.008	85	03
		36	17.20	0.01	0.60	0.01	0.52	0.03	42.49	0.71	0.037	0.013	79	0.5
		42	17.20	0.14	0.60	0.03	0.51	0.02	42.60	0.71	0.042	0.006	74	0.3
		48	17.15	0.01	0.60	0.01	0.50	0	39.83	1.81	0.042	0.001	65	0.3
25°C	NA	0	17.50	0.04	0.62	0.01	0.33	0.01	41.75	0.17	0.007	0.001	153	0.6
		6	17.48	0.24	0.62	0.01	0.41	0.02	40.53	0.68	0.015	0.001	72	0.1
		12	17.29	0.01	0.60	0.04	1.17	0.03	40.01	0.18	0.023	0.007	59	0.2
		18	15.92	1.44	0.59	0.03	1.19	0.01	39.60	0.91	0.034	0.008	56	0.3
		24	14.00	0.27	0.60	0.01	0.88	0.03	34.18	0.14	0.059	0.008	53	0.2
		30	11.65	0.04	0.61	0.02	0.72	0.04	33.82	0.42	0.063	0.004	48	0.4
		36	10.00	0.64	0.57	0.08	0.55	0	38.46	0.57	0.073	0.013	40	0.3
		42	10.00	1.30	0.57	0.06	0.53	0.02	38.38	0.54	0.080	0.004	33	0.2
		48	9.50	0.10	0.57	0.04	0.27	0.01	30.71	0.78	0.092	0.007	24	0.1
	MA	0	17.50	0.04	0.62	0.01	0.33	0.01	41.75	0.17	0.007	0.001	153	0.6
		6	17.45	0.16	0.62	0.01	0.37	0.06	40.31	0.65	0.016	0.001	112	0.1
		12	17.25	0.06	0.62	0.01	1.26	0.06	40.05	0.67	0.026	0.001	97	0.5
		18	17.06	0.20	0.62	0	1.26	0.02	39.61	0.76	0.041	0	90	0.3
		24	16.60	0.13	0.62	0.01	0.84	0.04	33.39	0.71	0.044	0.006	85	0.6
		30	16.45	0.40	0.62	0.01	0.77	0.04	32.51	0.69	0.060	0.008	79	0.4
		36	16.20	0.23	0.60	0.01	0.68	0.06	42.26	0.58	0.067	0.014	62	0.6
		42	16.20	0.08	0.60	0.02	0.66	0.01	42.20	0.59	0.073	0.006	54	0.5
		48	16.00	0.24	0.60	0	0.31	0.02	38.70	0.57	0.085	0.007	42	0.4

Total acidity values increased at the beginning of storage, whereas these values decreased beginning from 24^th week of storage irrespective of the packaging techniques used (Table 3). The increases in the acidity values can be the result of microbiological activity at higher moisture levels, and the decrease in these values seem to occur by the decomposition of acids at later stages.

The changes in total sugar values of apricot samples throughout storage (Table 3) can be related to the non-enzymatic browning reactions that occur by the condensation of reducing sugars with amino acids during storage. Sugar losses in MA packaged apricots stored at 25±1°C were observed to be less significant (p < 0.05) than the NA packaged samples stored at the same temperature because of the lower oxygen permeability of the packaging film (Table 1) used in MA samples.

Browning values of the apricots raised during storage, and this increase was more significantly (p < 0.05) observed in NA packaged apricots by increasing temperature. (Table 3). The effect of temperature on increasing browning in dried fruits have been demonstrated in several studies.[7,22,23,24] The increase in browning of sulfured apricots stored particularly at room temperatures was also detected in a study conducted by Rossello et al.[9] Babalik and Pazir found a two fold increase in browning of dried tomatoes stored at 24°C in comparison with the values detected at 0 °C.[23] The lower browning values of samples packaged in modified atmosphere at 25°C can be due to the absence of oxygen which accelerates both enzymatic and non enzymatic browning reactions.[10,25]

Since the oxidation of carotenoids is favored at high temperatures, significant decreases (p < 0.05) in β-carotene values (Table 3) were detected in apricot samples with increasing storage temperature in the present study. However, the advantage of modified atmosphere packaging was also demonstrated by the two fold decrease detected at 25°C in NA packaged samples compared with MA packaged samples.

