B P International

Banana is one of the most ancient crops in the world. It is the most appreciated fruit because of its multipurpose use as food. Being perishable, it deteriorates very quickly. Post-harvest treatment with various suitable chemicals like potassium permanganate, ethrel, dipping in hot water, cold water and use of polythene bags can be used for enhancing shelf-life. Post-harvest treatment of banana fingers with different concentrations of potassium permanganate, ethrel and dippings in hot and cold water and analysis of shelf-life of treated fruits through titratable acidity, ascorbic acid and TSS content of fruit has been carried out during storage. The analysis revealed superiority of ethrel 600 ppm and potassium permanganate as ethylene inhibitor and absorbent to improve storage life banana fruits without loss of nutrient content. Author(s) Details Dr. Amarjeet Kaur Department of Horticulture, Khalsa College Amritsar, Guru Nanak Dev University, India. Sunil Kumar Depart...

Natural compounds with bio-preservative properties are gaining attention of researchers worldwide. It is the case of biosurfactants known as surface active compounds produced by microorganisms which deserved antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The present study was aimed to improve the shelf life of a Cameroonian indigenous fermented milk “pendidam” using biosurfactants derived from that food matrix. Biosurfactants was extracted from pendidam, purified, characterized preliminarly and its in vitro antimicrobial activity against microorganisms isolated from pendidam was assessed. Then, the biosurfactants was applied in pendidam and the microbiological quality of pendidam was followed up during 4 days of preservation at room temperature. The results obtained show that the crude extract of biosurfactants exhibit emulsifying and surface activities which remained stable after heat treatment at 100°C for 15 min, NaCl concentration of 20% and pH values ranging from 2 to 12. Furthermore...

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most important vegetable crops in the world. Effect of Neem leaf coating on the shelf life and quality retention of tomato fruits during storage was investigated. Three varieties of tomato fruits (UTC, Shase and Hoozua) obtained from Wurukum market in Makurdi were treated with Neem leaf coating to extend their shelf life and maintain their quality during storage. Significant variations were observed among the varieties in relation to most of the parameters studied. Irrespective of treatment, weight loss, postharvest decay, marketability and firmness decreased with increase in storage duration. Temperature ranged from 28.43 – 31.89°C. For weight evaluation, UTC ranged from 4.95 – 45.28, Shase ranged from 4.40 – 45.16 and Hoozua ranged from 4.62 – 59.48. Among the three varieties, UTC and Shase showed lower postharvest decay of 0.00 – 10.00 than Hoozua with postharvest decay of 1.00 – 10.00 and the lower postharvest decay was found in the tr...