Effect of gibberellic acid and oxalic acid on colour retention and storage quality of cold stored fruits of ber cv. Gola

Abstract

Ber (Zizyphus mauritiana Lamk.) fruits are perishable in nature and have poor shelf-life. To extend the shelflife of ber fruits, different post-harvest treatments, like pre-cooling, hot water treatment (HWT) at 55°C for 10 min., HWT (55°C, 10 min.) + 10% oxalic acid for 15 min., GA3 (30, 60 and 90 ppm) were given to fruits and their effects were studied on the storage life and quality of cv. Gola fruits under cold storage conditions (5 ± 1°C and 85 ± 5% RH). Fruits of uniform size and colour were harvested, from healthy plants and subjected to post harvest dip of different chemicals, before placing in cold storage. The effect of different treatments accessed after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of storage for physiological loss in weight (PLW), total soluble solids (TSS), marketability and palatability rating. The PLW and TSS increased and marketability decreased during storage under each treatment. The sensory rating increased up to 7 days under all treatments but subsequently decreased during storage. It can be concluded that ber cv. Gola fruits can be stored up to 21 days by post-harvest treatment using GA3 at 90 ppm with acceptable quality.