Standardization of the Optimum Stage of Harvest of Bhendi Fruits for Dehydration / Processing

Field and laboratory experiments were undertaken at the Department of Vegetable Crops, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, in order to optimize the stage of harvest, for dehydration of a popular oriental vegetable “bhendi” var Arka Anamika. The harvests were made at 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 days after anthesis and the qualities of bhendi fruits were assessed. The data have shown that the bhendi fruits harvested 5 days after anthesis carries desirable quantitative (length, girth and weight) and qualitative (moisture content, ascorbic acid, crude proteins, sugars and crude fibre content) attributes in bhendi fruits. The quality of bhendi fruits deteriorated drastically even if the harvest is delayed by a day.