Effect of dipping treatments on storage life of fruits and vegetables

Abstract

Minimizing post-harvest losses of horticultural perishables is a very effective way of reducing the area needed for production and/or increasing food availability. This research investigated the effectiveness of dipping treatments on storage life of fruits and vegetables. Bananas, Tomatoes and Cucumbers were dipped in Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride and Lime juice solutions with different steeping time. The effects of these agents on pre-treated fruits and vegetables were evaluated by analyzing the pH, TSS, Weight loss and Shelf life. The results indicated that due to pre-treatment increase in pH, TSS and Weight loss was low in fruits and vegetables dipped in Calcium Chloride and Sodium Chloride as compared to Control, there was no significant difference between fruits and vegetables dipped in Lime juice and control. Shelf life of Bananas dipped in Calcium Chloride with a steeping time of 10 min was increased from 7 days to 9 days, Shelf life of Tomatoes was increased from 10 days to 13 days and Shelf life of Cucumbers was increased from 16 days to 22 days. Overall, Calcium Chloride was observed to be effective in increasing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.