Effect of Potassium Permanganate on Colour and Textural Characteristics of Tomatoes at Ambient Temperature Storage

Abstract

Mature unripe tomato fruits were evaluated to check the effectiveness of potassium permanganate on the quality parameters of colour and texture under ambient storage conditions in extending the shelf life of tomatoes. 50 g each of mature unripe tomato fruits were weighed into a plastic container containing different concentrations of potassium permanganate including control (2.5 ppm, 5.0 ppm, 7.5 ppm, 10.0 ppm, 12.5 ppm and 15.0 ppm). The experiment was laid out in a complete randomized design and replicated four times. A sensory evaluation of quality parameters of color and texture was carried out using a hedonic scale ranking. Results obtained were analyzed using analysis of variance and Least Significant Difference (LSD). Under ambient conditions, the tomatoes samples that were stored with a concentration of 5 ppm of KMnO4 showed a higher or acceptable quality in terms of colour and texture. In terms of shelf life, 7.5 ppm of KMnO4 under ambient conditions, kept the tomatoes in an acceptable quality for 11 days as shown in the result.