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Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur
The history of agricultural education in Kerala can be traced back to the year 1896 when a scheme was evolved in the erstwhile Travancore State to train a few young men in scientific agriculture at the Demonstration Farm, Karamana, Thiruvananthapuram, presently, the Cropping Systems Research Centre under Kerala Agricultural University. Agriculture was introduced as an optional subject in the middle school classes in the State in 1922 when an Agricultural Middle School was started at Aluva, Ernakulam District. The popularity and usefulness of this school led to the starting of similar institutions at Kottarakkara and Konni in 1928 and 1931 respectively.
Agriculture was later introduced as an optional subject for Intermediate Course in 1953. In 1955, the erstwhile Government of Travancore-Cochin started the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Mannuthy, Thrissur for imparting higher education in agricultural and veterinary sciences, respectively. These institutions were brought under the direct administrative control of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Animal Husbandry, respectively. With the formation of Kerala State in 1956, these two colleges were affiliated to the University of Kerala. The post-graduate programmes leading to M.Sc. (Ag), M.V.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees were started in 1961, 1962 and 1965 respectively.
On the recommendation of the Second National Education Commission (1964-66) headed by Dr. D.S. Kothari, the then Chairman of the University Grants Commission, one Agricultural University in each State was established. The State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) were established in India as an integral part of the National Agricultural Research System to give the much needed impetus to Agriculture Education and Research in the Country. As a result the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) was established on 24th February 1971 by virtue of the Act 33 of 1971 and started functioning on 1st February 1972. The Kerala Agricultural University is the 15th in the series of the SAUs.
In accordance with the provisions of KAU Act of 1971, the Agricultural College and Research Institute at Vellayani, and the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy, were brought under the Kerala Agricultural University. In addition, twenty one agricultural and animal husbandry research stations were also transferred to the KAU for taking up research and extension programmes on various crops, animals, birds, etc.
During 2011, Kerala Agricultural University was trifurcated into Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU), Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Kerala Agricultural University (KAU).
Now the University has seven colleges (four Agriculture, one Agricultural Engineering, one Forestry, one Co-operation Banking & Management), six RARSs, seven KVKs, 15 Research Stations and 16 Research and Extension Units under the faculties of Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering and Forestry. In addition, one Academy on Climate Change Adaptation and one Institute of Agricultural Technology offering M.Sc. (Integrated) Climate Change Adaptation and Diploma in Agricultural Sciences respectively are also functioning in Kerala Agricultural University.
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ThesisItem Embargo Evaluation of banana (Musa spp.) cultivars for dietary fibre(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2022) Anjali, C; KAU; Pushpalatha, P BBanana is grown under a wide range of environment in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Since the plant as a whole is useful for its fruits, peel, fibre, rhizome, male bud and pseudostem, it is also called as ‘Kalpatharu’. After harvesting bunches, the biomass left out are reported to be rich source of dietary fibre. Nowadays, the development and use of functional ingredients is widely exploited in the food industry, principally those with high dietary fibre levels. Dietary fibres are plant derived complex carbohydrates, which have immense health beneficial effects. These plant parts, which are rich in dietary fibre could be used as a potential source of dietary fibre in food products. In this context, the present study was carried out in the Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara and Banana Research Station, Kannara, with the objective to evaluate the quantity and quality of dietary fibre from various parts of banana cultivars and to utilize the dietary fibre enriched powder for product development. The cultivars, belonging to different genomes (Grand Naine (AAA), Kunnan (AB), Nedunendran (AAB) and Pisang Lilin (AA)) were planted in the field of Banana Research Station, Kannara. The plant parts such as male bud, peel, inner core of pseudostem and rhizome were collected and estimation of biomass and dietary fibre yield were carried out. The rhizome of cultivar Kunnan recorded the highest biomass content (6955.56 g) and male bud of Pisang Lilin recorded the lowest (190.68 g). Among different cultivars, the Kunnan recorded the highest biomass content (3989.25 g), which was on par with the Grand Naine (3920.64 g) and Pisang Lilin recorded the lowest biomass content (1400.61 g). When plant parts are taken separately