International Symposium on Agriculture and Environment - 2021

Application of Garlic (Allium sativum) extract as biodegradable edible coating to maintain the quality and to extend the shelf life of Tomatoes

2021-04-07T00:00:00Z

Application of Garlic (Allium sativum) extract as biodegradable edible coating to maintain the quality and to extend the shelf life of Tomatoes Yanenthini, S.; Mahendran, T. Postharvest technology has been key to maintain and extend the shelf life of perishables and reduce food losses. Garlic has been used for a long time as a spice and traditional medicine. That contains allicin, which is one of the active principles of freshly crushed garlic act as a antimicrobial properties. The present research was carried out on the application of garlic extract on tomatoes, which act as an edible coating and disinfection activity with environmentally friendly technology. The freshly harvested, mature green tomatoes (var. ‘KC-1’) were dipped into 8, 12, and 16% (w/v) of garlic extract for 10 min, air-dried and stored at 15℃ and 30℃. The physico-chemical parameters such as pH, ascorbic acid content, total soluble solids (TSS as ºBrix) and shelf life of tomatoes were assessed once in 3 days intervals. It was observed that the tomatoes contained ascorbic acid, and total soluble solids were decreased, whereas their titratable acidity was increased during storage. There were significant (p <0.05) differences were observed for ascorbic acid content during ripening of tomatoes, whereas the changes for pH and TSS were non-significant (p>0.05). Sensory attributes including color, taste, texture, aroma and overall acceptability were evaluated by 20 semi-trained panelists by using a 7-point hedonic scale to assess the preference. Based on the quality assessment, tomatoes treated with 12% garlic extract was found to be the best concentrations, that was showed the highest retention of ascorbic acid, total soluble solids and pH, which were 7.67 mg%, 4.8 ºBrix and 3.7 respectively, following 21 days of storage at 15℃. Tomatoes treated with 16% garlic extract had the lowest scores for sensory quality due to decay and browning. From the results of Tukey’s Studentized Range Test, the highest overall acceptability was found for the 12% garlic treated tomatoes at 15℃. The results of this study revealed that the tomatoes treated with 12% garlic extract and stored at 15℃ was found to be as the best treatment with the shelf life of 21 days owing to delayed ripening with highest overall acceptability.

Determination of nutritional composition of four banana varieties available in Sri Lanka

2021-05-07T00:00:00Z

Determination of nutritional composition of four banana varieties available in Sri Lanka Mallawaarachchi, M.A.L.N.; Somachandra, K.P.; Costa, M.D.D. Banana (Musa spp.) is a widely grown and consumed semi perennial fruit crop in Sri Lanka. There are nearly thirty varieties of banana grown throughout the country either as dessert fruit or as cooking banana. However, the nutritional qualities of banana available in the retail market have not been explored enough. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the nutritional properties of widely consumed banana varieties in Sri Lanka. Four banana varieties having the highest availability and demand in the retail market i.e. Ambul (AAB), Anamalu (Cavendish type, AAA), Seeni Kesel (ABB) and Ash plantain (ABB) were evaluated for their nutritional qualities. For this, the samples were collected from three different market places in the upcountry intermediate zone and pooled. The proximate composition, flesh to peel ratio, vitamin C and potassium concentrations were determined and presented on fresh weight basis. The ranges for moisture, crude protein, crude fat and ash contents were 66.0±1.47 ˗ 76.4±0.52%, 1.0±0.08 ˗ 2.2±0.03%, 0.14±0.02-0.61±0.04% and 0.98±0.07 ˗ 2.29±0.04%, respectively. The vitamin C content varied between 3.13±0.27 mg/100 g in Seeni kesel and 8.35±0.33 mg/100 g in Anamalu. The highest potassium concentration (496.9±1.32 mg/100 g) and flesh to peel ratio (4.4±0.52) were recorded in Seeni kesel. Variety ash plantain possessed the highest crude protein and crude fat contents. Overall results revealed that the tested varieties of banana have unique and distinct nutritional properties and thus cannot be replaced by others to get the required benefits