It can be observed from Table 4 that the hardness values of apricot samples increased up to 18 weeks due to the moisture losses, whereas these values decreased after the 24^th week until the end of storage period because of possible degradation of pectins in the cell wall of the fruits.[26] Significant decreases (p < 0.05) were detected in L values of the apricots stored at 15 ± 1°C and 25 ± 1°C (Table 4) in accordance with the increase in browning values (Table 3). Significant decreases (p < 0.05) in +a and +b values of apricots stored at 15 ± 1°C and 25 ± 1°C were observed in comparison with the apricots stored at 5 ± 1°C, regardless of the packaging conditions. All samples exhibited an increase in the saturation index that indicates an increase in overall pigmentation. Significant (p < 0.05) changes in the saturation index were detected in the NA packaged apricots stored at 5 ± 1°C.

Table 4 Color and hardness values of unsulfured sun dried apricots during storage

Storage conditions		Storage period (weeks)	Color values							Hardness values (cm)
			L		+a		+b
			x	SDx	x	SDx	x	SDx	ΔC	x	SDx
5°C	NA	0	29.50	0.06	9.01	0.11	16.62	0.55	0	4.72	0.23
		6	27.91	0.12	8.40	0.28	13.38	0.74	2.89	5.16	0.17
		12	27.91	0.53	8.60	0.17	15.01	0.61	1.66	5.25	0.14
		18	27.74	0.14	8.47	0.37	15.27	0.58	1.45	5.44	0.46
		24	26.63	0.45	8.29	0.18	13.32	0.44	3.38	4.55	0.50
		30	25.96	0.25	8.20	0.18	12.65	0.24	4.05	4.86	0.42
		36	27.50	0.24	8.11	0.46	13.28	0.82	3.46	4.53	0.57
		42	29.17	0.37	7.27	0.27	11.68	0.35	5.24	3.92	0.38
		48	29.37	0.23	6.38	0.14	11.14	0.72	6.08	3.84	0.36
	MA	0	29.50	0.06	9.01	0.11	16.62	0.55	0	4.72	0.23
		6	29.47	0.24	9.71	0.16	17.66	0.25	1.25	5.02	0.23
		12	28.89	0.13	9.06	0.56	16.23	0.49	0.39	5.15	0.27
		18	28.23	0.43	9.15	0.17	15.79	0.59	0.84	5.64	0.41
		24	27.99	0.18	8.44	0.23	15.79	0.13	1.01	5.04	0.36
		30	26.96	0.16	8.07	0.40	14.43	0.14	2.38	4.34	0.45
		36	29.39	0.54	8.00	0.28	14.19	0.45	2.63	3.85	0.14
		42	29.59	0.13	7.98	0.23	11.93	0.38	4.80	3.83	0.43
		48	29.16	0.25	6.85	0.27	9.40	0.35	7.54	3.80	0.36
15°C	NA	0	29.50	0.06	9.01	0.11	16.62	0.55	0	4.72	0.23
		6	29.58	0.15	8.92	0.14	15.23	0.40	1.39	5.12	0.17
		12	29.49	0.27	9.03	0.10	15.98	0.18	0.64	5.89	0.18
		18	28.25	0.25	7.78	0.46	13.29	0.38	3.55	6.46	0.20