irrespective of the cultivars, the rhizome recorded the highest biomass content (5031.94 g) and male bud recorded the lowest (421.79 g). The dietary fibre content was recorded as highest in the rhizome of Pisang Lilin (72.10 %) and lowest in the inner core of pseudostem of Grand Naine (22.96 %). With respect to each cultivar, highest dietary fibre content was recorded in the rhizome of Pisang Lilin (72.10 %) and male buds of Kunnan (54.24 %), Nedunendran (42.43 %) and Grand Naine (38.82 %), followed by the rhizomes of Kunnan (50.83 %) and Grand Naine (37.19 %). These plant parts were powdered and the quality evaluation of dietary fibre for antioxidant activity, total phenols, lignin, cellulose, carbohydrate, swelling power and solubility was done. The male bud powder of Kunnan recorded the lowest phenol content (0.63 mg/g) and rhizome powder of Pisang Lilin recorded the highest phenol content (3.64 mg/g). The highest lignin content (17.05 %) and solubility (15.30 %) was recorded in the male bud powder of Kunnan. The cellulose content (22.50 %) as well as antioxidant activity (0.18 μg/ml) was recorded as highest in the rhizome powder of Grand Naine whereas, the carbohydrate (20.35 g/100g) content was highest in the male bud powder of Grand Naine. The swelling power was highest in the rhizome powder of Kunnan (5.03). As the male bud powder of Kunnan recorded the highest values for most of the quality attributes, it was selected for the product development. Thus, cookies were prepared by incorporating the male bud powder of Kunnan at different concentrations (10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 % and 50 %) to the banana flour. The cookies under control were prepared using 100 % banana flour. The cookies were evaluated for their biochemical and sensory attributes. The biochemical parameters such as protein, total minerals, calcium, potassium, dietary fibre and fat content increased with the level of incorporation of male bud powder of Kunnan and were highest for the cookies incorporated with 50 % Kunnan male bud powder. The carbohydrate, starch, total sugars and energy value decreased with the level of incorporation of Kunnan male bud powder, and were highest for the cookies under control. The sensory evaluation of the cookies was carried out using 9-point hedonic scale. The cookies incorporated with 10 % male bud powder of Kunnan adjudged as the best with respect to different sensory attributes analyzed, resulting in better overall acceptability. Hence, the cookies with 10 % incorporation of Kunnan bud powder was selected as the best treatment. The male bud powder of ‘Kunnan’ was proved to be the best among the different parts of cultivars studied, with respect to the quality attributes of dietary fibre such as phenol content, lignin content and solubility as well as for acceptability. Hence, there exist immense scope for Kunnan bud powder in the area of production of dietary fibre enriched products.ThesisItem Open Access Technology refinement for wine production from under exploited fruits(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2021) Aiswarya, S; KAU; Mini, CThe present study entitled “Technology refinement for wine production from under exploited fruits” was conducted at Department of Post Harvest Technology, Kerala Agricultural University, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during the year 2019-2021 with the objective for technology refinement for wine production from under exploited fruits based on quality parameters and storage stability. Fruit wines were prepared from three under exploited fruits viz., jamun, papaya and rose apple independently by varying the process parameters viz., fruit: water ratio, fruit: sugar ratio, nitrogen source and clarification methods. Fruit: water ratio was tried at 1:1, 1:2 and 1.0.07; fruit: sugar ratio at 1:1, 24° brix and at 20% sugar, with or without nitrogen source and subjected to clarification by pectinase enzyme and by settling, thus forming 36 different wines under each fruit and were analysed for physical, chemical, nutritional and sensory quality parameters. The study was conducted as four continuous steps viz., fruit wine preparation, quality analysis, selection of superior wines and evaluation of storage stability. Jamun wines were attractive dark purple, had good flavour with 71.8 to 95.4 per cent yield. Papaya wines were light yellowish, papaya flavoured and had 42.2 to 90.7 per cent yield. Rose apple wines were creamy white with 82.24 to 93.33 per cent yield. Three wines with high yield, antioxidant activity and total sensory score with low alcohol content (<7%) were selected from each fruit. Jamun wine prepared using 1:1 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit: sugar ratio, without nitrogen source and clarified by pectinase had 3.52% alcohol, 93.03% antioxidant activity and 253.29 mgg-1 polyphenol content with the highest total sensory score (18.5). When nitrogen source was added, the wine had highest (95.4%) yield, 3.52% alcohol content and high antioxidant activity (92.5%). The highest antioxidant activity (95.64%) was obtained for the wine produced using 1:2 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit: sugar ratio, with nitrogen source and clarified by pectinase. This wine had 92.8% yield, 5.85% alcohol content and 125.92mgg-1 polyphenol content. Papaya wine produced with 1:1 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit: sugar ratio, with nitrogen source and clarified by settling had 87% yield, 4.39% alcohol, 50.19mgg-1 polyphenol and 86.93% antioxidant activity. Addition of nitrogen source and clarification by pectinase had resulted in wine with highest total mean sensory score (17), 3.52% alcohol, 83.65mgg-1 polyphenol and 86.54% antioxidant activity. Wine prepared with 1:2 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit: sugar, with nitrogen source and clarified by pectinase had high yield (90.7%), 5.13% alcohol, 56.55mgg-1 polyphenol and 82.95% antioxidant activity. 