Abstract

Shelf life of guava fruits was assessed by coating with wax emulsions. Four levels of wax emulsions viz. 3, 4, 5 and 6% were prepared by adding oleic acid, triethanolamine and hot water. A hand operated wax-coating machine was developed to coat wax on guava fruits. Physiological loss in weight of wax-coated fruits was assessed during the storage period. Organoleptic evaluation was also performed on the wax-coated fruits to assess the shelf life. From the results, it was found that the shelf life of 6% wax emulsion coated guava fruits could be extended up to 7 days and for the control it was only 4 days

Keywords: Paraffin wax, Wax emulsion, Guava fruits, Shelf life, Organoleptic evaluation, Physiological loss in weight.