MSc

The investigation entitled “Portion packaging and storage of jackfruit
(Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.)” was conducted at the Department of Post Harvest
Technology, College of Agriculture, Vellayani, during the year 2016-2018, with the
objective to standardize portion packaging and storage techniques for extending shelf
life of jackfruit types. Experiment was carried out independently for mature varikka,
ripe varikka and mature koozha jack fruit types.
Good quality jackfruit types were harvested, cleaned, outer spiny rind
removed, cut in to portions of 200-250 g weight, pre-treated using 0.5% potassium
meta bisulphite (KMS) and citric acid, surface drained and subjected to seven
different packaging conditions, and stored under ambient and refrigerated storage
conditions. The seven different packaging systems included use of polypropylene
film with 5% ventilation, cling film wrapping, shrink wrapping, vacuum packaging in
laminated pouches, modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) in laminated pouches
with KMnO4, MAP with silica gel and unwrapped portions.
Based on efficiency in maintaining physiological parameters, organoletic
quality and marketability, portions under vacuum packaging in laminated pouches of
PP/LDPE under refrigeration was selected as best treatment for further quality
evaluation. MAP in laminated pouches with silica gel sachet was considered as the
second best packaging treatment. Jackfruit portions stored under ambient condition
were spoilt within a day in all types.
Quality evaluation of jackfruit portions stored under refrigeration after
vacuum packaging in laminated pouches of PP/LDPE revealed that mature varikka
portions had 21 days shelf life with 2.34% physiological loss in weight and 80%
marketability. Vacuum packed mature koozha portions under refrigeration exhibited
15.71 days shelf life with 2.89% PLW and 75% marketability. Ripe varikka portions
had 12.28 days shelf life with 3.42% PLW and 70% marketability under similar
packaging and storage. Unwrapped jack fruit portions under refrigeration were spoilt
within 3 days after storage.
Oxygen concentration gradually decreased and CO2 concentration gradually
increased in all the vacuum packaged jackfruit portions, indicating high respiration
rate of the fresh cut commodity. TSS, reducing sugars and total sugars increased
during storage, where as vitamin C and acidity showed a decrease during storage.
Vacuum packed refrigerated jackfruit portions had good sensory acceptability even at
the end of shelf life, though there was reduction in firmness. Despite an increase in
the carotenoid content, vacuum packed refrigerated jack fruit bulbs retained their
natural colour, which stayed even during the storage period. The mature varikka
bulbs held a cream colour while the ripe varikka ones were a deep yellow, and the
mature koozha bulbs remained yellow even at the end of storage. Cost of production
of vacuum packed jack fruit portion was calculated and the BC ratio was found to be
1.37.
Vacuum packaging in laminated pouches of PP/LDPE and storage under
refrigeration was standardized as the best packaging and storage treatment for all
jack fruit portions. Adoption of the standardized technology may help to transform
the current trend of total unhygienic marketing system into a totally different style,
where hygienically packed quality jackfruit portions with sufficient prolonged shelf
life can be marketed through the current retail outlets having refrigerated storage
facility. The system has to be properly modified in future to suit the ambient storage
system so as to reduce the cost of production.