Impact of season on the Quality Guava concentrate

Abstract

Among fruits, guava ( Psidium guajava L.), belonging to the Myrtaceae family, grows well in tropical and subtropical regions. It is an important export fruit but it is perishable, so it must be processed into some kind of products like jam, jellies and concentrates. Nutritional and shelf life of fruit based product depend upon number of storage factors as well as pre-harvest factors like soil type, nutrient availability, rainfall, neighbor plants, climate and season. Season is an important pre-harvest factor, affecting the quality attributes of guava products. In present study guava juice concentrate was prepared from fruit harvested in spring as well as in autumn seasons. The results showed that guava concentrate made from autumn fruit had 1.13 times brix content, have higher pH and 3.9 % more vitamin C as compared to concentrate made from spring season guava. The results indicated that the concentrate prepared from guava harvested in autumn season was nutritionally better than the concentrate prepared from guava harvested in spring season.