ESTIMATION OF POSTHARVEST LOSSES AND INTEGRATED METHOD FOR MINIMIZING LOSSES AND ASSURING QUALITY OF TOMATO

Abstract

The experiment was carried out at the Postharvest laboratory of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka-1207. The single factor experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replication. The present research was conducted to evaluate the effect of different post harvest treatment on shelf life and quality of tomato. The postharvest treatments were (viz: W o = Tap water dips, W H = Hot water dips, I = With ice, I o = Without ice, P= Perforated Polybag, P o = Non-Perforated Polybag, R H = 80±5% Relative Humidity and R o = Relative humidity at room condition 60-65%. Results revealed that the lowest disease incidence (43.54%) and weight loss (7.62 %) were recorded from T 13

(Hot water dips + With ice + Perforated Polybag + 80±5% RH) treatment where highest disease incidence (100%) and weight loss (16.17 %) were found in T 12 (Tap water dips + Without ice + Control + RH at room condition 60-65%) treatment. The highest shelf life (17 days) and quality of tomato were obtained from T 13 (Hot water dips + With ice + Perforated Polybag + 80±5% RH) treatment. The better performance was observed in tomatoes when treated with hot water, including ice and storage with perforated polybag and 80±5% relative humidity for longer shelf life and quality.