Impact of an Evaporative Cooling System on the Physological and Chemical Properties of Stored Fruits of Bush Pear (Dacryodes edulis)
Adeosun O.C. *
Department of Agricultural and Bio-environmental Engineering, The Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Lasisi M.O.
Department of Agricultural and Bio-environmental Engineering, The Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Akeredolu M.I.
Department of Agricultural Technology, The Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of an evaporative cooling system on the preservation of bush pear (Dacryodes edulis) fruits, focusing on physiological and chemical properties. By storing fruits under controlled evaporative cooling conditions, we evaluated changes in freshness, nutrient content and weight loss over a specified period. An evaporative cooling structure without any pad and a refrigerator were used as controls. Moreover, the result of the rate of weight loss of fruit throughout the storage period was recorded as 1.99 ± 0.14 %/day, 3.78 ± 0.63 %/day, 3.57 ± 0.15 %/day, and 3.9 ± 1.69 %/day for the refrigeration system, evaporative cooling system cooled with coconut husk, modified kenaf blast fibre and control system respectively. Our findings indicate that evaporative cooling effectively maintains fruit quality by reducing spoilage. The result underscores the potential of evaporative cooling systems as a sustainable and efficient method for extending the shelf life of perishable produce.
Keywords: Evaluation, weight loss, bush pear, relative humidity