1 Effect of storage on chemical characteristics of osmotically dehydrated Karonda (Carissa carandas L.) Plant Archives Vol. 23, No. 1, 2023 pp.280-284 e-ISSN:2581-6063 (online), ISSN:0972-5210 Plant Archives Journal homepage: http://www.plantarchives.org DOI Url : https://doi.org/10.51470/PLANTARCHIVES.2023.v23.no1.047 EFFECT OF STORAGE ON CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OSMOTICALLY DEHYDRATED KARONDA (CARISSA CARANDAS L.) Shivani Verma 1 *, Anju Bhat 1 , Neeraj Gupta 1 and Sushil Sharma 2 1 Division of Food Science and Technology. FOA, Chatha, SKUAST-JAMMU,J&K UT-180009,India 2 Division of Agricultural Engineering, FOA, Chatha, SKUAST-JAMMU,J&K UT-180009, India *Corresponding author Email: shanuv1432@gmail.com (Date of Receiving : 01-01-2023; Date of Acceptance : 05-03-2023) ABSTRACT The present investigation was conducted to determine the effect of water activity, microbial, organoleptic characteristics and economics of osmotically dehydrated karonda during 90 days of storage. For developing such product, karonda slices were dipped into various osmotic solutions like sugar and jaggery having different concentrations (50, 60 & 70° Brix) and the dipping time duration was set for 24 hours. After that the syrups were drained out, karonda slices were spread in cabinet dryer for dehydration. After osmotic dehydration, karonda slices were packed in low density polyethylene pouches and stored at an ambient temperature for a period of 3 months. With the advancement of storage period an increasing trend was observed in water activity hunter colour a* however a decreasing trend was observed in hunter colour L* and b*. Although no microbial growth was detected but treatment T 4 (70°Brix sugar syrup) adjudged as the superior on the basis of sensory attributes by scoring 7.90, 7.92, 7.95, 7.92 values for colour, texture, taste and overall acceptability during the entire storage period of the product. Keywords : Karonda, microbial count, jaggery, osmotic dehydration , sensory evaluation. Introduction Karonda (Carissa carandas L.) is indigenous to India. It belongs to family apocynaceae. It is evergreen, thorny and bushy plant generally used as live fence. It is a hardy multipurpose horticultural bush flourishes well without much care in arid and semi-arid conditions. In India, Karonda is commercially cultivated in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (Vishal Nath ,1999). It is mostly found in the kandi belt of Jammu region. Karonda fruit is a rich source of iron, contains fair amount of vitamin C and also possess important minerals, carbohydrates and fibre. They got rotten before the final consumption due to lack of preservation and storage facilities. This fruit generally contains 83.67% moisture, 2-3% protein, 1.77% fat and iron (39 mg). Fruit is usually harvested when fully ripen and bears a distinct property of being astringent. Due to this property, karonda cannot be used as table fruit. Therefore, processing makes easier for its consumption and value addition. In the present study, osmotic treatment was done on the basis of minimum dehydration for food. This is useful technique to extend the shelf life and decrease the energy cost. It also helps to improve the sensorial, nutritional and organoleptic properties of foods (Khan et al., 2012). For the dehydration of fruit like karonda, the osmotic solutions with concentration ranging from 50-70° Brix have been used. Osmotic treatment with many advantages over conventional methods, much of them include its mechanical simplicity and processed flexibility because without any change, water can be removed. This process was done at room temperature to avoid the degradation of color, texture and nutritional values of the food. In this process, loss s volatile compounds and oxidative changes was lowered (Marani et al., 2007). The osmotic process has received considerable attention as pre-drying treatment so as to reduce the energy consumption and improve food quality (Mondhe et al., 2012). Hence developing such technology will reduce post -harvest losses and found to be more acceptable. Material and Methods The experiment was carried out in the division of Food Science and Technology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu during the year 2020-2021. Fully matured (1kg) karonda fruits were washed thoroughly with clean water and sliced. After removing seeds, karonda slices are blanched properly. On the other hand, sugar and jaggery syrups were prepared having different concentrations viz. 50, 60 and 70 0 Brix respectively. Soon after then the karonda slices were dipped in following concentrations of osmotic solutions i.e. sugar and jaggery for 24 hours. After the completion of dipping time the sugar and jaggery syrups were drained and the karonda slices were spread on trays. The karonda slices were dried for 2-3 days in a cabinet dryer at 55-60 0 C. Selection of ripe karonda fruits Washing of fruits Cutting the fruits and removing seeds Preparation of sugar and jaggery syrup (50,60 and 70 0 Brix)