Botanical extracts improve postharvest quality and extend the shelf life of papaya (Carica papaya L. cv. Shahi)

ABSTRACT

Though papaya is a lucrative fruit regarding nutritional, medicinal, and commercial attributes, its susceptibility to postharvest loss may account for ≥ 40%. An experiment was carried out at Khulna University, Bangladesh from April to May 2013 to investigate the effects of botanical extracts on the postharvest physicochemical attributes, intensity, and severity of diseases and shelf life of papaya cv. Shahi. The experiment comprised botanical extracts from onion bulb, neem leaf, garlic bulb, oriental pepper leaf, datura leaf, and control as six treatments and replicated thrice following a completely randomised design (CRD). Among the physicochemical parameters, total soluble solids (TSS), weight loss, and dry matter of papaya fruit increase, and pulp to peel ratio, moisture content decrease gradually during the storage period disregarding treatments. Garlic bulb extract decreases the incidence and severity of postharvest diseases and extends the shelf life by more than 7 days compared to control. Thus, garlic bulb extract can be used for postharvest papaya storage. However, further experiments should be conducted before the final recommendation.

KEYWORDS:

• Botanical extracts
• papaya
• garlic bulb
• oriental pepper leaf
• shelf life

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Government of Bangladesh for funding the research. The authors express their sincere gratitude to the Lab of Horticulture, Lab of Plant Pathology, and the Germplasm Centre Authority of Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh for their supports during the experimental period.

Credit author statement

Md. Yamin Kabir: Supervision, Conceptualisation, Writing – original draft, review & editing, Funding acquisition.

Sayed Kawsar Hossain: Methodology, Investigation, Writing – preliminary draft.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

All data are included in the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science and Technology Fellowship 2012 from the Government of Bangladesh in favour of the second author.