Postharvest storage conditions frequently affect nutritional quality of fruits and vegetables. Temperature and storage duration are the most important factors to extend shelf life and maintain quality of fresh watermelon. This study was conducted to determine the changes in the antioxidant properties of watermelon during storage. Fruits of the watermelon cultivars were harvested and stored at 5ºC for a period of 15 days. During storage antioxidant contents (lycopene and total phenolics) and total antioxidant activity were evaluated. The objective of this work was to determine the content of the antioxidant properties in different watermelon genotypes at four different postharvest storage periods (0, 5, 10 and 15 days). Furthermore, the nutritional quality is strongly influenced by the storage period. The cv Mahdia was the most suitable for extended storage periods.

The aim of this write up is to explore technological developments in the area of post-harvest grain storage techniques. Post-harvest losses occur between harvest and the moment of human consumption. They include on-farm losses, such as when grain is threshed, winnowed, and dried, as well as losses along the chain during transportation, storage, and processing. Use of traditional grain storage facilities such as cribs, improved rhombus, and brick bins are ineffective against mold and insects already present in the grain before storage. While plastic bins reduce insect pests’ infestation, Purdue Improved crop storage bags and wooden silo were proved to be a viable management tool for preventing aflatoxin accumulation in storage and moisture migration. The metal silo still remains an effective grain storage technology for reducing post-harvest insect and pathogen losses if the challenges of moisture and temperature can be adequately managed. An effective grain storage technology would be the ones that can sustain quality of grain stored for a long period (≥5 years), durable, cost-effective, and be managed scientifically, possibly by computer-aided grain management system.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and LED light on improving postharvest quality of 0900 Ziraat cherry fruits. In the present study, UV-B treated to cherry fruits 10, 20, and 40 min, and then stored dark conditions. On the other hand, the blue (M), red (KR) and ultraviolet-A (UVA) LED light had applied to fruit during storage, continuously. Fruits without application were used as a control. Cherry fruits were stored at 4±1°C temperature with 85-90% RH for 35 days. As a result of the study, the best treatment in terms of increasing the TSS/TA rate (19.3), fructose (5.27%), glucose (6.22%), total soluble phenol (170.16 mg/100 mL CAE) and anthocyanin content (12.11 mg/kg FW), red color, and taste quality (4.63) of fruits was UVB20. It has also been seen that the KR treatment could be used to reducing the titratable acidity content, and increase the amount of fructose, total soluble phenol. The UV-A LED treatment is particularly significant in reducing weight loss, and providing in the fruit stalk remains green. Also, the treatments of both UVB and LED improved the color quality of cherries by increasing brightness, darkening red color, and protection of anthocyanins, whereas increased the EL. As a result, it might be concluded that the UVB20 (5.95 kJ / m2s) treatment was the best and usable treatment to maintaining both biochemical and taste quality cherry fruits during cold storage.

In this study, the effects of carvacrol addition which is a natural preservative to apple juice samples contaminated with Z. bailii which is an osmotolerant yeast and shows resistance against high sugar concentration, low acidity, ethanol content and pasteurization process, were investigated on some physicochemical and bioactive properties and also changes in yeast numbers during storage period. For this purpose, the response surface methodology was applied and storage time (1-41 days), storage temperature (4-20°C), sodium benzoate amount (0-0.1%) and carvacrol amount (0-750 ppm) were selected as processing variables. Significant changes in physicochemical properties were observed due to yeast viability occurred during the storage of apple juice samples. The increase in the amount of carvacrol caused a decrease in the number of yeasts about 7 log level and prevented the spoilage of fruit juices. However, the brix value of the samples without carvacrol showed a decrease of 50% as a result of yeast activity and the fruit juice could not be consumed. Total phenolic content of the sample was in the range of 136.7-645.7 mg GAE/L and the lowest total phenolic content was determined for the run 11 having no carvacrol while the highest total phenolic content was for the sample added with the highest carvacrol level. As a result of the optimization process, it was observed that the deterioration activities of Z. bailii could be prevented to a great extent by the addition of maximum amount of carvacrol.

The growth of fish in intensive fish farming is carried out completely by the feeds supplied from externally. Different ingredients are used in feed production. The nutritional content of these ingredients is checked when purchased or brought to the factory. These ingredients are then stored until feed production. Storage duration and storage temperatures directly affect the freshness criteria of feed ingredient materials. Especially when high-energy ingredients with high levels of fat are stored in poor storage conditions, the fats in the ingredients are oxidized, therefore the peroxide number increases and the ingredient becomes bitter. Oxidation not only destroys the lipids in fish feeds but also vitamins. Slow growth, poor feed evaluation, color darkening, lethargy and deaths have been reported in fish fed with diets that are oxidized and inadequate in vitamin E. In this study, oxidation levels of fish feed ingredients were determined due to different storage conditions. Generally, the number of peroxides increased due to the increase in storage time and temperature, depending on the type of raw materials and oil content.

Chrysophyllum albidum fruits are underutilized because they are seasonal and perishable in nature due to physiological, biochemical and microbial alteration. This study investigated the potency of calcium chloride (CaCl2) in suppressing postharvest deterioration of Chrysophyllum albidum fruits. Ripe wholesome fruits of Chrysophyllum albidum were harvested and treated with different concentrations of CaCl2 (1, 2, and 3%) at three different dip times (5, 10, and 15 min). The goal was to use established analytical methods to investigate the influence of CaCl2 on the firmness, weight loss, pH, titratable acidity, total sugar (TS), pectin, color, microbial (fungi and bacteria) loads of Chrysophyllum albidum fruits. All the treated fruits were stored at ambient temperature 28 ± 2°C and 90± 5% relative humidity for 15 days. The obtained results indicated that treating Chrysophyllum albidum fruits with 3% CaCl2 for 15 min was found the most effective in controlling weight loss, microbial load, color, firmness, and other compositional changes such as pH, titratable acidity, pectin and total sugar. It was observed that CaCl2 treated samples showed reduced fungal loads from 6.00 × 103 SFU/g at harvest to 0.02 × 103 SFU/g after 15 d of storage as compared to untreated samples. No record of bacterial load was detected on Chrysophyllum albidum fruits treated with 3% CaCl2 for 15 min. The shelf life of Chrysophyllum albidum fruits could be extended for 15 d without excessive deterioration in quality by treating the fruits with 3% CaCl2 for 15 min with a minimum quality loss, as compared to the control sample which had greater compositional changes with maximum quality loss during storage at ambient temperature.

Optimum condition at 64.80% maize flour, 20% groundnut paste and 13.20 % palm oil was formulated to produced nutritionally enhanced aadun snack. The snack was stored in the different storage materials namely, sweet prayer plant leaves (control) which is usually used by most locals, low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and food grade plastic container (PC). The initial properties (energy, oxidative and sensory properties) of the enhanced aadun (before storage) were investigated and stored in each of the storage materials. The enhanced aadun samples in each storage material were analysed at two weeks interval for eighteen weeks. The results obtained were analysed statistically to examine the effect of the storage material on the aforementioned properties. The results for energy content decreased significantly (P>0.05) in across all the samples stored. The free fatty acid, acid valve and peroxide value increased significantly (P<0.05) in all the storage materials during the storage period but only the samples stored in PC and HDPE were within the recommended limit of FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization) at the end of the storage period. The sensory quality of the control sample was acceptable up to 12 weeks while samples in other storage materials were still acceptable at the end of the storage period under ambient storage condition.