186 Rose apple wine prepared with 1:1 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit: sugar, without nitrogen source and clarified by settling had 92.33% yield, 3.52% alcohol, 112.34mgg-1 polyphenol and 75.12% antioxidant activity with highest total mean sensory score (16). Preparation of wine with 1:1 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit: sugar, with nitrogen source and clarified by pectinase had resulted in wine with 91.33% yield, 3.52% alcohol, 151.65mgg-1 polyphenol and 80.13% antioxidant activity. The wine produced using 1:2 fruit: water ratio, 1:1 fruit; sugar ratio, without nitrogen source and clarified by settling had 93.33% yield, 4.39% alcohol, 108.66mgg-1 polyphenol, high antioxidant activity (83.33%) and highest total sensory score (16). When the superior wines selected from each fruit were stored in amber coloured glass bottles and analysed for storage stability, it was seen that the polyphenol content decreased during storage. All the wines were microbiologically safe till the end of two moth storage. In general, utilization of pectinase for clarification, addition of nitrogen source and clarification by pectinase or by doubling the water content in addition to nitrogen source and use of pectinase can improve yield, antioxidant property and sensory score of jamun wine. Addition of nitrogen source, use of pectinase and nitrogen source or doubling the water content with nitrogen source and use of pectinase can improve yield and sensory score of papaya wine. But alcohol content and antioxidant activity were significantly reduced by doubling water in addition to use of nitrogen source and pectinase. By doubling the water content or usage of a nitrogen source and pectinase enzyme, no significant improvement could be made in yield or alcohol content of rose apple wine; instead the antioxidant activity could be significantly improved. The study clearly points out the relevance of selecting process parameters based on the quality of raw material used for wine making.ThesisItem Open Access Standardisation of processing methods for production of jackfruit seed flour with functional properties(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2022) Sreelekshmi, S Kumar; KAU; Geetha Lekshmi, P RThe present study entitled “Standardisation of processing methods for production of jackfruit seed flour with functional properties” was carried out at Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani during the period 2019-2021 with the objective of quality evaluation of jackfruit seeds of varikka and koozha types, standardisation of processing methods for jackfruit seed flour with functional properties and assessment of storage stability. Jackfruit seeds of varikka and koozha types were subjected to different processing methods viz., Pan roasting, Pressure cooking, Lye peeling and Oven drying for the development of jackfruit seed flour. The jackfruit seed flour obtained through different processing methods were subjected to analyses for biochemical, functional and physical qualities. The processing methods for jackfruit seed flour influenced the biochemical, physical and functional qualities of the seed flour. The moisture content of jackfruit seed flour ranged from 6.15% to 10.59% and the highest moisture content of 10.59% was observed for jackfruit seed flour processed by the methods of pressure cooking, pressure cooking+ lye peeling of varikka and koozha seeds. The lowest moisture content of 6.15% was recorded for the treatment Pan roasting + Manual removal of spermoderm of koozha seeds. The highest protein content of 21.13% was observed for Pan roasted koozha as well as varikka seed flour. The highest fat content of 0.76% was reported for Lye peeled varikka and koozha seed flour and fibre content was the highest (3.93%) for Pressure cooking and Pressure cooking + Manual removal of spermoderm of varikka and koozha types. The highest ash content of 3.45% was observed for varikka and koozha seed flour obtained through Pan roasting+ Manual removal of spermoderm. Vitamin C content of jackfruit seed flour ranged from 18.32 mg 100g-1 to 22.32 mg 100g-1 and the highest Vitamin C content of 22.32 mg 100g-1 was observed for the treatment oven drying with spermoderm for varikka and koozha seeds. The highest starch content of 69.07% was observed for pressure cooking method of varikka as well as koozha seed flour. The highest TSS content of 3.03ºBrix and carotenoid content of 5.64 µg 100g-1 was observed for the treatment Oven drying with spermoderm for varikka and koozha seed flour and the treatment Pressure cooking+ Manual removal ofspermoderm for koozha seeds recorded the highest acidity of 0.34%. The highest total sugar of 5.59% and reducing sugar of 0.92% was observed for varikka and koozha seed flour obtained through pan roasting. Functional