Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai was a climacteric variety with a high respiration rate and ethylene accumulation. Therefore the fruit matures and softeness quickly during post-harvest period. Calcium chloride was popularly utilized as stabilizing agent. 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) has been known to be highly effective inhibitor of ethylene reaction. This research evaluated the synergistic effect of CaCl2 and 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment to weight loss, firmness, total soluble solid, carotenoid, ascorbic acid and decay rate of watermelon during storage. Results showed that a combination of 2.5% CaCl2 and 0.6 ppm 1-MCP in 20 min of immersion could extend watermelon shelf life for 15 days. After 15 days of ambient storage, the weight loss (1.43±0.02 %), firmness (4.38±0.00 N), total soluble solid (13.60±0.01 oBrix), carotenoid (16.31±0.02 µg/100g), ascorbic acid (13.36±0.03 mg/100g), decay rate (0.47±0.02 %) were clearly presented. Meanwhile, the treatment of 2.5% CaCl2 alone showed the weight loss (2.11±0.02 %), firmness (3.03±0.02 N), total soluble solid (10.83±0.02 oBrix), carotenoid (12.97±0.03 µg/100g), ascorbic acid (9.57±0.02 mg/100g), decay rate (2.14±0.01 %). The incorporation of CaCl2 and 1-MCP created a synergistic effect on the improved quality of watermelon fruit during ambient storage.
Polyscias fruticosa belongs to Araliaceae family widely cultivated in Vietnam. It is a medical plant highly valued recently owing to its diversified therapeutic functions. It’s exploited in all parts including root, bark and leaf for medicinal purposes. In the herbal tea production, the final step is normally ended with the roasting in order to improve its flavor and aroma. There’s a concern about the detrimental effect of thermal roasting to the stability of phytochemical constituents. In this research, we attempted to evaluate the reduction of total phenolic (mg GAE/100 g), total flavonoid (mg QE/100 g), DPPH radical-scavenging ability (mM TE/100 g), FRAP ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (mM TE/100 g) in root, bark and leaf of Polyscias fruticosa under different roasting conditions. All samples were steamed in vapor for 30 seconds before being dried by convective dryer at 45°C for 6 hours to final moisture content around 12%. Then these samples would be roasted in different conditions (125/15; 130/12, 135/9, 140/6, 145/3, °C/minutes). Our results revealed that roasting at 135/9°C/minutes was appropriate to preserve the most phytochemical constituents.
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