Studies on biochemical changes in aonla (Emblica officinalis Gaertn.) squash under storage condition

Squash samples were prepared using fruits of NA-6, NA-7 and Chakaiya for storage studies. The prepared squash samples were kept under ambient condition for storage study. The squash remained acceptable upto 240 days. The aonla squash prepared from the cultivar NA-7 had the highest content of ascorbic acid, pH and also scored maximum organoleptic value than NA-6 and Chakaiya at the time of preparation. During storage period of squash, the acidity, TSS, total sugar, reducing sugar and microbial examination (bacterial, yeast and mould counts) showed an increasing trend, and ascorbic acid, pH and organoleptic evaluation decreasing trend with advancement of storage period upto 240 days under ambient condition. The squash prepared from fruits of cultivar NA-7 had the maximum B: C ratio, good sensory evaluation and high nutritional quality which could be considered suitable for developing squash beverage for commercialization.