qualities of jackfruit seed flour viz., water absorption capacity was the highest (180 mL 100g-1 ) for pan roasted seeds whereas oven dried seeds recorded the highest oil absorption capacity (96.67 mL 100g-1 ) and swelling power (5.44 g g-1 ). The highest yield of 64.24% was recorded for oven dry method of jackfruit seed flour for both the types (varikka and koozha) and the highest bulk density (0.82 g cm-3 ) and tapped density of 0.98 g cm-3 were recorded for pressure cooked varikka seed flour. Pan roasting method recorded the highest value of Hausner factor and the processing methods did not show any significant difference for carr’s index. Jackfruit seed flour obtained through lye peeling of varikka and koozha seeds recorded more whitish flour with highest mean score and oven dried method with spermoderm recorded the lowest score indicates the brownish colour of the flour. Jackfruit seed flour did not show any quality changes during a storage period of two months. During storage, there was no significant changes in biochemical and functional parameters of jackfruit seed flour except moisture content and reducing sugar which showed a slight increase, whereas titrable acidity and vitamin C slightly decreased with the storage. No microbial load was detected during the storage period and the storage studies revealed good storage stability of jackfruit seed flour. Tags from this library: No tags from this library for this title.ThesisItem Open Access Determination of optimum maturity stage in mango (Mangifera indica L.) for fruit quality(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College Of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2021) Janmitha Shetty; KAU; Meagle Joseph, PMango (Mangifera indica L.), the national fruit of India is nutritionally rich in carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, and phosphorus and hence known as the “King of fruits”. Mangoes are popular in markets worldwide because of unique flavour, appealing aroma, colour and taste (Arauz, 2000). In Indian subcontinent flowering of mango starts from November in Kerala and extends to February – March in Northern India. Mangoes from Kerala fetch higher price in the main markets at other parts of the country due to earliness. But commercial cultivation of mango in Kerala is limited to a few pockets in Palakkad district and the national varieties such as Alphonso, Banganapalli, Amrapali, Ratna and Mallika are occasional. The adaptation of different varieties to the climatic conditions prevailing fruiting and yielding behaviour of the varieties, production and post-harvest management practices followed by the growers, prevailing marketing system, are some of the problems of mango cultivation in Kerala. Mango fruits gain acceptance and popularity among consumers when it is served with the correct ripeness. Mangoes harvested at full maturity had a shorter shelf life, but those harvested early had a higher weight loss but improved storability (Shahjahan et al., 1994). Maturity standards in relation to the quality of important commercial varieties have not been studied when grown under humid tropical conditions of Kerala. Hence a study on the “Determination of optimum maturity stage in mango (Mangifera indica L.) for fruit quality” was carried out at the Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala during 2019- 21 with the objective to find out the ideal harvesting stage of two important mango varieties viz. Ratna and Mallika for good organoleptic qualities and shelf life. The varieties of mango grown in the college orchard were utilized for the study. Flowers were tagged at the time of fruit set and observations on external appearance, peel, pulp colour, stone characters and biochemical changes were taken at 90, 100,110 120 and 140 days after fruit set (DAFS) as per the IPGRI descriptor. Heat unit requirements for maturity were also studied, for determining optimum days for maturity. In case of mango cv. Ratna, 90, 100 and 110 DAFS are the three stages of growth and in cv. Mallika, 90, 110,120 and 140 DAFS are four stages of growth. Physical and biochemical characters were studied at different stages of growth. In mango cv. Ratna fruits harvested 110 DAFS with accumulation of 1107.75 HU recorded good quality attributes. Fruits harvested at this stage had attractive length (10.44 cm), diameter (26.1 cm), weight (358.8 g), firmness (1.40 kg/cm2 ), specific gravity (1.03), stone length (7.49 cm), stone weight (10.68 g), TSS (21.12 ⁰brix), acidity (0.30 %), ascorbic acid (33.48 mg/100g), total sugar (19.04 %), total phenol (32.06 mg/100g), total carotenoid (14.65 mg/100g), β-carotene (0.88 mg/100g), crude fibre (2.59 %) and total chlorophyll (0.01 mg/100g) with a score of 8.00 in overall acceptability in sensory evaluation. In mango cv. Mallika fruits harvested 140 DAFS with accumulation of 1507.00 HU was found to be good in quality attributes. Fruits harvested 140 DAFS had good length (14.80 cm), diameter (28.03 cm), weight (623.95 g), firmness (0.73 kg/cm2 ), specific gravity (1.05), stone length (11.83 cm), stone diameter (12.63 cm), stone weight (66.73 g), TSS (20.18 ⁰brix), acidity (0.73%), ascorbic acid (61.21 mg/100g), total sugar (17.00 %), total phenol (47.5 mg/100g), total carotenoid (7.56 mg/100g), β-carotene (0.03 mg/100g), crude fibre (3.44 %) and total chlorophyll (0.01 mg/100g) with a score of 8.25 in overall acceptability in