Enhancing the Shelf Life of Palak and Coriander through Modified Atmosphere Packaging under Diverse Storage Environments

Aim: Green leafy vegetables are renowned for their rich vitamin and mineral content as well as their nutritional value. However, these vegetables are highly perishable due to their accelerated rates of respiration and transpiration. The process of packing and the choice of packaging materials play a crucial role in extending their shelf life. The main aim of this study was to prolong the shelf life of two prominent leafy greens, Palak (Beta vulgaris L. var. bengalensis) and Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.), using Modified Atmospheric Packaging (MAP) and various packaging materials.Study Design: The study employed an FCRD experimental design with 12 treatments and 3 replications.Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at Department of Vegetable Science, HC&RI, TNAU, Coimbatore during the year 2023.Methodology: Freshly harvested Palak and Coriander were collected, sorted, and prepared as 250-gram samples. Two packaging materials (LDPE and PP) and three gas compositions (G1, G2, G3) was employed. The vegetables were stored under both ambient (35±5°C) and refrigerated (5°C) conditions and their physiological loss in weight (PLW %) was monitored. The observations were taken every day up to the spoilage of the produce.Results: According to the research findings, vegetables could remain fresh under ambient storage for up to 4 days and under refrigeration for up to 15 days. In ambient storage conditions, Palak exhibited the longest shelf life in treatment T3 - G3M1 (4% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE), followed by T5 - G2M2 (6% O2, 5% CO2, PP). Meanwhile, Coriander showed better shelf life in treatment T2 - G2M1 (6% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE), followed by T6 - G3M2 (4% O2, 5% CO2, PP). Under refrigerated storage conditions, Palak exhibited an extended shelf life in treatment T9 - G3M1 (4% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE), followed by T12 - G3M2 (4% O2, 5% CO2, PP). For Coriander, the best results were achieved with treatment T12 - G3M2 (4% O2, 5% CO2, PP), followed by T8 - G2M1 (6% O2, 5% CO2, LDPE).Conclusion: Proper packaging and gas composition significantly increased the shelf life of these leafy greens, offering potential benefits for both producers and consumers. Palak had a longer shelf life when stored under refrigerated conditions, up to 14 days, while Coriander could be kept fresh for up to 12 days in the refrigerator. Gas composition G3 (4% O2, 5% CO2) was found to be effective and LDPE was generally the preferred packaging material in extending the shelf life of the vegetables.

Nutrient Status and Oil Yield of Grain Amaranthus species

Amaranth grain is an underutilized crop known for its vegetative parts as vegetable and grain as food. The grain of the crop contains high amount of iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium and other minerals. However, there are gaps in our understanding and technology on the nutritional diversity of different kinds of vegetables grown in India. The aim of this study was to analyse the nutritional value of amaranth grains from different genotypes (A. hypochondriacus, A. cruentus, and A. caudatus) and to select elite genotype for varietal development. Randomized block design with three replication was carried. Evaluation studies were carried out by planting different amaranthus genotypes in the orchard at Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore in the year 2022-23. The nutrient composition of the grains was determined using standard methods. The genotype EC- 198122 recorded highest nutritional quality followed by IC–37156. Among the thirty six genotypes EC- 198122 genotype were found to be rich in proteins (20.85%), fat (6.32%), carbohydrate (71.59%), fiber (5.65%), energy (426.64 Kcal), and sugar (1.12g). EC- 198122 genotype contain a high amount of iron (22.74 mg/100g), magnesium (157.3 mg/100g), calcium (199.67mg/100g), potassium (309.77 mg/100g) and other minerals. The anti-nutrients composition also found to be low in grains were oxalate (194mg/100g) and nitrate (87.34?g/g) which are within levels that can be tolerated by the body system. The genotype EC- 198122 (5.20%) posses high oil content. The oil extracted from amaranth grain contained mainly unsaturated fatty acids. The primary acids in the oil were oleic, linoleic and palmitic. Oil was a major component present in the grain amaranthus. This suggests that consuming amaranth grain could be an effective way for mitigating the macro- and micronutrient deficits in the diet.

Studies on Genetic Variability, Correlation Analysis in Mithipagal (Momordica charantia var. muricata) Genotypes

The present investigation was carried out in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore to study the “Genetic variability and correlation analysis in Mithipagal (Momordica charantia var. muricata) genotypes”. Observations on vine length, days to male flower inflorescence, days to female flower inflorescence, node of first male flower appearance, node of first female flower appearance, sex ratio, number of fruits per vine, fruit weight, fruit length, fruit girth, number of seeds per fruit, yield per vine, ascorbic acid, protein content, iron content and total soluble solids were recorded. Variability and correlation analysis among genotypes were examined. The results, showed that yield per plant had high positive and high significant correlation with fruit weight, fruit girth, number of seeds per fruit, vine length and fruit length. High genotypic co-efficients of variation (GCV) were found for fruit yield per vine, fruit weight, TSS, fruit length, vine length, fruit girth, node of first female flower, number of fruits per vine, number of seeds per fruit, iron, protein content when genetic characteristics were taken into account, However low GCV was found for days to the first male and female flowering. Phenotypic variants were always greater than genotypic variances. For traits such asyield per vine, fruit weight, TSS, fruit length, vine length, fruit girth, number of fruits per vine, number of. seeds per fruit, node of first male flower appearance, node of first female flower appearance, sex ratio, vitamin C, protein, iron content high heritability was found together with high genetic advance in percent of mean, indicating that these features are under additive gene control and hence selection for genetic improvement would be successful. Node of first male flower appearance showed low heritability combined with low genetic advance as a percentage of the mean indicating that non-additive gene effects were involved in the expression of this trait and hence selection for such a trait could not be beneficial. The knowledge of these statistical factors would be useful in identifying genotypes with greater yield potential that might be used in the improvement of mithipagal.