September 25, 2024 | Journal of Stored Products Research |
A study by the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, examined how post-harvest storage affects vitamins and health-promoting compounds in 31 fresh fruit species. The research focused on variations in ascorbic acid (ASC), total vitamin C (VitC), total phenolic (TPC), total flavonoid (TFC) content, and antioxidant capacities (ACs) over 14 days at three different storage temperatures.
The findings showed that most fruits experienced a significant decrease in ASC (1.6–90%) and VitC (0.1–71.6%) during storage, regardless of temperature. However, some climacteric fruits, including Musa paradisiaca and Persea americana, exhibited an increase in ASC (1.0–245%) and VitC (0.5–102.8%). On the other hand, Psidium guajava suffered a considerable loss of almost all health-promoting compounds. Significant reductions in TPC, TFC, and ACs were observed, particularly in under-utilized fruits such as Artocarpus heterophyllus and Averrhoa carambola.
Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant impact of fruit species and storage temperature on antioxidant levels, with the greatest losses occurring at room temperature. Freezing conditions also caused significant losses compared to refrigeration. The study recommends refrigeration to best preserve vitamin C and antioxidant levels during fruit storage.