sensory evaluation. Study on effect of maturity on ripening was done in the variety cv. Ratna at their mature stage. Fruits harvested at the optimum maturity stage (100 DAFS) and ten days prior to maturity stage (90 DAFS) were kept for ripening after giving five different pre-treatments, viz., control (T1), ethrel spray (T2), hot water dip with ethrel spray (T3), sanitization with ethrel spray (T4) and ozonisation with ethrel spray (T5). Treated fruits packed in ventilated CFB boxes were kept under ambient condition and observations were recorded at 3 days interval. PLW increased with increase in storage period resulted in decrease in shelf life because of more loss in weight but the TSS and sugar increased however storability was less. High ethylene evolution on 3 days after storage indicates that it is tending towards maturity and it lowers after 6 days of storage resulting in complete ripened stage. Thus it can be concluded that the fruits of mango cv. Ratna harvested 10 and 20 days prior to ripe mature stage can be stored for 6 days under ambient conditions after giving pre-treatment consisting of Ozonization @ 200 ppm and ethrel spray @ 200 ppm.ThesisItem Open Access Protocol development for minimally processed jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) bulbs(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture,vellayani, 2020) Gayathri, G S.; KAU; Mini, CThe study entitled “Protocol development for minimally processed jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) bulbs” was carried out in Department of Post-Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani with the objective to standardize an efficient and economic protocol for development of minimally processed jackfruit bulbs with extended shelf life. The work was carried out as four different continuous experiments, viz., evaluation of sanitizing agents, evaluation of pre-storage treatments, development of packaging system and assessment of acceptability. Fresh, good quality optimum mature fruits of the jackfruit cultivar Muttom varikka were harvested, allowed to ripe and were subjected to four different sanitization treatments viz., immersion in water (400C), 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution, 120 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution and 2 ppm ozonized water for 15 minutes each. Untreated fruits were kept as absolute control to evaluate the efficacy of sanitization treatments in controlling total microbial load on the fruit surface. All the sanitization treatments resulted in reduction in microbial load on the fruit surface. Sodium hypochlorite at both concentrations, 120 and 100 ppm, were equally effective in reducing both the bacterial and fungal load. Untreated fruits had the maximum microbial count, which was comparable with the fruits treated with water at 400C. Considering the efficiency and economics, the lower concentration of sodium hypochlorite, 100 ppm, was selected as the best surface sanitizing treatment and used for the second part of the experiment. In the second part of the study, after surface sanitization of the fruits with 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution, bulbs were extracted and after removal of the seeds, dipped in three different pre-treatment solutions viz, 0.1% ascorbic acid, 0.1% citric acid, 1% calcium chloride for 10 minutes. Untreated bulbs were kept as absolute control and both treated and untreated bulbs were stored under refrigerated conditions in aluminium foil trays wrapped with cling film to analyse the efficacy of pre-storage treatment solutions. All the pre-storage treatments resulted in better physiological, chemical and sensory quality parameters of the bulbs compared to the untreated ones. However, all the bulbs except the ones treated with 1% calcium chloride solution had to be discarded by 5th day of storage owing to deterioration. Pre-storage treatment of the bulbs with calcium chloride (1%) resulted in maximum shelf life (5.00 days), TSS (20.200B), ascorbic acid (23.69) and total carotenoid content (0.83), lowest physiological loss in weight (2.03), percent leakage (79.24), acidity (0.36%) and total phenol content (39.77), after three days of storage, with best sensory scores and hence selected as the best pre-treatment for minimally processed jackfruit bulbs. In the third part of the study, fruits and bulbs that received the best treatments mentioned above were kept under four different packaging systems viz., laminated pouch, shrink wrapping, cling film wrapping and aluminium tray wrapped with cling film were compared under refrigerated (5-70C) conditions. Jackfruit bulbs packaged in laminated pouches recorded the maximum shelf life (7 days), TSS (18.920B), total sugar (37.28%), reducing sugar (16.75%), non-reducing sugar (20.53%), vitamin C (27.43 mg100g-1), total carotenoid (0.83) content with maximum sensory scores. They also had least PLW (1.17), percent leakage (65.90), acidity (0.31%) and phenol content (39.50). Shrink wrapping was the second best in maintaining quality with 6 days shelf life, and bulbs wrapped in cling film showed the least quality parameters with a shelf life of 4 days only. All jackfruit bulbs except those packed in laminated pouch and shrink wrap were found to be spoiled and had to be discarded by 6th day of storage. Minimally processed ripe jackfruit bulbs of cv. Muttom varikka can have a shelf life of seven days if surface sanitization of fruit are done using 100 ppm sodium hypochlorite for 15 minutes, followed by pretreating de-seeded bulbs with 1% calcium chloride for 10 minutes and stored under refrigerated conditions after packaging in laminated pouch of PP/LDPE. Minimally processed jackfruit bulbs prepared as per the standardized technology above had acceptable sensory scores for appearance (7.10), colour (6.96), texture (7.26), taste (6.90), flavour (6.60) and overall acceptability (7.43) even at the end of shelf life period. Cost of production of 1 kg minimally processed jackfruit bulbs was estimated to be Rs. 206.89/-.ThesisItem Open Access Post harvest management practices in pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.)