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Effects of Different Postharvest Treatments on Nutritional Quality and Shelf Life of Cucumber

Sarwar-E-Jahan
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Sylhet

Md. Kamrul Hassan
Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh

Shomoresh Roy
On-Farm Research Division (OFRD), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Tangail

Quazi Maruf Ahmed
Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Gazipur

Gazi Nazmul Hasan
On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bhola

Afshara Yeasmin Muna
Department of Horticulture, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet

Manobendra Nath Sarkar
On-Farm Research Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Kishoreganj, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Controlled atmosphere and modified atmosphere packaging technology used to slowdown the process of ripening and senescence during storage of many fresh fruits and vegetables. The present study was conducted at the laboratories of Department of Horticulture, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to study the effects of different postharvest treatments on nutrient quality and shelf life of an important vegetable named cucumber during the period of 3 August to10 September, 2008. The experimental treatments were control, fruit wrapped in aluminum foil, fruit held at 5°C with or without plastic wrap, fruits held at 15°C with or without plastic wrap, fruit wrapped in plastic bag and held at ambient condition. The single factor experiment was laid out in completely randomized design. Cucumber fruits when wrapped in plastic bags and held at 15°C had the longest shelf life (12 days). Vitamin C content in cucumber fruit declined with storage duration. The vitamin C content in fresh cucumber was 8.68 mg/100g, which declined to 5.45 mg/100g at the 12th day of storage. This study finds out that cucumber fruits should be kept at 15°C with plastic bag wrap for maximum time storage. Though cucumber is a perishable product, it can be stored up to 12 days at 15°C with plastic bag wrap in a minimal cost.

Keywords: Cucumber, Nutritional changes, Postharvest loss, Shelf life, Vitamin C, Storage

Location: Laboratories of the Departments of Horticulture and Bio-Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh

Start Date: 00-08-2008

End Date: 00-09-2008

Program Area: Postharvest and Agro-processing

Commodity: Cucumber

Objectives:

The present study is aimed at to determine the physico-chemical changes of cucumber during storage; and examine the efficacy of some promising postharvest treatments to prolong shelf life of cucumber.

Methodology:

The postharvest quality changes of cucumber as influenced by different types of storage conditions was conducted at the laboratories of the Departments of Horticulture and Bio-Chemistry, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh during the period of 3 August to 10 September, 2008. The temperature of the storage room was recorded daily with a thermometer. The average minimum and maximum temperature of storage room during the period of investigation were 28 and 32°C, respectively. The materials used for the present experiment were freshly harvested cucumber fruits variety ‘Hybrid’ (known as ‘Supply’). The fruits were collected from the growers of Norshingdi District. The single-factor experiment was laid out in completely randomized design with three replications of 9 fruits in each replication. There were 27 fruits per treatment and total fruits required were 189. The fruits were of uniform shape, size, and free of any visible defects, disease symptoms and insect infestations. The single-factor experiment consisted of the following treatments. T₁ = Control (Unwrapped fruits held at ambient condition) T₂ = Fruits covered with aluminum foil and held at ambient condition T₃ = Fruits wrapped in plastic bag (LDPE) and held at 5°C T₄ = Unwrapped fruits held at 5°C T₅ = Fruits wrapped in plastic bag (LDPE) and held at 15°C T₆ = Unwrapped fruits held at 15°C T₇ = Fruits wrapped in a plastic bag and held at ambient condition. Application of postharvest treatments- The postharvest treatments used in the present study were randomly assigned to the selected cucumber fruits. The procedures of applying the postharvest treatments were as follows. Control: Eighty-one (81) cucumber fruits were randomly selected from lot and placed on the brown paper placed on wooden laboratory table. The fruits were then randomly divided into 3 groups for three different treatments, namely no-wrapping, wrapping with plastic bags and wrapping with aluminum foil. Published with open access at journalbinet.com. 2020 The Authors, Research paper. 54 Storage at 15°C temperature: Fifty-four (54) experimental fruits were randomly divided into 2 groups for two different treatments, namely no-wrapping and wrapping with plastic bags. Then the wrapped and unwrapped fruits were held at 15°C in a refrigerated incubator. Parameters studied- Parameters studied were colour, firmness, shrinkage, weight loss, moisture content, dry matter content, vitamin C and shelf life. The experimental fruits were washed in running water to remove dirt, and subsequently air-dried before applying the treatments. Among 9 fruits in each replication of each treatment, 4 fruits were used for destructive sampling at 2-day interval to investigate several parameters including moisture content, dry matter content, vitamin C. The remaining 5 fruits were used to investigate colour, firmness, total weight loss, and shelf life. The methods of studying the above parameter are described below. Colour: Days required to reach different stages of color during storage were determined objectively using a numerical rating scale of 1-4, where 1 = green, 2 = slightly green, 3 = slightly yellow, and 4 = yellow. Firmness: Days required to reach different stages of firmness during storage were determined using numerical rating scale of 1-3 (1 = hard, 2 = sprung, and 3 = soft) was used to define the levels of firmness. Shrinkage: The shrinkage of the fruits at different days was determined using eye estimation and the numerical rating scale of 1-4 (1 = no shrinkage, 2 = slight shrinkage, 3 = moderate shrinkage, and 4 = complete shrinkage). Statistical analysis- Collected data on various parameters were statistically analyzed using MSTAT Statistical Package. The means for all the treatments were calculated and analysis of variances (ANOVA) for all the parameters was compared by least significant difference (LSD) test at the 1% and 5% levels of probability (Gomez and Gomez, 1984).

Source of Information: Asian J. Crop. Soil Plan. Nutri. | Volume 02, Issue 01, 51-61 | February 2020.

Article Link (Online Journal): https://doi.org/10.18801/ajcsp.020120.08

Funding Source:

Budget:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

From this experiment, it was observed that cucumber could be stored better at 15°C with or without plastic wraps. Both extreme low and ambient conditions were found to be unsuitable for cucumber storage. Low temperature (5°C) results in chilling injuries, and high temperature (28-32°C) results in fruit shrinkage. Vitamin C content of cucumber was significantly influenced by storage temperatures. There was a decreasing trend in relation to vitamin C content of cucumber fruit during storage. Vitamin C content of fresh cucumber was 8.68 mg/100 g, which was reduced to 5.45 mg/100 g after 12 days of storage.

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