Effect of post-harvest treatments on shelf life and physico-chemical changes of Guava fruits

Abstract

The study was carried out at Post Harvest Laboratory, College of Agriculture, JNKVV, Jabalpur during the year 2018, on various ripening related changes in guava fruits to determine appropriate maturity stage and postharvest treatment for better quality and desirable shelf life under room storage. Effect of post harvest treatments with Calcium chloride (1and 2%), Calcium nitrate (0.5 and 1%) and Azadirachta decoction (10 and 20%) on the storage behaviour of guava fruits harvested at colour turning stages during storage at room temperature were studied. Fruits were kept in tray and dipped each for (2 or 4) minutes, storage at room temperature and evaluated after 3, 6, 9 and 12 days for various physico-chemical attributes like. The maximum physiological weight loss (23.34%) in untreated fruits and minimum (16.59%) in calcium nitrate (1%) treated, the maximum fruit length of (5.50cm) was recorded in calcium nitrate (1%) treated and the minimum (4.33cm) in control, the maximum fruit diameter (5.92cm) was recorded under calcium nitrate (1%) treatment and minimum (5.28cm) under control treatment, the maximum fruit volume was recorded (125.27ml) under calcium nitrate (1%) treated fruit treatment and the minimum (92.80ml) in control, the maximum fruit decay percent was recorded in T1 (control) 12.38 % and minimum 6.14 % was recorded in the Azadirachta decoction treatment fruits after 9th and 12th days. No decayed fruits were observed among all calcium treatments at the end of storage period (12 days), the maximum total sugar was recorded (7.09%) in calcium nitrate (1%) treated and minimum (6.23%) in untreated fruits. It was observed that PLW increased, fruits length, diameter and volume decreased during storage irrespective of maturity stages and Calcium treatments studied. Total sugar, increased upto 6 days with all the treatments except control but subsequently decreased thereafter during storage. However, mature green stage fruits exhibited longer shelf life and better fruit quality with all the Calcium treatments compared to calcium treatments stage during storage. Similarly, calcium proved beneficial in delaying the ripening related changes in guava fruits, while application of Ca(NO3)2 (1%) recorded a potential shelf life of 12 days under storage.