Studies on Effect of Different Packaging Materials on Shelf-Life of Blended Guava-Papaya Fruit Leather

Aims: To study the effect different packaging materials on shelf-life and quality of blended fruit leather.

Place of Study: The present investigation was carried out at the Department of Post-Harvest Technology and Agri. Engineering, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru.

Methodology: Guava variety ‘Allahabad Safeda’ and papaya variety ‘Taiwan Red Lady’ fruit leathers were prepared by blending their pulp at different ratios of 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 50:50, 40:60, 20:80 and 0:100 respectively. Citric acid at 0.3% and KMS (Potassium meta-bisulphite) at 600 ppm was added to the blended pulp and TSS was adjusted to 20°B. The pulp according to treatments were then dried in a cabinet drier at 55 to 60°C till the desired moisture content (approx. 15%) was achieved.

Results: Blended guava-papaya (40:60) leather was found best among the treatments in terms of better nutritional and sensory characteristics at initial and also during the subsequent storage periods. The prepared fruit leathers that were packed in biaxially oriented polypropylene showed better results with better nutrient retention (ascorbic acid 90.1 mg/100 g and carotenoids 947.2 µg/100 g) and higher organoleptic score (70.03 overall acceptability out of 100) to those packed in punnets (ascorbic acid 73.2 mg/100 g, and carotenoids 893.0 µg/100 g) during the storage period of 4 months. The microbial examination also revealed that all the samples were found to be safe from the consumption point of view till the end of four months of storage.

Conclusion: The blended fruit leather can be a good source of various heath promoting phytochemical nutrients with a unique taste and acceptability having a storage stability for safe consumption till 4 months.