Abstract:The effect of different ultrasound time on the hardness of tomato and loofah was investigated. The hardness and sensory of tomato and loofah during storage were studied by cross-matching different gas compositions, i.e., O 22 with concentration of 3%, 6% and CO 22 with concentration of 2%, 4%, 6%. After the optimization of ultrasound time and gas composition of modified atmosphere packaging(MAP), the preservation of tomato and loofah mixed storage was evaluated via cold storage, MAP, ultrasound treatment (UT) and ultrasound treatment combined with modified atmosphere packaging(UTMAP). The results showed that 5 min of ultrasound time was most effective in maintaining the hardness of tomatoes and melons. The highest hardness and sensory score were achieved when stored under 6% O 2, 4% CO 2 and 90% N2 for 21 d. The increase of weight loss, the accumulation of malondialdehyde(MDA) and the change of respiration in tomato and loofah mixed storage under UTMAP were slower than those stored under other treatments, exhibiting similar taste with fresh tomato while the flavor of loofah was significantly different from that of cold storage. The UTMAP is therefor much effective than UT alone or MAP alone for tomato and loofah mixed storage.