Standardization of herbal infused Mandarin (Citrus reticulata cv. Kinnow) squash during storage

Abstract

The present investigation entitled “Standardization of herbal infused Mandarin (Citrus reticulata cv. Kinnow) squash during storage” was conducted at the Post Harvest Management Laboratory of Pt. KLS College of Horticulture and Research Station, Rajnandgaon (C.G.) during the academic session 2024-2025. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications, comprising seven treatments with six different blending ratios of mandarin juice fortified with herbal extracts of ginger, basil, and lemongrass at 1% and 2% concentrations. The prepared squash samples were stored under ambient conditions for 60 days, and observations were recorded at 15-day intervals to evaluate changes in quality parameters during storage. Among the different treatments, T₆ (98% mandarin juice + 2% lemongrass) recorded the highest values of total soluble solids (45.620B), pH (2.65), ascorbic acid (41.80), TSS:Acid ratio (35.64), and Sugar:Acid ratio (6.86) throughout the storage period. Treatment T₃ (99% mandarin juice + 1% basil) maintained the highest total sugar (8.89%) and reducing sugar (7.78%) content, while the maximum titrable acidity (1.42%) was observed in T₀ (control: 100% mandarin juice), and the highest non-reducing sugar (1.60%) content was recorded in T₅ (99% mandarin juice + 1% lemongrass). Based on the overall quality attributes and storage stability, it was concluded that T₆ (98% mandarin juice + 2% lemongrass) was the most acceptable formulation, followed by T₂ (98% mandarin juice + 2% ginger), in terms of quality parameters during the storage period.