Title Slide
 PROJECT TITLE: Evaluation of the efficacy of
modified atmosphere packages to maintain the
harvest quality of spider plant (Cleome gynandra)
 NAME:
 REG N0.
 SUPERVISOR:
 MAJOR:
PAUL KIMANI N.
A22/0038/2009.
Dr JANE AMBUKO, PhD.
CROP SCIENCE.
Introduction/Background
 Importance of vegetables
 Indigenous leafy vegetables (ALVs) are preferred because they are rich
in nutrients for example C. gynandra L. has a diverse nutritional
composition such as vitamins, protein, fibre, carbohydrates, minerals,
fatty acids and amino acids
 In the recent years there has been an upsurge of trade and interest in
local indigenous vegetables. A significant proportion (34%) of the
people living in urban and peri urban Nairobi consumes indigenous
leafy vegetables
 The easy perishability of ALVs in terms of very short shelf life due to
loss of green colour resulting to yellowing, wilting and rotting poses
major challenges with their distribution and marketing.
 There is need for appropriate measures to maintain harvest quality
and prolong the marketing period of ALVs to facilitate their
movement from production areas (mostly in rural and peri-urban
areas) to urban markets where their demand is on the rise
 Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) is a simple and versatile
technology that can be used to preserve freshness in perishables
commodities including fruits and vegetables
 The mode of action in MAP is based on altered gas composition in the
package – reduced oxygen and increased carbon dioxide
 The beneficial effects of MAP depend on packaging materials that
ensure a balance between commodity attributes and package
characteristics
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When these two are matched, an equilibrium MA created in the package is
beneficial to the packaged commodity
A mis-match between the package and commodity creates an unfavorable
environment that negates the benefits of MAP
Problem Statement and Justification
 Postharvest losses in vegetables especially indigenous leafy vegetables
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has been a major challenge among the growers and this has limited the
market of the commodity to where the demand is high especially in
urban centres.
The traditional methods have been relying on direct sun drying that is
faced with problems of hygiene, nutrient degradation and losses such
as vitamin C., aesthetic value etc.
MAP offers an alternative method for quality preservation
Activebag® is a new MAP product variably designed for various
commodity ranges. Unlike ordinary polythene, it has good
permeability characteristics that preclude the development of
anaerobic conditions in the package. It is also lined with ethylene
absorbers and antimicrobials which further enhance the efficacy
compared to the ordinary polythene bags used in grocery stores.
However its use in ALVs has not been tested
Objectives
 GENERAL: To evaluate alternative methods for
preservation of postharvest quality of spider plant
 SPECIFIC: To determine the efficacy of Modified
atmosphere packaging using various Activebag®
packages to maintain the postharvest quality of spider
plant.
Materials and method
 The experiment will be conducted in botany laboratory,
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department of plant science and crop protection, faculty of
agriculture, University of Nairobi.
Fresh spider plant leaves will be obtained from a nearby farm
around Kabete area, where they will have being planted and
harvested at the right stage.
Sorting out will be done to remove impurities such as soil particles
which might be sources of pathogens and other impurities that
might lead to contamination.
The sorted and dry leaves will then be packaged in various
Activebag® packages with different permeability characteristics
namely (WH bag, BH bag and RH bag). These will be compared
with regular/ordinary polythene usually used in grocery stores and
unpackaged vegetables as controls
The experimental design to be used is a Completely Randomized
Design (CRD) with 3 replications
Data collected will be subjected to analysis of variance using
Genstat and differences in the means separated using LSD0.05
Method Flow Diagram
FRESH SPIDER
PLANT LEAVES
SORTING
NORMAL
PACKAGE
BAG
CONTROL
RH Bag
2
PACKAGING
BH Bag
OBSERVATON
AND DATA
COLLECTION
DATA
ANALYSIS
CONTROL
1
UNPACKAGED
(UNDER AIR)
WH Bag
Parameters to be measured
 Cumulative weight loss - digital weighing balance
 Color index
 Produce Quality Rating Scales and color Charts(2005)
 Wilting index
 Produce Quality Rating Scales and color Charts(2005)
 Rotting index
 Visual observation of percentage rot.
 General appearance
 Produce Quality Rating Scales and color Charts(2005).
References
• Oniang’o R, Grum, M. and Obel-Lawson, E. African
journal, volume 7, N0.s 3&4 2007. Developing African
leafy vegetables for improved nutrition. Regional
workshop, 6-9 December 2005. Rural outreach
program, Nairobi, Kenya
• K.M Shiungu & R.K. Oniang’o AFJAND 7, 4. 2007
• Nazir M. and Randolph M. Beaudry 1986. Modified
Atmosphere Packaging. Michigan State University East
Lansing, Michigan.
WORK PLAN
PERIOD
ACTIVITY
Proposal writing
Land preparation and
Planting
Data collection and data
analysis
Proposal presentation
Report writing
Final Report presentation
Dec 2012
JAN 2013
FEB
2013
MARCH 2013
APRIL
2013
THANK YOU