A theoretical model for oxygen consumption in fresh produce under an atmosphere with carbon dioxide

A practical model for fresh produce, which includes the effect of the depression of respiration caused by CO2, is proposed on the basis of the modified Langmuir adsorption theory. The O-2 consumption rates for several kinds of fresh produce under atmospheric conditions with enhanced CO2 were measured and the data was analysed using the proposed model. The rate parameters of the model for estimating respiration of fresh produce were determined, and the model was found to be adaptable for describing the O-2 consumption in terms of the depression by CO2. Mathematical analysis of a modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) system for shredded cabbage and broccoli was carried out using the proposed rate equation and the basic mass balance. The simulated results agreed well with the experimental data. The proposed O-2 consumption model is considered to be useful for the design of MAP systems under the atmospheric condition with CO2 gas. (C) 1996 Silsoe Research Institute