(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2020) Elso Remya, Rajan.; KAU; Mini, CThe experiment entitled “Postharvest management practices in pineapple (Ananas comosus (L.) Merr.)” was conducted at the Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the year 2018-2020, with the objective to standardize the post-harvest management practices in pineapple for improved fruit quality. The experiment was conducted separately for two maturity stages viz., stage1 (0- 25% eyes predominantly yellow) and stage 2 (25-50% eyes predominantly yellow) meant for distant and local markets respectively. The study was conducted as two continuous experiments. In the first part, harvested pineapple fruits were subjected to four different pre-treatments viz., dipping in hot water of 50±20C for 1 minute, hydro cooling for 5 minutes, sanitization with 30 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution for 10 minutes and ozonisation with 2 ppm ozone for 15 minutes. The treated fruits along with untreated fruits were evaluated for the effects of pre-treatments on shelf life, physiological loss in weight and microbial load of pineapple fruits for selection of the best pre-treatment. All the pre-treatments resulted in enhanced shelf life, reduced physiological loss in weight and low microbial load on pineapple fruit surface. Pineapple fruits of stage1 and stage 2 maturity, when subjected to hot water dip at 50±20C for one minute had maximum mean shelf life of 15.2 and 12.6 days respectively, with least physiological loss in weight and microbial count. Sanitization using 30 ppm sodium hypochlorite solution for 10 minutes was equally effective as hot water dip at 50±20C, whereas ozonization was effective as hot water treatment in stage 2 pineapple alone. Based on efficiency and economics in maintaining the extended shelf life with least PLW and microbial load, hot water dip at 50± 20C for one minute was selected as the best pre-treatment for both maturity stages and was selected for the second part of the experiment. In the second part of the experiment, harvested pineapple fruits of two maturity stages were independently subjected to hot water dip at 50± 20C for one minute and stored under low (240C) and ambient (320C) temperature conditions along with untreated fruits and the stored fruits were subjected to evaluation of physiological, chemical and sensory quality parameters. Untreated pineapple fruits of stage 1 maturity stored under ambient temperature had least shelf life (12 days), highest physiological loss in weight (12.29 %) and had to be discarded after 12 days due to spoilage. Fruits treated with hot water and stored under low temperature conditions had maximum shelf life (21.25 days), least PLW (4.53%), minimum TSS (14.26 °B), total sugar (10.45%) and reducing sugar (4.36%), highest acidity (0.91%), non-reducing sugar (6.09%) and vitamin C (22.85%) after 12 days of storage. In case of fruits of stage 2 maturity, untreated pineapple fruits stored under ambient temperature had least shelf life (10.5 days) and highest physiological loss in weight (8.40%). Fruits treated with hot water and stored under low temperature had maximum shelf life (18.25 days), least PLW (2.48%), minimum TSS (15.78°B), total sugar (11.15%) and reducing sugar (4.13%), highest acidity (0.81%), non-reducing sugar (7.02%) and vitamin C (22.91%) after 9 days of storage. All the treatments were effective in maintaining high sensory quality parameters viz., appearance, flavour, texture, taste, flesh colour and over all acceptability, of which hot water dip treatment followed by low temperature storage had the highest mean score while untreated fruits stored under ambient temperature recorded the lowest scores in both maturity stages. In general, fruits treated with hot water when stored under low temperature conditions had better physiological and chemical quality parameters and the same were reflected in acceptability scores of the commodities. Hot water treatment alone gave better quality pineapple fruits compared to untreated ones, and a combination of hot water treatment and low temperature storage further improved the quality and shelf life of fruits of both maturity. It can be concluded that pineapple fruits (var. Mauritius) harvested with crown and two cm stalk at stage1 maturity when subjected to hot water treatment at 50±20C for 1 minute followed by low temperature storage (240C) could extend the shelf life of pineapple meant for distant markets up to 21.25 days. Same management practice resulted in extension of shelf life to18.25 days for stage 2 maturity stage pineapple fruits meant for the local market.ThesisItem Open Access Product