Shelf-Life of Carrots (<i>Daucus carota<i>) Immersed in Calcium Lactate and Ascorbic Acid Solutions
Liwayway H. Acero
Department of Natural Sciences, San Beda College Manila, Philippines
Abstract—The most common methods to prolong shelf-life of carrots is by refrigeration. This method is effective but the cost of production is high. In rural areas where refrigeration is a luxury, carrot growers suffered big losses during harvest season due to rotting and decay of their products. No studies have been conducted in Philippine setting on the use of simple and readily available chemical method that entails low cost in prolonging the shelf life of carrots. This study focuses on the simple chemical methods that can immediately be used by carrot growers and retailers on how to prolong the shelf-life of their products in the absence of refrigeration. Three treatments were used in this study. T1-control, no immersion, T2 carrots were immersed in 30g/l calcium lactate in different immersion time (10, 20, 30 minutes) and T3 carrots were immersed 30g/l. Ascorbic acid solution in different immersion time (10, 20, 30 minutes). Initial weight, initial volume, final weight, final volume, shelf-life in days and cost analysis per treatment was computed. Result showed significant difference on the final volume of the carrots after 10 days in favor of carrots immersed in 30g/l of Calcium lactate (T2). Same treatment also revealed the highest average final weight after 10 days of shelf-life.
Index Terms—Daucus caurota, calcium lactate, ascorbic acid
Cite: Liwayway H. Acero, "Shelf-Life of Carrots (Daucus carota) Immersed in Calcium Lactate and Ascorbic Acid Solutions," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 91-95, December 2015. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.1.2.91-95
Cite: Liwayway H. Acero, "Shelf-Life of Carrots (Daucus carota) Immersed in Calcium Lactate and Ascorbic Acid Solutions," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 91-95, December 2015. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.1.2.91-95
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