Fruits and vegetables belong to an essential class of foods that supply human diet with nutritive requirements including vitamins and minerals which are essential for normal body health and function. The study was carried out to determine the physico-chemical analysis and sensory qualities of mixed fruit squash. Carrot (Drocus carota), papaya (Carica papaya) and banana (Musa sapientum) juice were standardized to produce mixed squash which was stored for 9 weeks in sterilized glass bottles at room temperature. Marginal changes in pH, total soluble solids, acidity and vitamin C were observed. Estimation of vitamin C content (6.32 -15.45 mg) of mixed squash showed high improvement in nutritional value of papaya juice incorporated with carrot and banana juice in squash. TSS (40.0 to 41.6) increased with gradual passage of storage time, which might be due to hydrolysis of polysaccharides into monosaccharide and oligosaccharides. The titratable acidity (1.25% to 2.97%) increased and pH (5.01 to 3.87) decreased progressively during the storage period might be due to the excessive fermentation and presence of lactic acid reducing micro-organism. The mean overall acceptability scores of more than 8 for mixed squash prepared up to 40% carrot juice incorporation with 40% papaya and 20% banana juice indicated the commercial scope for manufacturing good and nutritious squash from carrot, papaya and banana juice. However, the shelf life of mixed squash was established within 8 weeks. The product is recommended for children, youth and elderly persons to be used within 8 weeks.

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The production of biscuits utilizing ripe banana peel flour (BPF) as a wheat flour (WF) alternative is presented in this study. Locally available Sabri banana peel was dried into a cabinet dryer at 65⁰C for 8 hours. The dried peel then turned into powder and sieved. The flours used in the preparation of the biscuits were analyzed for proximate composition. BPF contained a higher amount of fat compared to WF. Five samples of biscuits S1, S2, S3, S4, and S5 substituting WF with 0, 5, 10, 20, and 30% BPF in the standard biscuits were prepared S1 denoted the control sample adding no BPF. The proximate composition and sensory quality of the produced biscuits were tested. All of the biscuit samples had greater weights than the control biscuit. In comparison to the control biscuit, BPF enriched biscuits had reduced diameter. Biscuits made with 10% BPF had a greater spread ratio than those made with other ingredients. The moisture, protein, fat, and total sugar content of biscuit samples were found in the range of 4.05-5.32%, 6.60-9.00%, 10.00-10.32%, and 17.00-25.00%, respectively. A sharp decrease in protein content was observed with the increase of BPF in the biscuits. A slight increase of fat was observed in the BPF substituted biscuits. The ash content in the control sample was 1.5%, and that in the banana peel substituted samples ranged from 1.80% to 2.0%. BPF substitution showed a downward trend in terms of color, flavor, texture, and general acceptability. The panelists rated sample S1 as having the highest overall acceptability. Among the BPF-containing biscuits, sample S2 had the best overall acceptance, followed by samples S3, S4, and S5. In terms of general acceptability, however, there are no notable variations between samples S2 and S3. According to sensory analysis, quality BPF biscuits may be prepared by replacing up to 10% of the WF with BPF.

The efficacy of 1-MCP in modulating the ethylene sensitivity of Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) in terms of thermal and structural properties was investigated at 0 and 25. X-ray computed tomography was employed to quantify the structural properties. The physicochemical properties were measured destructively and correlated with X-ray image properties. 1-MCP satisfactorily suppressed the ethylene sensitivity in terms of bio-yield stress, L * , and hue angle value at both temperatures. The changes in porosity and thermal conductivity in 1-MCP-treated fruit were smaller than those in control and ethylene-treated fruit. The histogram profile also shifted slightly to a high-density region in 1-MCP-treated fruit. The L * value, hue angle, apparent density, moisture content, bio-yield stress, and TSS were highly correlated with average CT value and standard deviation at both temperatures. Thus, X-ray CT images could be used to quantify the thermal and structural properties, and 1-MCP could suppress the ethylene sensitivity of Japanese persimmon stored at 0 and 25 for 8 and 1 weeks, respectively.

The effectiveness of packaging materials on the quality and shelf life of local and hybrid varieties of guava was evaluated under refrigerated and room temperature. The treatment consisted of packaging with polythene, a perforated polyethylene bag, and control (without packaging. Different quality parameters such as physiological weight loss, decay loss, color and overall acceptability score, percentage of marketability, moisture content, total solid content, ash content, protein content, pH, titratable acidity, and vitamin C content were examined. The results showed that the vitamin C, pH content reduction rate is comparatively lower in the case of hybrid guava stored in perforated polythene packaged at refrigeration temperature compared to other treatments. An increase in titratable acidity content was recorded lowest in the case of deshi variety packaged with polythene stored at refrigeration temperature whereas hybrid variety packaged with perforated polythene stored at room temperature showed a higher rate of increase. Physiological weight loss and decay loss were recorded lowest for the sample packaged with a perforated polythene bag under the refrigerated condition while the control sample stored at normal room temperature showed the highest rate. Marketability of perforated polythene packaged fruits was recorded highest when that of the control one under normal room temperature was recorded the lowest. Performances of perforated polythene packaging system under the refrigerated temperature may be recommended for the longest shelf life and the highest quality of guava.