Vol. 7, Issue 7, Part D (2024)
Abstract
An experiment entitled “Influence of various edible oil coatings on the shelf life of guava (Psidium guajava) cv. Allahabad Surkha” was conducted to examine the effects of different edible oil treatments on the shelf life and quality of guava fruits. The study was carried out at the Horticulture Research Laboratory, Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences (SHUATS), Prayagraj, during February 2024 to March 2024. the experiment employed a completely randomized design (crd) with 12 treatments and 3 replications, using various edible oils, including rice bran oil, olive oil, coconut oil, cinnamon oil, and mustard oil, under both ambient and cold storage conditions. key findings include, treatments T8 (olive oil + cold storage) and T7 (rice bran oil + cold storage) were most effective in extending shelf life to 28 and 24 days, respectively, compared to the untreated control (14 days). the same treatments also showed the) highest retention of sensory qualities (6.67, 6.33), fruit weight, fruit colour (7.83, 5.11), plw (0.80, 0.77), marketable fruits retained (34.60, 25.17), tss (11.40, 9.79), acidity (0.62, 0.43), ascorbic acid content (239.43, 189.60) and pH (4.66, 4.31) over the storage period. financial analysis revealed T8 as the most profitable treatment with the highest b:c ratio (0.93). the study concludes that the application of edible oils, particularly olive oil and rice bran oil, in combination with cold storage, can significantly enhance the shelf life and quality of guava fruits, facilitating better marketability and export potential.
