Masters Degrees (Food Science)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Food Science) by Author "Arendse, Ebrahiema"

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    Determining optimum storage conditions for pomegranate fruit (cv. Wonderful)
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-04) Arendse, Ebrahiema; Opara, U. L.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Food Science.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The development of science-based management tools and appropriate postharvest handling protocols are required for the determination of optimal storage performance of pomegranate fruit. The South African pomegranate industry experiences considerable fruit quality losses due to the lack of knowledge on optimal storage and handling practices. The cultivar ‘Wonderful’ is the widely grown in South Africa; however, to date there is currently limited scientific knowledge on the storage requirements. To develop quality standards for the export market, knowledge of optimum storage conditions are required to provide an understanding of postharvest quality attributes and consumer organoleptic perceptions. The overall aim of this research was to provide science-based management tools for the storage performance of pomegranate fruit (cv. Wonderful). The research reported in Chapter 3 focused on the physiological responses of pomegranate fruit at different storage temperatures. Commercially harvested fruit were stored at 5±0.7°C, 7.5±0.3°C and 10±0.5°C with 92±2% RH and at room temperature (21±3°C, 65±6% RH) for 5 months. Fruit respiration and physiological disorders during long term storage were investigated. During storage, low temperatures evidently resulted in lower respiration rates; however, respiration rate increased gradually after 2 months resulting in higher respiration rates at 5°C than 7.5°C after 3 month storage period. Overall, fruit became more susceptible to internal and external disorders as storage period progressed. Storage of fruit longer than 2 months at 5°C resulted in chilling injury and this was observed over the 5 month storage period. Fruit stored at 21°C and 10°C were discarded after 1 and 4 months, respectively, due to complete fruit loss to decay and peel shrinkage. Furthermore, the severity of browning increased with storage temperatures, although this became more severe at 5°C after 3 months. Therefore, to maintain a relatively low respiration rate and minimize physiological disorders, the cv. Wonderful should be stored at 5°C and >92% RH for storage period up to 3 months. In Chapter 4, the effects of temperature and storage duration on pomegranate fruit quality and mechanical properties were conducted. This study revealed that weight loss increased with rise in temperature and storage duration with the primary source of moisture loss being the fruit skin (peel), which resulted in significant reduction in peel thickness with prolonged storage period. The CIE (L*, a*, b* and C*) colour parameters of fruit and arils decreased during storage. However, the hue (hº) for whole fruit increased as a result of browning incidence, and decreased in arils suggesting an increase in redness. Significant increases in total soluble solids (TSS), pH, TSS:TA and BrimA were observed with significant decreases in titratable acidity (TA) occurring throughout the storage period. Storage temperature and duration significantly affected majority of the investigated mechanical properties. Puncture resistance, fruit and aril compression strength decreased with storage temperature and duration. These findings showed that fruit may be stored between 2 to 3 months at 5°C to ensure the best internal and external quality attributes. The studies in Chapter 5 investigated the effects of storage temperature and duration on phytochemical and antioxidant properties. Fresh pomegranate juice was assessed for concentrations of total phenolic compounds, total anthocyanin and ascorbic acid. The antioxidant property of the fruit juice was tested against 2, 2-diphenyl–1–picryl hydrazyl (DPPH). The results showed that total phenolic and total anthocyanin concentration increased up to 3 months of storage at 5°C, 7.5°C, 10°C and 21°C and decreased gradually over time. For antioxidant activity, storage of fruit at 5°C, 7.5°C and 10°C significantly (p< 0.05) reduced the radical scavenging activity of juice by more than 56% when stored beyond 2 months. Furthermore, ascorbic acid concentration gradually declined with increasing storage duration, resulting in reduced juice antioxidant capacity. These findings are beneficial to pomegranate export industries, especially where fruit are stored for long for use in health-promoting purposes. The research conducted in Chapter 6 focused on determining suitable storage conditions based on the combination of instrumental measurements and sensory attributes. During storage, individual fruit were evaluated by trained sensory panel based on the overall appearance, taste and aril texture. Discriminant analysis at different storage temperatures was used to distinguish fruit from each other at 2 months of storage with sensory attributes such as overall pomegranate flavour (R2 = 0.56), total anthocyanin (R2 = 0.46) and Chroma (C*) colour index (R2 = 0.37). Discriminant analysis further showed that storage time rather than storage temperature led to the reduction in overall quality when storing fruit beyond 2 months. Based on sensory attributes, suitable storage temperature and duration were found to be 5°C and 2 months when overall flavor were highly rated; thereafter, significant reductions in overall appearance, aril and kernel texture were observed. Furthermore, the proposed storage conditions were supported with instrumental measurements, which revealed a decline in important fruit attributes such as total phenolics, total anthocyanin, aril colour and aril texture after 2 months of storage. Overall, this study provides science-based tools required for developing cold chain handling protocols needed to manage the long supply chain of ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate fruit grown in South Africa.