Sweet cherry (Prunus avium): Critical factors affecting the composition and shelf life

Consumer's demand for sweet cherry has increased due to its sweet taste, attractive colour and high amounts of antioxidants. However, the fruit is highly perishable with a limited shelf life of 7-10 days, and in some cases fails to reach the consumer at optimal quality after being transported to the market. Loss of firmness, colour and flavour, stem discoloration, desiccation and mould growth limit their shelf life over extended periods of time. The harvest time, cultivar, handling, cooling practices and packaging greatly influence the shelf life of cherries. Developments in packaging e.g. modified atmosphere packaging have shown promising results in extending the shelf life of fresh produce including fresh cherries. Properly designed modified atmosphere packs can be exploited to prevent moisture loss, fungal growth, discoloration of pigments, and loss of bioactives during post-harvest storage. The article intends to review the critical factors that play an important role in determining the shelf life of sweet cherries. The combinations of modified atmosphere packaging with active packaging principles would further help to maintain the optimal quality of fresh cherries. This would further allow industries to assess long distance markets with high quality fruits.