STUDY ON RIPENING OF CUSTARD APPLE FRUIT (Annona squamosa L.)

P.H. BAKANE¹, M.H. GAJABE²*, M.M. KHAKARE³, M.B. KHEDKAR⁴, M.M. DANGE⁵, MANJEET PREM^6
1Department of Agricultural Process Engineering, CAET, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth P.O. Krishi Nagar Akola, 444104, MS, India
²Department of Agricultural Process Engineering, CAET, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth P.O. Krishi Nagar Akola, 444104, MS, India
³Department of Agricultural Process Engineering, CAET, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth P.O. Krishi Nagar Akola, 444104, MS, India
⁴AICRP on Seed Tech Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth P.O. Krishi Nagar Akola, 444104, MS, India
⁵AICRP on Seed Tech Research Unit, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth P.O. Krishi Nagar Akola, 444104, MS, India
⁶Department of Agricultural Process Engineering, CAET, Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth P.O. Krishi Nagar Akola, 444104, MS, India
* Corresponding Author : madhurigajabe@gmail.com

Received : 10-09-2015     Accepted : 16-06-2016     Published : 01-10-2016
Volume : 8     Issue : 42       Pages : 1844 - 1846
Int J Agr Sci 8.42 (2016):1844-1846

Keywords : Annona suqamosa L, Ripening, Refrigerator, Crates, Cartoon
Academic Editor : Pandiselvam R., R.K. Mathukia, Negrete Jaime Cuauhtemoc, Nautiyal Pankaj, Buragohain Rajat, P. S. Sangwan, Sharma Pratibha, Dr K L Sharma
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : None declared

Custard apples have been part of human diet for ages due to its nutritional and medicinal values. General practice of farmer for ripening of custard apple is keeping the fruit in crates or on floor covered with custard apple leaves or gunny bags. In this method all fruits cannot ripened and some of fruits becomes black and hard which becomes postharvest losses. Therefore, present study was undertaken to study the ripening of custard apple. Ripening of custard apple was carried out in crates covered with leaves, cartoon boxes and modified household refrigerator. Household refrigerator was modified to maintain uniform temperature and relative humidity by fitting air circulation tank and hanging wet cloth. Average weight of the fruit was found to be in the range of 105.67–164 g. Maximum physiological weight loss of custard apple fruit during ripening was fond to be 19.90 % in cartoon and minimum 15.49 % in refrigerator. Custard apple fruits were ripened in 3 to 4 days in crates as compare to 6 to 7 days in refrigerator. Ripening percentage of custard apple fruit was found to maximum in Crates followed by cartoon and lowest in refrigerator. Ripening of custard apple fruit at low temperature can delay the ripening of custard apple fruit though ripening percentage of fruit in modified refrigerator was less, it delay the ripening of fruit. Therefore, further study is needed for development of farm level ripening chamber for custard apple fruit which can ripen the fruit with good quality of pulp and also delay the ripening period.