Pineapple is a commercial tropical fruit ranking sixth in global fruit production. Seasonal market gluts result in huge postharvest losses in all pineapple-growing nations. To reduce postharvest losses of fruits, viable, cost-effective and market-oriented value-added products are needed urgently. The present study was carried out to determine the suitability of two commercial varieties, Kew and Mauritius, for the development of intermediate moisture (IM) fruits and to evaluate product quality during storage. Pineapple slices were steam blanched for 2 min, followed by immersion in osmotic solution containing sucrose and sorbitol (fruit: solution ratio of 1:4), in combination with 0.5% ascorbic acid and 0.25% potassium metabisulfite, for 6 h and were subsequently dehydrated in a tray drier at 50 °C until the moisture content of the product attained equilibrium. The initial moisture contents of IM Kew and Mauritius pineapple slices were 26.53 and 21.65 g/100 g, respectively, while the water activity ranged between 0.671 and 0.666. The L* and b* values showed a decreasing trend, while a* value increased throughout storage, irrespective of variety and storage conditions. The initial TSS of IM pineapple from both varieties was 72 0 Brix, which declined during storage. Though titratable acidity of the product decreased during storage, the decline was insignificant. The total carotenoids of the product from Mauritius was significantly higher (0.809 mg 100 g− 1) compared to the one from Kew (0.215 mg 100 g− 1). Total phenolics contents in IM slices showed an increasing trend during storage, irrespective of varieties and storage conditions. IM pineapple slices from the variety Mauritius had significantly higher flavonoids (40.50 mg) than the product from Kew (30.0 mg 100 g− 1). DPPH radical scavenging activity was highest (3.0 μl ml− 1) in IM slices from the variety Mauritius as compared to those from Kew (5.0 μl ml− 1). IM pineapple from Mauritius recorded higher organoleptic scores throughout storage. Fungi were not detected in any of the samples throughout the storage period while the population of bacteria and yeast was negligible. Graphical abstract

Indian blackberry fruit is widely acclaimed for the antidiabetic property. The fruits are highly perishable, having a shelf life of about two days. Therefore, an attempt was made to convert the fruits into nectar by pasteurization, without adding any chemical preservatives. Indian blackberry nectar having a total soluble solids content of 17 0 Brix and acidity of 0.253% without any chemical preservatives, was pasteurized at 100 0 C, for 10 minutes. Viscosity of the nectar recorded an upward trend throughout storage, irrespective of storage temperature. The L* and b* values rose with a corresponding decline of a* values during storage of the product. Pasteurized Indian blackberry nectar had an initial vitamin C content of 18.6 mg 100g- 1. After three months of storage, total phenolics in Indian blackberry nectar were 59.50 and 57.50 mg 100g-1 under ambient and refrigerated storage, respectively. The product held under refrigerated conditions had significantly higher anthocyanins (85.67 mg) than the nectar held at ambient temperature (78.72 mg 100g-1). Scavenging of DPPH radical of the nectar declined slightly (2.94 µg ml-1), compared to that in fresh fruits (2.75 µg ml-1).

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Biochemical and nutritional traits of 6 banana (Musa spp.) cultivars commercially cultivated in Kerala, belonging to different genomic groups viz. Pisang Lilin (AA), Grand Naine (ABB), Nendran (AAB), Karpooravalli (ABB), Njalipoovan (AB) and Yangambi (KM-5) (AAA) were evaluated. Biochemical and nutritional characters on variables such as titratable acidity (%), total soluble solids (oBrix) (TSS), total protein (g), total carbohydrates (g), total fat (%), total ash (%), crude fibre (%), vitamin C (mg), calcium (mg), potassium (mg), total phenols (mg) and total carotenoid (µg) content were laid out in a completely randomized design and subjected to one way ANOVA to determine the significance (p=.05). The cultivar Nendran (AAB) exhibited desirable biochemical and nutritional traits, particularly for titratable acidity (0.34%), TSS (23.90oB), total carbohydrates (37.51g/100g), total ash (14.89%) and crude fibre (0.90%) content. Yangambi (KM-5) (AAA) exhibited the highest values for major minerals of banana, especially calcium (168.90 mg/100g) and potassium (406.60 mg/100g). The current study reveals biochemical and nutritional variation among banana cultivars from different genomic groups, with similarities and differences overlapping even among banana cultivars from the same genomic group.

Background: Pineapple is produced round the year in the tropics and therefore, market gluts are very common and post harvest losses of around 20-30% are reported. Intermediate Moisture Fruits (IMF) have a water activity ranging between 0.65-0.90 and moisture content of 15-40%. Hence, the present study was undertaken to develop intermediate moisture fruit slices by evaluating the effect of various osmotic agents and pineapple varieties on the physico-chemical and organoleptic qualities of the product. Methods: Pineapple varieties ‘Mauritius’, ‘Kew’ and ‘MD-2’ were selected for the study. Fruit slices were steam blanched, followed by immersion in osmotic solutions (fruit : solution ratio of 1: 4), containing six different osmotic agents viz. sucrose, sucrose+sorbitol, glucose syrup, sucrose+NaCl, palm sugar and honey separately, in combination with 0.5% ascorbic acid and 0.25% potassium metabisulphite, for six hours and were subsequently dehydrated at 50°C in a tray dryer. Result: Moisture content varied between 19.42 and 29.71% and water activity values in between 0.60 and 0.73.Decline in L* and b* values with a corresponding increase in a* value was observed in IM slices. Intermediate moisture pineapple slices had ascorbic acid content in the range of 17.64 to 200 mg 100 g-1.