development from tender cashew nut(Department of post harvest Technology ,College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Sharon, Jacob; KAU; Sobhana, ACashew, an important horticultural crop of India, has great socioeconomic significance in our country. Cashew seed is often considered a nut in the culinary sense and this nut is either eaten on its own or used in different recipes of food preparation. Substantial quantities of cashew nuts are produced during rainy season in Kerala, especially in the late season flowering types, which are inferior in quality and are being wasted. To avoid this loss, harvesting could be carried out in the immature stage and could make value added products. Hence, the present research work was carried out to study the utilisation of immature cashew kernels, its storage methods and potential of value addition. Six different varieties viz., Madakkathara-2, Sulabha, Dhana, Priyanka, Poornima and Kanaka were selected to study the physical and biochemical parameters of the immature cashew kernels. Among the physical characteristics, shelling percentage was highest for Madakkathara-2 (17.88%), the highest kernel weight was for Poornima (2.76g) and the highest kernel size, shell weight and testa weight was observed for the variety Priyanka. Other physical parameters like colour, external appearance and shape of kernel differed with varieties. The estimated range of composition of immature cashew kernels was 0.19-0.23% tannins, 4.88-9.63% carbohydrates, 5.08-9.08% fat and 7.29- 12.45% protein, which varied with varieties. Storage studies of immature kernel were carried out by preserving in different concentrations of brine solution (5%, 10% and 15%), sugar syrup (50°B, 60°B and 70°B) and after drying (2-3% moisture content). Storage period was for four months and the best storage method was preserving in 10% brine and 70°B sugar syrup, which had high organoleptic scoring and acceptable limit of microbial count. Pre-treatments like washing and steam blanching could reduce the tannin content in kernels. Various value added products were prepared from the stored kernels viz., salted bits and pickle from kernels preserved in brine; dried bits and preserve from kernels preserved in sugar syrup; and cashew ball, cookies, jaggery coated cashew bits and honey coated cashew bits from kernels preserved after drying. Most of the value added products showed high acceptability during organoleptic evaluation and was comparable with those from fresh kernels. Even some of the products like honey coated and jaggery coated cashew bits showed higher acceptability than those from fresh kernels. The immature cashew kernels are potential raw materials for preparing value added products especially during rainy season to avoid the loss of matured nuts. Also these kernels were observed to contain enough nutrients which makes it a healthy food item.ThesisItem Open Access Post harvest management practices in mango(Mangifera indica L.)(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, 2020) Harya Krishna, V; KAU; Meagle Joseph, PMango (Mangifera indica L.), the king of fruits, relished by majority, occupies first position in production in India and world. The problems featured in the journey of the fruits from field to market are numerous. Burondkar et al. (2018) estimated that about 20 - 30 per cent of harvested mango fruits became sub-standard due to rough handling, pathogenic infestations, improper packaging, unhygienic storage and indecorous mode of transportation. This shows the necessity of improving post harvest management practices to enhance shelf life without deteriorating its quality. The investigation on the “Post harvest management practices in mango (Mangifera indica L.)” was carried out at the Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Horticulture, Vellanikkara, Thrissur, Kerala during 2018-2020. The objectives were to standardise post harvest and ripening treatments for important commercial mango varieties of Muthalamada, Palakkad, from where the mango fruits reach Indian markets in early season. The effect of different post harvest treatments on mango fruits during storage were studied in four mango varieties such as Alphonso, Bennet Alphonso, Banganapalli and Bangalora. The physical and biochemical changes of treated fruits, stored under both ambient and cold storage conditions were studied. The postharvest treatments given were hot water dip, hydro cooling, sanitization with sodium hypo chlorite solution, ozonisation, waxing and dipping in sodium bicarbonate solution. Among the different treatments, 1 per cent Nipro fresh (carnauba wax) coated fruits stored under cold storage at 12±20C recorded good quality attributes in both Alphonso and Bangalora varieties. Coated fruits of Alphonso maintained quality evidenced by reduction in PLW (6.52 %), delayed colour change (16 days), firmness (0.09 N), acidity (0.21%), ascorbic acid (49.50mg/ 100g), total carotenoid (7.80mg/100g), total sugar (13.90 %), non reducing sugar (12.10 %) and TSS (170 brix) even after a storage period of 23 days. Fruits of Bangalora coated with wax had extended the shelf life up to 26.50 days against control fruits (17.50days) with lowest PLW (7.80 %), delayed colour change (26 days), acidity (0.10%), firmness (0.32 N ), ascorbic acid (9.95 mg/100g), total sugar (7.86%) and a TSS of 110 brix. In Bennet Alphonso, dip in sodium hypochlorite