Nanhe Lal Saroj, Pritam Coomar Barua, Karobi Handique, Apoorva Mishra, Viplaw Kumar, Sachin Kishor, Lalit Kumar and Gerik Bagra
Abstract
The experiment aims to evaluate the packaging material and EC for extending the shelf life of pomegranate with retaining better fruit quality attributes. Freshly harvested strawberry (Fragaria à ananassa Duch.) fruits of cv. âWinter Dawnâ were plucked at approximately 3/4th maturity stage about 80 percent in the color developmental stage and Ten fruits of about 120 g weight were packed in different readily available perforated seven types of packaging materials viz., Low-density polyethylene (P1), High-density polyethylene (P2), Polypropylene (P3), Polyvinyl chloride (P4), Polyolefin (P5), Butter paper (P6), Control as a without packaging/open condition (P7). The effect of all the packaging materials and two electrical conductances (EC) levels viz., L1 (1.8 dSm-1) and L2 (2.5 dSm-1) were studied in Ambient storage condition (24 ± 5 °C & 75± 5 RH). The various quality attributes viz., physiological loss in weight (%), decay (%), T.S.S. (°Brix), titratable acidity (%) and ascorbic acid (mg/100g) attributes of fruits were estimated in Ambient storage condition (viz., reading was taken on daily basis) during the entire storage period. Under Ambient storage condition. The result inferred that the PLW (P15.66%, L1.6.61%. and P1 à L15.66%), Decay (P13.78 (13.37) %, L1 4.27 (17.57) % and P1ÃL1.3.78 (13.37), TSS (P1.6.92°Brix, L1.6.66 and P1ÃL1.6.97), titratable acidity (P1.0.70%, L10.73% and P1ÃL1.0.81%) and ascorbic acid (P1.18.41 mg/100g L116.55 and P1ÃL1.18.94) were found to decrease with the prolongation of storage periods. No significant variation was recorded for different packaging materials and EC, except for PLW, Decay, and ascorbic acid in fruits packed with P1. Among the packaging materials (P1 and L1) were found to be the best for physiological parameters contributing characteristics. In the future, these experimental results may prove very useful for the storage of strawberry fruits for a certain period with better quality.