Wax coating and padding materials influence quality and shelf-life of purple passion fruit during storage

Abstract

Weight loss, decay loss and the chemical changes associated with ripening were monitored in waxed and non-waxed purple passion fruit with different padding materials during storage at ambient temperature (26.5°C and 65.7% relative humidity). Shelf-life of paraffin (m.p. 60-62°C) waxed fruits was 25 days when packed in CFB boxes using high-density polyethylene (0.03 mm) pad. Rate of decrease in weight loss, decay loss and juice content was also slowed down with paraffin waxing however; juice density was higher in fruits coated with paraffin liquid (light) and padded with newspaper. Total soluble solids, acidity and ascorbic acid decreased during storage in all the treatments but decrease being least in fruits packed in perforated low density polypropylene (0.025 mm) that have maximum total soluble solids (13.0°B) and ascorbic acid (23.17 mg/100 ml juice) even at 25 days of storage. Reducing sugar first increase and then it started decline but total sugars were decrease during storage in all the cases. Irrespective of treatments maximum sugars were found in fruits packed with polyethylene padding, coated with paraffin solid wax.