Effect of different types of packaging materials on quality aspects of turmeric powder over a storage period

Abstract

Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) is one of the essential elements of the Indian recipes. Besides the taste and aroma, it is also being used for medicinal value since ancient times. It was popular even in Vedic times because of its unique flavour and medicinal properties and its significance in religious ceremonies and auspicious occasions. Turmeric has very good nutritive and medicinal values. The present investigation is aimed to study the storability of ground turmeric powder stored in different packaging materials viz., LDPE, LLDPE, plastic jar (commercial food grade), glass jar, and steel jar over a period of time on the quality of the turmeric powder. Two distinct processing methods commonly adopted for the processing of turmeric i.e. fresh turmeric rhizomes directly converted into powder without boiling and second with boiling of fresh rhizomes with 0.05% sodium bicarbonate solution for 45 minutes followed by cutting into pieces and drying. The powders so obtained were stored in different packaging materials and sealed. The packets or the jars containing turmeric powder were then stored in two different environment viz., normal (room temperature) and refrigerated condition (7-8 °C) and quality analysis was done at a regular interval of 15 days and storage study was continued for period of 180 days. The value of curcumin content and olioresin content was decreased from 3.11 percent to 1.88 percent and 11.55 to 8.83 percent respectively over a period of storage and found best followed sequence of packaging materials are plastic container, steel container, glass container, LDPE and LLDPE with both cured and non-cured samples. The turmeric powder prepared from curing processing technique, storage at refrigerated condition in plastic container shows higher acceptability in comparison to others.