Effect of Maturity and Storage Condition on Shelf Life and Post-Harvest Quality of Pineapple

The objectives of the study were to assess the effects of various storage conditions and maturity stages of pineapple on its shelf life. Three storage conditions, viz., (a) control (60C, 85-90% RH), (b) cold storage without packaging (5-70c, 77-79% rh), (c) cold storage within porous cartoon (5-70C, 77-79% RH) were allocated to the pineapple fruits. There was significant variation between the three maturity stages, viz., (a) premature (b) 1/4th mature (c) 1/2th mature in relation to fruit characteristics. Among the physico-¬chemical parameters, some of parameters such as total weight loss, edible portion, pulp to peel ratio and total soluble solid (TSS) initially increased and then decreased gradually. On the other hand, pH and fungal incidence increased during the entire storage period. The premature fruits showed longer storage life (14.56 days) than 1/4th mature fruits (13.33 days) and 1/2th mature fruits (12.44 days). The longest shelf life (17.56 days) was observed in fruits stored within porous cartoon package at cold storage, whereas the minimum shelf life (9.78 days) was found in control fruits. The premature fruits, showed higher weight loss (22.43%), than other fruits. On the other hand, mature fruits showed higher edible portion (61.49%), TSS (16.33), pulp to peel ratio (1.607) and fungal incidence than other fruits. The storage conditions showed highly significant variation to influence shelf life of pineapple. Fruits stored within porous cartoon at cold storage (5-70C, 77-79% RH) may be used for extending shelf life of pineapple.