EFFECT OF CALCIUM COMPOUNDS AND FERMENTED DRAGON FRUIT JUICE POSTHARVEST TREATMENT ON QUALITY AND STORABLE OF BITTER MELON FRUIT
Abstract
Bitter melon is one of the vegetables with high nutritional, antioxidant compounds and economic value, it presents in most Vietnamese family meals. However, after harvest, bitter melon is easily to be tissue softening, turning yellow skin and quickly spoiled. The use of safe preservatives compounds or antibiotics as fermented fruit peel to control postharvest fruit and vegetable diseases have been a trend of consumers and avoid the risk environmental. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the effects of calcium compounds and fermented of juice and peel dragon fruit on color change, quality, decay incidence and shelf-life of bitter melon during storage time. Bitter melon fruits after harvest from the safe vegetable production of Long Thuan, Dong Thap province were soaked in 7 solutions: 1) calcium lactate 0.5%; 2) calcium lactate 1%, 3) calcium chloride 0.5%; 4) calcium chloride 1%; 5) fermented dragon fruit 10%; 6) fermented dragon fruit 20% and 7) soaked in water as control for 3 minutes. Samples were dried by fan, wrapped in PE bag and stored at 20 ± 2oC for 8 days. The results showed that bitter melon soaked in 0.5% calcium lactate or 10% fermented dragon fruit solution both of them effectively reduced decay incidence, maintained green color skin and preserved quality of bitter melon for 8 days stored at 20 ± 2oC.
