The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of packaging materials on the quality and shelf life of green chili (Capsicum annuum) using passive modification of modified atmosphere packaging system. The modified atmosphere was created by making perforation in the polypropylene packets. Green chili pre-treated with chlorine water and then packaging in 0.3% perforated polypropylene packet resulted substantial reduction of weight loss and rotting/shriveling. These treatment combinations also considerably retained vitamin C, ß-carotene, moisture content, etc. Under this condition the retention of quality and shelf life of green chili could be extended up to 10 days at ambient condition as compared to non-treated and without packaging. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v37i4.14397 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 37(4): 729-736, December 2012

Effects of postharvest oxalic acid (OA) application on chilling injury (CI) in harvested mango fruit (Mangifera indica L.) were investigated using ‘Tommy Atkins’ fruit from Florida and ‘Zill’ fruit from Panzhihua. The OA was applied to harvested fruit as a 5 or 10 mm drench for 10 or 15 minutes at 25 °C. ‘Tommy Atkins’ fruit typically develop external CI symptoms while ‘Zill’ develops internal symptoms. Development of CI symptoms was significantly reduced in OA-treated ‘Tommy Atkins’ fruit stored for 18 days at 5 °C as was the rate of softening upon transfer to 25 °C for 4 days. However, OA treatment did not substantially control fruit decay. For ‘Zill’, CI development was significantly reduced in OA-treated fruit during storage at 10 °C for 49 days and subsequently for 4 days at 25 °C. In addition, membrane integrity was enhanced and the activities of the antioxidant system enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione reductase (GR) were elevated, although there were decreases in both hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content and superoxide radical production in OA-treated fruit. The activities of some enzymes of the energy cycle were also elevated in the OA-treated fruit, including succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), cytochrome C oxidase (CCO), H+-adenosine triphosphatase (H+-ATPase), and Ca2+-adenosine triphosphatase (Ca2+-ATPase). Thus, OA may enhance CI tolerance in mango fruit by maintaining membrane integrity associated with enhanced antioxidant activity and regulation of energy metabolism. Application of 5 mm OA appears to be beneficial in controlling postharvest CI in mango fruit.

Changes in physicochemical attributes of sweet pepper var. 'BARI Misti Morich-1' during fruit growth and development were studied. Capsicum flowers were tagged on the day of anthesis and fruits were harvested at three days interval started on 33 days after anthesis (DAA) until 48 DAA, when turned to light green colour. Length, diameter, and weight of fruits were linearly increased from 33 DAA to 48 DAA. Dry matter content, TSS, firmness, and shelf life of fruits were also gradually increased with lengthen the harvesting time from flower anthesis and reached from 5.1 to 7.3%, 4 to 5%, 7.1 to 14.5 kgf cm -2 and 9.6 days to 21.3 days, respectively, from 33 DAA to 48 DAA. However, ascorbic acid content of fruits was sharply decreased from 68 to 56 mg/100g from first harvest to last harvest, respectively. Hue angle declined with time while chroma and lightness values increased with fruit maturity. Considering all physical and nutritional characteristics and shelf life along with sensory evaluation scores, fruits of BARI Misti Morich-1 was found suitable to harvest after 45 days of anthesis, when they attained length 12.2 cm, diameter 8.8 cm, and weight 191g. Moreover, fruits were crispier, glossy with attractive colour and flavour and contained 58 mg/100g ascorbic acid at this maturity stage.

No abstract

No abstract