EXTENSION OF SHELF LIFE AND ASSURING QUALITY OF TOMATO BY USING POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS

Abstract

The experiment was carried out in the Postharvest laboratory at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The single factor experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. The present research was conducted to evaluate the effect of different postharvest treatment on shelf life and quality of tomato. The postharvest treatments were (viz: Wo = Tap water dips, WH= Hot water dips, I = With ice, Io= Without ice, P= Perforated Polybag, Po = Non-Perforated Polybag, RH= 80±5% Relative Humidity and Ro= Relative humidity at room condition 60-65%. Results revealed that the lowest disease incidence (43.54%) and weight loss (7.62 %) were recorded from T13 (Hot water dips + With ice + Perforated Polybag + 80±5% RH) treatment where highest disease incidence (100%) and weight loss (16.17 %) were found in T12 (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 T13 (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.