Effect of Packaging and Storage on Quality Characteristics of Dried Wild Pomegranate Arils (Anardana) Prepared in Solar Tunnel Drier

Wild pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruits were procured from Karsog area of Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, India (1265 m above mean sea level). The arils extracted from the fruits were dehydrated in a solar tunnel (30-45°C) drier to prepare value added product Anardana. The developed product was packed in three different packaging materials viz. gunny bags, aluminium laminated pouches (ALP) and aluminium laminated pouches with vacuum (ALPV) and stored under ambient and refrigerated temperature for a period of 12 months so as to evaluate overall effect of storage period, storage condition and packaging material. After 12 months of storage period, higher retention of various quality characteristics like TSS, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, total sugars, anthocyanins content, sensory characteristic scores with less increase in moisture content, NEB (non-enzymatic browning),HMF (hydroxymethyl furfural) and furfural content was observed in Anardana packed in ALPV followed by ALP and gunny bags. The changes in the quality characteristics of the Anardana were slower in refrigerated storage conditions as compared to ambient conditions.