Guava is highly perishable in nature, having shelf life only 2-3 days at ambient condition which is a concern during marketing and transportation. Hence a study was under taken to extend the shelf life of guava using a chemical named hexanal which is a chemical used to delay the ripening of fruits. Hexanal treatments such as 1200 μll-1 for h, 1400 μll-1 for 3 h and h and 1600 μll-1 for 3 h and h had minimum change in texture and color. Hence these treatments were selected for further studies. Physiological loss in weight, pH and TSS of fruits increased during storage under both condition but the percent increase was found to be lesser than the control fruits. The hexanal treated fruits also had a higher retention of ascorbic acid as compared to control fruit. Comparing all the parameters analyzed in guava treated with hexanal and 1-MCP, this study suggest that hexanal treatment of 1400 μll-1 for 3 h and h, 1600 μll-1 for 3 h and h resulted in better retention of good texture, colour and all other quality parameters with 6 days of storage life in ambient and more than 20 days in a cold room. | Effect of post Harvest hexanal treatment on shelf life of guava
