Abstract

Edible film coatings are frequently employed as a protective barrier to lower transpiration and respiration, which slows down the ripening process and improves the quality of fruits and vegetables. The present investigation “Influence of neem and moringa leaf extract on quality and shelf life of tomato” was conducted in Horticulture at the University of Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan during 2022, with the objective of finding the best coating material to increase the storage duration of tomato. Four treatments i-e T0=Control, T₁=10% Moringa Leaf Extract, T₂=10% Neem Leaf Extract, T₃=10%+10% Moringa leaf extract+Neem leaf extract was used. Fruits were stored for maximum of 12 days. Various parameters like, Fruit weight (g), Fruit firmness (Nm), Fruit Decay (%), Fruit pH, Total phenolic contents, Total antioxidant activity (% DPPH Inhibition), Total Soluble Solids (%), Catalase Determination, Peroxidase Determination, Superoxide dismutase and phytochemical screening of tomato fruit were observed. Tomato fruit coated with 10%+10% MLE+NLE showed promising results regarding increasing the shelf life and maintaining the quality of the fruits. From this study it is concluded that coating of 10% MLE+10% NLE helps in enhancing the shelf life of tomato fruits and also found very effective in maintaining the quality of tomato fruit under different storage durations. Post-harvest application of these organic extracts can be helpful in increasing the shelf life of tomato.

Keywords: Tomato; Shelf life; Moringa; Neem