A Comparison of Protective Performance and arrangements pattern study of betel leaf packaging for transporting

Abstract

This research was to compare the capabilities and study the arrangement patterns in packaging betel leaf for the land transport in order to prevent mechanical damage to the green betel leaf (Piper betel Linn.). The betel leaf was packed in three types of packaging such as plastic basket, foam box with interior space and corrugated boxes. These three packages contained betel leaf weighed 10, 12 and 15 kg, respectively and there were three patterns of betel leaf arrangement. The packages were transferred from Sampran District, Nakhon Pathom Province to Kasetsart University, Bangkok and it was about 70 kilometers long. Then comparing the packaging capabilities by assessing the physical damage of the betel leaf and the damage levels were divided into 3 levels such as completely damaged, moderate damaged, low damaged and no damage. The results showed that plastic baskets caused betel leaf damaged at the high, medium and low levels of 9.17, 22.02 and 39.45 percent without damage, respectively, and 29.36 percent of them were not damaged. While the betel leaf in foam boxes were damaged at high, moderate and low levels of 4.14, 11.03 and 29.66 percent, respectively, and 55.17 percent were not damaged. Corrugated cardboard was significantly damaged at high, medium and low levels of 5.05, 11.11 and 26.77 percent respectively, and 57.07 percent without damage. Comparing the damaged levels of these three packages showed that foam box is suitable for serving as a transport packaging for betel leaf.