		24	26.28	0.31	7.62	0.10	12.14	0.25	4.69	6.34	0.33
		30	25.84	0.23	6.93	0.13	11.77	0.28	5.28	5.29	0.46
		36	24.22	0.48	6.83	0.40	11.50	0.42	5.56	4.25	0.37
		42	23.75	0.21	6.81	0.16	10.48	0.24	6.52	4.23	0.27
		48	23.41	0.24	5.17	0.14	7.57	0.14	9.83	3.79	0.38
	MA	0	29.50	0.06	9.01	0.11	16.62	0.55	0	4.72	0.23
		6	28.49	0.20	9.67	0.14	15.20	0.21	1.57	5.23	0.27
		12	27.57	0.11	8.28	0.11	13.91	0.30	2.81	5.90	0.17
		18	27.70	0.54	8.11	0.37	13.62	0.20	3.13	6.52	0.28
		24	26.86	0.14	7.43	0.10	12.66	0.48	4.26	5.86	0.30
		30	26.35	0.24	7.38	0.13	11.54	0.24	5.34	4.46	0.32
		36	27.47	0.41	7.05	0.17	11.42	0.47	5.56	3.72	0.11
		42	27.40	0.25	6.64	0.46	9.71	0.27	7.31	3.70	0.42
		48	27.38	0.18	6.43	0.16	7.79	0.38	9.20	3.68	0.32
25°C	NA	0	29.50	0.06	9.01	0.11	16.62	0.55	0	4.72	0.23
		6	28.58	0.20	8.72	0.07	14.10	0.19	2.54	6.75	0.17
		12	26.77	0.19	8.24	0.40	13.12	0.33	3.58	7.46	0.28
		18	26.06	0.46	8.85	0.17	15.25	0.54	1.38	10.14	0.20
		24	24.73	0.16	7.04	0.16	13.65	0.23	3.56	10.74	0.37
		30	23.13	0.18	6.87	0.38	9.66	0.38	7.28	10.54	0.43
		36	24.11	0.16	6.85	0.17	10.83	0.24	6.18	9.65	0.31
		42	24.15	0.52	5.81	0.10	7.93	0.43	9.26	8.80	0.17
		48	24.91	0.13	5.04	0.64	7.08	0.17	10.33	7.36	0.27
	MA	0	29.50	0.06	9.01	0.11	16.62	0.55	0	4.72	0.23
		6	29.40	0.24	9.73	0.10	16.32	0.34	0.78	5.76	0.18
		12	27.43	0.60	8.20	0.57	13.59	0.49	3.14	6.85	0.21
		18	28.63	0.21	9.52	0.17	14.09	0.33	2.61	6.97	0.27
		24	24.46	0.23	6.96	0.16	10.46	0.37	6.49	5.76	0.46
		30	22.93	0.19	5.34	0.18	9.81	0.24	7.74	4.79	0.33
		36	22.44	0.56	4.91	0.60	8.55	0.26	9.05	4.54	0.28
		42	22.44	0.15	4.09	0.30	6.83	0.50	10.96	4.51	0.11
		48	22.41	0.43	3.47	0.14	5.94	0.35	12.03	4.49	0.40

Sensory analysis has shown that significant (p < 0.05) decreases were observed in the appearance, texture and flavor quality scores of all samples during storage (Table 5). It was detected that NA packaged apricots stored at 25 ± 1°C lost their acceptable sensory quality (scored < 3 was for appearance, flavor, and texture) at the beginning of the 16^th week. MA packaged apricots stored at 5 ± 1°C retained their acceptable (≥ 3) flavor at the end of 24^th week, texture at end of the 30^th week and appearance at the end of the storage period.

