INFLUENCE OF PRETREATMENTS ON POST-HARVEST QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND SHELF LIFE EXTENSION OF GREEN TAMARIND FRUITS STORED UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS

OM PRAKASH¹, AMARJEET KUMAR², V.B. KUDACHIKAR³*
¹Fruit and Vegetable Technology Department, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570 020, India
²Fruit and Vegetable Technology Department, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570 020, India
³Fruit and Vegetable Technology Department, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, 570 020, India
* Corresponding Author : vbkudachikar2011@gmail.com

Received : 21-06-2016     Accepted : 18-11-2016     Published : 30-11-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 58       Pages : 3199 - 3204
Int J Agr Sci 8.58 (2016):3199-3204

Keywords : Calcium chloride, Green tamarind, Phenyl acetaldehyde, Postharvest quality attributes, Shelf-life
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : The authors are grateful Prof. Ram Rajasekharan, Director, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore for his keen interest, constant encouragement and kind support during the course of this investigation. Authors also thank to CIFS, CFTRI for their timely help and technical assistance in instrumental analysis of samples
Author Contribution : Om Prakash- Experimentation collection and analysis of experimental materials and data on storage studies and manuscript preparation; Amarjeet Kumar-Statistical analysis of experimental data and assistance in manuscript preparation; Kudachikar VB*-Concep

In the present study, an attempt was made to prolong the shelf life and to preserve post-harvest quality of fresh tamarind fruits pretreated with fruit hardening chemical agents and aroma chemical compound stored under different storage (Room temperature and low temperature storage) conditions. Optimally matured (TSS 9-10°Brix) fresh and green tamarind fruits were first water washed, sorted to remove mechanically damaged and deformed ones and graded for uniform size, colour, texture and then hydro-cooled for 10 minutes, followed by the post-harvest dip treatments [T0–Control (Untreated), T1-0.25% Calcium chloride, T2-0.5% Calcium chloride and T3–500ppm Phenyl acetaldehyde] for 10 minutes. Both control and treated fruits were surface dried using mechanical driers, then packed into plastic trays with proper cushioning material and stored at RT(29±2°C, 65-70%) and low temperature (LT) conditions (4±10C,90-95% RH). These stored fruits were periodically analyzed for changes in various physiological and physico-chemical quality attributes. The results on LT and RT storage studies indicated that tamarind responded very well to fruit hardening salt, calcium chloride at 0.50% in terms of retention of fruit firmness, fruit color and total phenolic, apart from reduction in physiological loss in weight, effective shelf life of tamarind fruits in fresh form up to 28 days at LT and 16 days at RT storage conditions as against 16 days and 8 days respectively in untreated controls when stored under same conditions.