Comparison of iced tea types in Sri Lanka and Australia

2021-05-07T00:00:00Z

Comparison of iced tea types in Sri Lanka and Australia Wettimuny, D.; Wickramasinghe, I. Iced tea industry is a popular industry around the world. Australia is a country with high consumer demand for iced tea and a variety of iced tea categories. As a country that has cultivated tea in abundance, Sri Lanka has also been producing a lot of iced tea varieties for the last few years. Data available on the quality of the iced tea types are scarce. The quality of iced tea depends on its physicochemical parameters such as antioxidant activity (AA), total polyphenol content (TPC), titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS) and turbidity. The aim of this study was to perform a research that compares the above-mentioned physiochemical parameters of the iced tea types available in Sri Lanka and Australia. Five different iced tea types (in aqueous extract) from both Sri Lankan and Australian origin were tested in the forms of green tea, black tea, peach flavoured tea, lemon flavoured tea and apple flavoured tea. The properties were measured by physicochemical tests. The DPPH assay was performed to determine the free radical scavenging ability and polyphenol content was determined through the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The Sri Lankan varieties showed AA in 5.1-22.2GAEμg/mL, TPC in 2.45-19.8GAEμg/mL, TA in 1.15-2.59g/L, TSS in 6.4-12.2°Bx and turbidity in 1.3-19.08NTU. The Australian product types reported AA in 3.9-5.1GAEμg/mL, TPC in 1.9-4.9GAEμg/mL, TA in 1.18- 2.59g/L, TSS in 0.6-12.2°Bx and turbidity in 2.79-19.9NTU. The apple flavoured black tea of both countries depicted similar properties with AA in 3.9-5.1GAEμg/mL, TPC in 1.9-2.4GAEμg/mL, TA in 2.16-2.59g/L, and turbidity in 19.08-19.9NTU. The Sri Lankan green tea variety showed best overall characteristics with AA in 22.2GAEμg/mL, TPC in 19.8GAEμg/mL, 1.15g/L in TA, 6.8°Bx of brix value and 10.19NTU in turbidity. The Sri Lankan iced tea types showed the highest values in AA and TPC and lower values in TA for green tea, black tea and lemon flavoured tea. The TSS measures of both countries were quite similar and so was it for turbidity values except for green tea and black tea. According to the results it showed that the Sri Lankan iced tea varieties were higher in antioxidant activity and polyphenol levels. These results show that the Sri Lankan green tea variety has a higher quality with higher health benefits over the other iced tea types.

Quality analysis of commercially available selected bottled drinking water samples in Jaffna distric

2021-05-07T00:00:00Z

Quality analysis of commercially available selected bottled drinking water samples in Jaffna distric Nitharshana, R.; Sarathadevi, R.; Vasantharuba, S. Bottle water is a great beverage choice for hydration and refreshment because it's consistent quality, safety, and convenience. Quality of safe drinking water refers to physicochemical and microbiological parameters that meet the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines of national standards. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the quality of selected bottled drinking water samples available in Jaffna District, Sri Lanka. Randomly selected ten different brands of bottled drinking water samples were collected from bottled drinking water selling shops. For the quality analysis, water samples from two batches were tested for physiochemical (pH, Electrical conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended solids, Turbidity, Color, Odor, Taste, iron, Nitrate, Nitrite, Sodium, Potassium, Total Hardness, Magnesium, Calcium, Alkalinity, and Chloride) and Microbiological (Total bacterial Count) parameters. The results of the above samples were compared with the SLS (Sri Lankan Standards) recommended level to ensure the quality of the drinking water samples. All samples’ pH values varied between the ranges of 6.9 - 9.61, whereas electrical conductivity values varied between 12.58 - 202.58 µS/cm and total alkalinity and turbidity values varied between the ranges of 93.33 - 203.33 mg/L and 0.215 - 0.321 NTU, respectively. Further, total dissolved solids, sodium, total suspended solids, potassium, iron, hardness, magnesium, chloride, and calcium content of all studied water samples were 2.491 – 99.678 mg/L, 0.5 – 17.25 ppm, 0 mg/L, 0.270 – 1.50 mg/L, and 0 - 0.681 mg/L, 5.01 – 10.73 mg/L, 1.1-2.06 mg/L, 37.86 – 62.71 mg/L, and 1.96 – 17.79 mg/L, respectively. Moreover, nitrite and nitrate values for water samples varied between 0 to 0.0038 mg/L and 0.683 to 2.983 mg/L, respectively. All studied water samples were colourless, tasteless, and odourless for organoleptic analysis. Total microbial count varied between 0 and 13 CFU. According to the results, it is obvious that bottled drinking water has good quality for the selected samples. Among all samples studied for the physicochemical parameters, obtained value for bottled drinking water showed less than SLS permitted level. However, in the case of microbial quality, some samples were showed colonies for both batches. Therefore, this study concluded that proper sanitation practices need to be followed in respective bottled water producing industries to ensure safe drinking water for all.