Shelf-life evaluation of ber (Ziziphus mauritiana Lamk.) cultivars

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of post-harvest treatments on shelf-life of ber fruits. Uniform, healthy, fully mature and ripe fruits of cultivars, namely, Gola, Banarasi Kadaka, Umran, Ponda and Seb were selected for the study. The collected fruits of different cultivars were divided in two parts for treatment and packed in microperforated polythene bags (100 gauge) and sealed. One part of the fruits was stored at a room temperature (20 ± 5°C) and second part of the fruits was stored in home refrigerator (4.4 - 7.2°C). The observations were recorded at four days interval up to 12^th day of storage. Remarkable changes were noted on physiological weight loss, spoilage, organoleptic rating, total soluble solids, acidity and ascorbic acid. Fruit weight decreased continuously during storage in all treatments and minimum recorded in cv. Ponda in both conditions. Percentage spoilage increased continuously with duration of storage in all treatments. The least incidence (2.55%) was recorded in ‘Ponda’. The TSS in fruits increased with duration in all the treatments. Refrigerated temperature decreased acidity as compared to room temperature. However, the cv. Ponda exhibited least changes in TSS and acidity. Conclusively, cv. Ponda has longer shelf-life under both storage conditions.