Standardization of pre and postharvest treatments to increase shelf life and postharvest quality of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) cv. Bhagwa
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Date
2018-09
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University of Horticultural Sciences, Bagalkot. (College of Horticulture, Bengaluru)
Abstract
Standardization of pre and postharvest treatments and nano-silver packaging
was studied to increase shelf life and postharvest quality in pomegranate (Punica
granatum L.) cv. Bhagwa” at the Department of Postharvest Technology, College of
Horticulture, Bengaluru during the period 2015 to 2017. During the course of
investigation, the effects of different pre and post-harvest treatments on various
physical, physiological and biochemical parameters were evaluated. Twelve different
pre-harvest chemical sprays were carried at monthly interval till harvest and fruits
were stored in ambient conditions. Fruits sprayed with potassium nitrate (350 ppm),
Gibberellic acid (100ppm) in combination with Benzyl adenine (75ppm) was found to
maintain significantly higher amount of free radical scavenging compounds viz.,
ascorbic acid content, total anthocyanins content and antioxidant activities, lower peel
browning and PLW with good marketable quality were recorded during storage of
pomegranate fruits. Among the different postharvest treatments evaluated,
methylcellulose (1%), chitosan (2%) in combination with aloe-vera gel (10%) was
found superior among all the post-harvest treatments by maintaining physiological
and higher retention of biochemical constituents for 25 days after storage in ambient
conditions. With respect to postharvest treatment and fruits packed in nano-silver
packaging and postharvest coating with methylcellulose (1%) and chitosan (2%) in
combination was found the best over the other treatments in reducing the metabolic
activity, biochemical changes, delaying in loss of rind moisture, browning of rind and
fruits had retained significantly higher biochemical constituents (TSS, acidity,
ascorbic acid, antioxidants and phenols) and marketable quality (lower loss of rind
moisture, physiological loss in weight and spoilage percent) of fruits up to 64 days
after harvest.