Production of Active Packaging from Debris of Heliconia and Thai Herbs for Reducing Anthracnose Disease of Mango and Papaya

A study of production of active packaging from debris of Heliconia and Thai herbs for reducing anthracnose disease of mango and papaya comprises four steps- 1) create mold for producing packaging 2) prepare pulp from agricultural waste, 3) produce active packaging, and 4) test of packaging efficiency to reduce anthracnose disease in mango and papaya. The study revealed that creating mold from white cement was easy and quick, and the mold was strong. Regarding the method to produce packaging, pouring of pulp onto muslin cloth in the mold did not give uniform thickness, whereas hand tapping of pulp into the mold offered uniform thickness but it took more time to do. However, the latter took only one day to dry while the first took 2-3 days. The packaging was less shrink by tapping than pouring method. The shape of packaging can well support mango and papaya fruits, and its strength and thickness was adjustable by the amount of pulp used. Heliconia pulp can be used to produce packaging and provided natural color as well as the identity of hand-made products which is free from harmful chemicals in the pulping process. The active packaging produced from Heliconia pulp and herbal extracts from galangal stem, kaffir lime leaves, cassia leaves and Plai essential oil was found to be effective in controlling anthracnose disease. The anthracnose lesions on mango fruits were smaller than those on papaya fruits.