Evaluating packaging performance for bananas under simulated vibration

Packaging is the primary protection of fresh produce against the environmental hazards such as vibration in the distribution process. This study evaluated the effectiveness of two types of corrugated paperboard packaging, reusable plastic creates (RPC) and vacuum tightening for their protective performance in reducing damage of bananas under simulated transport vibration. Both vibration transmissibility and the construction material of packaging influenced the mechanical damage levels in bananas with the RPCs showing the highest damage levels. The best protective performance for bananas was exhibited by one-piece corrugated paperboard cartons with additional benefits of reduced vibration transmissibility at the top-tiers. Vacuum tightening effectively reduced the vibration damage, especially in the most bottom and top tier packages, by over 70% and thus, can be considered for further reducing mechanical damage to bananas. One-piece cartons, with the possible addition of vacuum tightening or tensioned plastic wrapping, could therefore substitute the widely used two-piece carton in Australia in order to minimize mechanical damage to bananas in-transit.