Table 5 Sensory evaluation scores of unsulfured sun dried apricots during storage

Storage conditions		Storage period (weeks)	Appearance		Texture		Flavor
			x	SDx	x	SDx	x	SDx
5°C	NA	0	5	0	5	0	5	0
		6	4.5	0.1	4.4	0.04	4.1	0.07
		12	4.4	0.04	4.3	0.14	3.9	0.12
		18	4.3	0.11	4.2	0.17	3.9	0.15
		24	3.8	0.17	3.6	0.15	3.5	0.18
		30	3.4	0.20	3.1	0.17	2.9	0.21
		36	3.0	0.14	2.9	0.19	2.6	0.26
		42	2.8	0.30	2.7	0.13	2.2	0.29
		48	2.7	0.08	2.6	0.16	2.2	0.34
	MA	0	5	0	5	0	5	0
		6	4.6	0.14	4.7	0.07	4.8	0.13
		12	4.6	0.21	4.6	0.10	4.1	0.27
		18	4.4	0.13	3.9	0.12	3.7	0.42
		24	4.0	0.28	3.6	0.14	3.5	0.35
		30	3.5	0.08	3.0	0.12	2.9	0.15
		36	3.1	0.14	2.9	0.13	2.6	0.12
		42	3.1	0.13	2.8	0.20	2.3	0.26
		48	3.0	0.07	2.8	0.15	2.3	0.25
15°C	NA	0	5	0	5	0	5	0
		6	4.6	0.07	4.7	0.17	4.9	0.13
		12	3.9	0.10	3.8	0.13	3.3	0.31
		18	3.5	0.18	3.5	0.12	3.3	0.18
		24	3.5	0.14	3.4	0.23	3.0	0.26
		30	3.3	0.10	3.1	0.30	2.8	0.33
		36	2.6	0.13	2.6	0.27	2.4	0.12
		42	2.6	0.17	2.4	0.12	2.4	0.15
		48	2.5	0.08	2.4	0.16	2.2	0.19
	MA	0	5	0	5	0	5	0
		6	5.0	0.08	4.8	0.16	4.8	0.18
		12	4.4	0.14	4.5	0.04	3.9	0.27
		18	3.8	0.16	3.8	0.10	3.3	0.36
		24	3.8	0.17	3.8	0.13	3.2	0.28
		30	3.0	0.20	3.3	0.21	2.9	0.29
		36	3.3	0.22	3.3	0.18	2.8	0.19
		42	3.0	0.17	3.0	0.17	2.6	0.32
		48	3.0	0.16	2.3	0.24	2.1	0.24
25°C	NA	0	5	0	5	0	5	0
		6	4.1	0.13	4.4	0.14	4.2	0.12
		12	3.8	0.14	4.0	0.17	4.1	0.27
		18	2.8	0.15	2.5	0.20	2.3	0.23
		24	2.8	0.10	2.3	0.13	2.2	0.17
		30	2.5	0.22	1.6	0.13	1.8	0.25
		36	2.7	0.13	1.6	0.18	1.6	0.18
		42	1.7	0.20	1.0	0.15	1.0	0.28
		48	1.5	0.14	1.0	0.25	1.0	0.21
	MA	0	5	0	5	0	5	0
		6	4.5	0.04	4.4	0.07	4.1	0.13
		12	4.1	0.10	4.2	0.11	3.8	0.15
		18	3.4	0.7	4.0	0.13	3.3	0.27
		24	2.9	0.13	3.4	0.21	2.9	0.25
		30	2.2	0.17	2.8	0.22	2.2	0.10
		36	2.1	0.21	2.6	0.13	2.1	0.23
		42	1.0	0.26	2.5	0.15	1.3	0.14
		48	1.0	0.14	2.0	0.18	1.0	0.19

CONCLUSION

Modified atmosphere in packaging has a measurable effect on decreasing the degree of changes in quality of unsulfured sun dried apricots during storage and this effect is favored at low temperature. Femenia et al. also stated that the storage of dehydrated fruits under modified atmospheres help the preservation of physical, chemical, nutritional, and organoleptic characteristics of the dried fruit.[26] It can be concluded that the unsulfured sun dried apricots can have a storage life of up to 30 weeks by maintaining fruit quality provided that they are packaged under modified atmosphere and stored at 5 ± 1 °C.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors acknowledge the financial support of The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) in conducting this research.