Dr. Pham Thi Thu Ha from the Institute of Chemistry under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and her colleagues have developed a process for preserving litchis for over one month with MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) technology.
The MAP technology was developed by the Institute of Chemistry beginning in 2008. The membrane is made of thermoplastic in primary form and therefore ensures food hygiene.
Tests showed that after four weeks at the temperature of 4oC, the percentage of rotten fruit preserved in MAP bags manufactured by VAST was equal to that of the fruit preserved MAP bags sourced from South Korea – about 4 percent. 100 percent of fruit kept in normal PE bags rotted.
It now takes 15-17 days to transport export litchis abroad, while normal PE bags can preserve litchis for 15-17 days only. This means that the traditional preservation method does not preserve litchis for a long time. MAP bags can help settle the problem.
source: english.vietnamnet.vn
