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INFLUENCE OF HOT WATER TREATMENT ON STORAGE AND FRUIT QUALITY OF PEACH FRUIT

. Sadiqullah, Muhammad Sajid, Mohammad Wasiullah Khan, Muhammad Naeem Khan Imad ud Din & Muhammad Ayaz Khan


Abstract

The influence of hot water treatment on quality attributes of peach at various storage intervals was assessed at Horticultural laboratory, Department of Horticulture, The University of Agriculture Peshawar during 2013. Fruits of Peach cv. ‘Early Grand’ were dipped in hot water at different temperatures (Control, 30, 40 and 50 °C) for a constant time period of 5 minutes. After drying, the fruits were stored at (5-8 0C) and then their chemical analysis and other quality parameters were studied at the end of each storage interval (0, 10, 20 and 30 days). The results indicated that there was a significant influence of the given treatments on quality of peach fruit. The fruits dipped in water having temperature of 50 ºC showed the maximum juice pH (3.54), weight loss (7.63%), with minimum juice content (63.66%), ascorbic acid (4.30 mg.100g-1). The fruits dipped in water at 40oC showed minimum weight loss (2.57%) and disease incidence (14.17%). The alone effect of storage periods revealed that the fruits stored for 30 days gave the maximum juice content (67.87%), weight loss (10.41%), disease incidence (47.50%) and juice pH (3.91) but also showed the minimum fruit firmness (0.41 kg.cm-2). The interaction between hot water levels and storage durations proved that the peach fruits dipped in water having temperature of 40 °C and stored for 20 days showed the maximum weight loss (16.90%) and disease incidence (80%). While increasing the hot water temperature (from 40 to 50 ºC) and storage duration (from 20 to 30 days), most of the peach fruit quality attributes were declined with passage of time. From the results it was concluded that the hot water treatment at certain temperature i.e. 40 °C effectively sustained the quality traits of peach fruit (juice content, juice pH) and minimized the percent disease incidence and fruit pH. Therefore it was recommended that peach fruits may be treated with water having temperature of 40 ºC after harvest to sustain quality aspects for 10-20 days storage at 5-8 °C.

Keywords: Peach fruit, Hot water treatment, Storage durations

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