Effect of Low-Density Polyethylene on Shelf Life and Fruit Quality of Indian Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.)

Abstract

Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) is an indigenous important hardy underutilized fruit crop of India. The objective of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of Modified Atmospheric Packaging- Low Density Polyethylene (MAP-LDPE) on storage life and fruit quality (physico-chemical attributes) of different cultivars of Aonla fruits up to 12 days. Physico-chemical attributes such as Physiological Loss in Weight (PLW), Decay loss, Total Soluble solids Acidity, Ascorbic acid and Sugars were determined for Aonla cultivars viz. NA-6, NA-7, NA-10, NA-25, NA-26, NA-27 and Francis in this experiment. The pooled results revealed that MAP-LDPE was able to reduce the Physiological Loss in Weight and Decay loss of Aonla fruits up to twelfth day of storage. Higher retention of Ascorbic acid and Acidity content was observed during 12 days of storage. Total Soluble solids and Sugars content was low in LDPE-MAP as compared to control storage condition in different cultivars of Aonla. The findings of the study will be useful in increasing the availability of Aonla fruits and enable for its long-distance transportation and subsequent marketing.