solution (100ppm) for five minutes was suitable for getting a lowest PLW (9.63 %), firmness (0.07 N), acidity (0.17 %), higher TSS (18.50 brix), ascorbic acid (23.32 mg/ 100g), total sugar (12.60 %), reducing sugar (3.18 %), total carotenoid (6 mg/ 100g) and a storage period of 28.50 days. In Banganapalli, the fruits treated with ozone were good in quality attributes like TSS (18.200 brix), total sugar (15.20 %), non reducing sugar (8.84 %), ascorbic acid (6.76 mg/ 100g), delayed colour change (15 days), firmness (0.28 N), acidity (0.13 %), total carotenoid (1.72 mg/ 100g) and PLW of 14.10 per cent with a storage life of 23 days in cold storage. Standardization of ripening techniques was done in the variety Bennet Alphonso at their full mature stage. The fruits were subjected to different ripening treatments and kept for storage under ambient condition. Among various treatments, ethrel (200 ppm) sprayed fruits induced uniform ripening within four days followed by hot water dipped (50±20C, for one minute) fruits which ripened in five days as against eight days in control. Spraying ethrel (200 ppm) had a longer keeping quality of 11 days with good quality attributes like TSS (18.170brix), total carotenoids (16.10mg/100g), ascorbic acid (12.86), firmness (0.20 N), total sugar (12.56%) and a highest score (7.20) in overall acceptability in sensory evaluation. Hot water treated fruits were fully ripened in five days and exhibited longer keeping time of 12 days with good quality parameters like TSS (150brix), acidity (0.37%), total carotenoids (33.98mg/100g), ascorbic acid (22.50mg/100g), firmness (0.49 N), total sugar (11.19%) and non reducing sugar (7.12%) with a score of 6.55 in overall acceptability in sensory evaluation.ThesisItem Open Access Postharvest quality management of papaya (Carica papaya L.)cv. red lady(Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, 2020) Menaka, M; KAU; Geetha Lekshmi, P RThe present study entitled ―Postharvest quality management of papaya (Carica papaya L.) cv. Red Lady‖ was conducted at the Department of Post Harvest Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Thiruvananthapuram during the year 2018-2020. The objective of the experiment was to standardize postharvest treatments for delayed ripening and to extend the shelf life of papaya cv. Red Lady with minimum nutritional loss through postharvest handling practices. Papaya fruits (cv. Red Lady) of uniform size, shape and maturity at colour break stage were procured from the field of progressive farmers of Farmer Producer Organisation, at Pallichal, Thiruvananthapuram. Harvested fruits were sanitized (ozonisaton 2 ppm) and subjected to hot water treatment (500C for 20 minutes) followed by postharvest dipping of fruits for 5 minutes using different treatments viz., Naphthalene Acetic Acid (NAA 250 ppm), Edible coating (Papaya Leaf Extract Aloe Gel), Gibberellic Acid (GA3 100 ppm), Calcium chloride (CaCl2 2%), Salicylic Acid (SA 2 mM), hot water treatment alone and fruits without any postharvest treatment as absolute control. Treated fruits, after removal of surface moisture, were stored in corrugated fibre board boxes at room temperature (30±2 ⁰C, RH 80-85%) till the end of shelf life. Superiority of postharvest treatments on papaya cv. Red Lady was assessed based on physiological, biochemical, physical, and sensory attributes during storage at an interval of 3 days. Papaya fruits treated with Salicylic Acid (2 mM) recorded the lowest percentage of physiological loss in weight (6.55%), and respiration rate (74.99 mL CO2 kg-1 h-1) after 9th day of storage where as fruits without any postharvest treatment recorded a weight loss of 16.65% with a respiration rate of 101.92 mL CO2 kg-1 h-1. Fruits with salicylic acid treatment recorded 8.72% total sugars, 6.39% reducing sugars, 7.66 ˚Brix of total soluble solids with a carotenoid content of 2.09 mg 100g-1, and antioxidant activity of 48.35% after 9 days of storage which increased with the storage period and the values were significantly lower than the untreated fruits indicating the delayed ripening of treated fruits. Red Lady papaya fruits without any postharvest treatment (control) recorded the lowest storage life of 7.38 days due 147 to high rate of physiological, biochemical and physical changes which indicated faster ripening and senescence. The treatment of fruits with salicylic acid (SA) recorded the lowest respiration rate of 95.63 mL CO2 kg-1 h-1 and physiological loss in weight (13.10%) after 14 days of storage at room temperature with the highest fruit firmness (19.89 N) and 8.26% reducing sugar, 12.73% total sugar, 11.52 ˚Brix of total soluble solids, 0.14% titratable acidity, 2.55 mg 100g-1 of carotenoid content, and 64.53% of antioxidant activity. The salicylic acid treatment recorded the highest shelf life of 14.56 days with acceptable sensory parameters where as fruits without any treatment (control) recorded a shelf life of 7.38 days. Papaya fruits cv. Red Lady, harvested at colour break stage were sanitized using ozonation (2 ppm) and subjected to hot water treatment (50 ˚C for 20 minutes) followed by dipping for 5 minutes in postharvest treatment with salicylic acid at 2 mM was standardised as the best postharvest treatment for delayed ripening which recorded the longest shelf life of 14.56 days at room temperature as compared to 7.38 days for fruits without any postharvest treatment.
