Design of Corrugated Fibre Board (CFB) Boxes for Marketing and Transportation of Fruits

Packaging methods significantly affect the fruit quality parameters and also prevent mechanical injuries during marketing and transit. CFB (Corrugated Fibre Board) boxes are preferred for the maintenance of quality of harvested fruits during transport and storage of fruit crops. The aim of present study was to design the CFB boxes for packaging and transportation of Kinnow, pear, litchi and strawberry. CFB boxes were made by using the kraft and recycled paper. Fruit physical characteristics of different size and grades were estimated to design the dimensions of CFB boxes. Compression test, puncture test and drop test up to the height of 2 feet was performed to estimate the strength of packaging materials. Fruit growers, contractors and traders use wooden boxes, jute bags, polythene bags, plastic crates, baskets etc. for local and distant marketing. During handling and transportation, compression and vibration injuries cause bruising, decreases fruit quality attributes and post-harvest shelf life. Therefore, the dimensions of CFB boxes of 2 kg, 4 kg and 10 kg fruit capacity were configured with 5% perforation to reduce transportation and storage losses. The CFB boxes with dimensions of 340 × 220 × 100 mm for 2 kg, 340 × 220 × 190 mm for 4 kg and 450 × 240 × 180 mm for 10 kg are recommended for packaging and marketing of kinnow, pear, litchi fruits. However, CFB boxes of 255 × 240 × 75 mm for 1 kg and 470 × 240 × 75 mm for 2 kg capacity were designed for packing of strawberry fruits. The CFB boxes of 3 ply can be used for local retail and 5 ply boxes for distant marketing. These CFB boxes offer an environment friendly option for storage and transport of fruits.