Enhancing Shelf Life and Quality of Assam Lemon Using Carboxy Methyl Cellulose Edible Coatings
Juman Das
College of Horticulture and Forestry, CAU(I), Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Shahida Choudhury *
College of Horticulture and FSR, AAU, Nalbari, Assam, India.
Bornali Gogoi
College of Horticulture and FSR, AAU, Nalbari, Assam, India.
Reemashree Das
College of Horticulture and FSR, AAU, Nalbari, Assam, India.
Srishtty Kashyap
College of Horticulture and Forestry, CAU(I), Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
Himashree Devi
College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences, CAU(I), Umiam, Meghalaya, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Numerous citrus species are found in abundance in the northeastern part of India. One of the significant citrus species that is native to Assam is the Assam lemon. Browning and shrinking of the peel, loss of green colour, loss of firmness, and decreased juice content are the primary storage issues with lemon fruits. By offering a non-toxic edible covering, it would be possible to deliver fresh products to far-off markets. The present investigation was carried out with the objectives to evaluate the effect of edible coating on the qualitative changes of Assam lemon during storage. The treatments include combination of Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, propylene glycol, sodium benzoate. Maximum reducing sugar was found in T₅(3.40%) and lowest was recorded in control (2.45%). Maximum non-reducing sugar was found in T₅(1.78%) followed by T₆(1.76%). The lowest sugar quantity was recorded in T₇(1.21%) and the highest specific gravity was observed in T₆(1.02). The highest microbial count was recorded in control (2.95 log cfu/ml) but in the treatment T₅ it was not detectable even after 25th day of storage. The results of the experiment revealed that the application of treatments had significant effect on biochemical and physiological parameter of lemon fruit during storage. The treatment T₅ showed better results followed by T₆during storage. T₅ treatment was superior as an edible coating and retained better quality with extended storage life as compared to all other treatments.
Keywords: Assam lemon, edible coating, Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, reducing sugar, non-reducing sugar