Effect of Stage of Harvest, Storage Temperature and Packaging on Shelf Life and Quality of Carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.)

Abstract

Carambola or star fruit has been identified as an important minor fruit crop of warm tropical and subtropical areas of the world, especially in South East Asia. The fruit is often consumed as fresh or used to prepare different value added products like juice, squash, jam, jelly, pickles etc. The ripe fruit, an important source of natural antioxidants, possess excellent sugar-acid blend giving a characteristic taste. The magnitude losses of carambola fruits during postharvest and marketing operations are widely recognized. The losses are mainly due to improper handling of fruits before and after harvest. Information available on the effect of harvesting stage, storage temperature and packaging on shelf life of carambola is lacking. In the present study, three harvesting stages (fully matured but green, trace of yellow and half ripe), two temperatures (low temperature-5°C and ambient condition) and three types of packaging (no packing, packaging in perforated polythene bags and sealed polythene bags) were assessed. The shelf life of carambola fruits normally lasted up to 20 days at ambient conditions. However, the shelf life can be extended up to 30 days if stored the fruits at 5°C. In general, the TSS content increased while the total acid content declined with the increasing period of storage irrespective of treatments. Unpacked fruits exhibited slight edge over the other types of packaging in respect to the TSS and acid contents of fruits at storage. Ascorbic acid content decreased with the increasing storage period. In conclusion, fruits harvested at half ripe stage should be stored at 5°C with packaging of 3% perforated polythene pack in order to extend the shelf life of carambola.