Effect of ambient storage on physicochemical properties of some fruit vegetables: A review

What is it about?

Fundamental sources of essential vitamins, carbohydrates, and minerals, boasting antioxidants that contribute positively to human health are needed in our daily lives, hence, fruit vegetables (FVs). However, at the postharvest level, particularly storage affects these compositions, including the color and firmness of fruit vegetables. In the postharvest management viewpoints as a pivotal phase in sustaining produce, and fruit storage emerges as an alternative method to mitigate food wastage. However, a noteworthy alteration in the physicochemical and antioxidant characteristics of FVs is evident, and positive and negative impacts are observed. In tropical regions like the Philippines, ambient conditions typically used during storage as low-cost technique on the part of farmers and consumers. Disadvantageous impacts are weight loss, color changes, diminished firmness, shrinkage of flesh thickness, pectin, starch content, and antioxidant capacity. Likewise, the shrinkage of the fruit can influence the consumer acceptability. Although these obvious changes in certain physicochemical properties, prolonging the storage duration offers advantages such as the increase of β-carotene, total soluble solids, and total sugar content.

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Photo by Nithin P John on Unsplash

Photo by Nithin P John on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Physicochemical and antioxidant properties of stored fruits

Perspectives