Oxygen Consumption by Phalaenopsis Plantlets and Chrysanthemum Cuttings as a Function of Temperature and Time: Model Structure Validation

Phalaenopsis spp. and Chrysanthemum are ornamentals with an important economic value. Currently, quality loss during storage and transport of plantlets and cuttings is a limiting factor for spreading the workload, broadening the export range, and the use of slower but more environmentally friendly transport. In the agro-food sector, equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging has enhanced the shelf-life of minimally processed produce. The required properties for an equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging system can be estimated from the respiration rate of the packaged commodity under specified atmospheric composition and storage temperature. In this work, a model structure is validated to estimate the respiration rate as a function of oxygen concentration and temperature for Phalaenopsis and Chrysanthemum. The oxygen concentration as a function of time was monitored in a closed system for different storage temperatures. The models show a good fit to the data. The model coefficients were dependent on the plant species and characteristics. The resulting formulae can be used to estimate the oxygen consumption rate of the produce under a range of oxygen concentrations and a temperature range from 15 °C to 32 °C for Phalaenopsis and from 2 °C to 14 °C for Chrysanthemum. The oxygen concentrations for which the formulae are valid depend on the storage temperature and plant species. The models can be used to estimate a dynamic oxygen consumption rate profile during storage and transport.