39 © 2022 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Agriculture and Food Sciences Research Vol. 9, No. 1, 39-43, 2022 ISSN(E) 2411-6653/ ISSN(P) 2518-0193 DOI: 10.20448/aesr.v9i1.3865 © 2022 by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Influence of Packaging Material and Rates of Potassium Permanganate on Post Harvest Ripening of African Eggplant (Solanum Macrocarpon) Inyang, P.  1,2 Bassey, E. M.2 Afangide, A.2 Ankrumah, E.1 Anosike, F.C.1,2 Akpaninyang, F3 Ndifon, E. M.1 ( Corresponding Author) 1Department of Agriculture, Alex Ekweme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Nigeria. 2Department of Crop Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria. 3Department of Crop Science, Akwa Ibom State University, Obio Akpa, Nigeria. 1,2Email: paulinyang@yahoo.com 2Email: edidiongpaulinyang@gmail.com 2Email: afangideakaninyene2000@gmail.com 1Email: ankrumahemmanuel@gmail.com 1,2Email: francisanosike867@yahoo.com 3Email: fidelekan@gmail.com 1Email: emndi4nn@yahoo.com Abstract Climacteric fruits (banana, apple, pear, avocado, garden egg and mango) are actually eaten when ripen; but garden egg is not palatable when ripens and decreases demand. Influence of packaging material and rates of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) on postharvest ripening of garden egg was evaluated to access the interactive effect of KMnO4 and packaging material in delaying ripening. Two packaging materials; polythene and jute bags, KMnO4 at 0g, 3g, 6g and 9g were used. The experiment was a 2 x 4 factorial laid in completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Eight treatment combinations were randomly distributed. Fruits were stored for seven days and were observed every 2 days. Result revealed that packaging material influenced postharvest ripening of garden egg with polythene bag reducing the intensity of ripening and significantly reduced shrinkage. Similarly, KMnO4 at (3g and 9g) significantly delayed ripening intensity at 4 and 6 days of storage. Keywords: Packaging material, Potassium permanganate, Postharvest, Garden egg, Intensity rate, Polythene, Shrinkage, Jute bag. Citation | Inyang, P.; Bassey, E. M.; Afangide, A.; Ankrumah, E.; Anosike, F.C.; Akpaninyang, F.; Ndifon, E. M. (2022). Influence of Packaging Material and Rates of Potassium Permanganate on Post Harvest Ripening of African Eggplant (Solanum Macrocarpon). Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 9(1): 39-43. History: Received: 14 February 2022 Revised: 18 March 2022 Accepted: 4 April 2022 Published: 21 April 2022 Licensed: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License Publisher: Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Funding: This study received no specific financial support. Authors’ Contributions: All authors contributed equally to the conception and design of the study. Acknowledgment: Authors acknowledge the School of Agriculture and Agricultural Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri for providing all the necessary materials and support to the full conclusion of this research. Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Transparency: The authors confirm that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study; that no vital features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained. Ethical: This study followed all ethical practices during writing. Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 40 2. Material and Methods ..................................................................................................................................................................... 40 3. Results and Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................... 40 4. Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 5. Recommendation.............................................................................................................................................................................. 43 References .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 43 mailto:paulinyang@yahoo.com mailto:edidiongpaulinyang@gmail.com mailto:afangideakaninyene2000@gmail.com mailto:ankrumahemmanuel@gmail.com mailto:francisanosike867@yahoo.com mailto:fidelekan@gmail.com mailto:emndi4nn@yahoo.com https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://www.doi.org/10.20448/aesr.v9i1.3865 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0561-3792 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1318-9802 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6027-4714 Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 2022, 9(1): 39-43 40 © 2022by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Contribution of this paper to the literature This study has showed that polythene bags with little KMnO4 can extend the shelf -life of garden egg fruit without refrigerator. Also maintaining the moisture and appearance of the fruit. There is a dearth of knowledge on controlling garden egg post-harvest losses. 1. Introduction Eggplant is one of the fruity vegetables in the night shade (Solanaceae) family which includes bell pepper, tomatoes and potatoes. Eggplants are usually planted as annuals, although some varieties may live into a second season. Eggplant can be seen in almost every market in West and Central Africa, where it is one of the five most important fruity vegetables together with tomatoes, onions, pepper and okra [1]. Eggplant is commonly called garden egg. Garden egg can be combined with groundnut or groundnut paste to entertain visitors. Although far from being nutritional power house, these colourful egg-like fruits provide protein, vitamin and minerals, low in sodium and calories, high in dietary fiber and a good source of potassium [2]. Postharvest losses in tropical fruits vary widely from 10 – 80% in both developed and developing countries [3]. It is estimated to range from 10 – 30% per year despite the use of modern storage facilities and techniques [4]. In the tropics, these losses are due to tropical weather, poorly developed infrastructure, poor farm practices, inadequate postharvest handling knowledge, poor storage facilities and epileptic power supply. These losses occur along the supply chain beginning from time of harvest right up to packaging, storage, transportation, retailing and consumption [5]. The average shelf life of garden egg is 3 – 7 days depending on harvesting frequency and conditions [6]. Several days after harvest, garden egg change colour from white, cream or stripped green to yellow and or intense orange. At the same time the water content of the fruit also declines causing it to shrivel thus affecting the appearance which changes from a glossy looking skin to a pale/dull appearance. The retail price drops compared to the original value, also the shelf-life reduces making it more susceptible to pest attack. These lead to decrease in its consumption as consumers prefer a freshly looking and unripe fruit causing a loss to the farmer and to the seller respectively. 2. Material and Methods An experiment was conducted in 2008 at the laboratory of Crop Science and Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri to study the influence of packaging materials and rates of potassium permanganate on post harvest ripening of garden egg (Solanummacrocarpon). The treatment consisted two (2) types of packaging materials (polythene bag and jute sack bag) and four (4) levels of potassium permanganate (KmnO4) (May and Baker Ltd., Dagenham, England) which was packaged in sachet (1 x 1 inch) made from muslin cloth, of which each sachet contained 3g of KmnO4 in pellets of 0.3 – 0.5cm in diameter. The levels are 0, 1, 2 and 3 sachet. Completely randomized design was used with three (3) replications. Garden egg (Solanum macrocarpon) variety was randomly picked, weighed (200g) each was packaged into each packaging material. Treatments were factorially arranged 2 x 4 x 3 making a total of 24. KmnO4 was added to the packaged garden egg as 0 (control), 1 sachet (in the centre of the packaging materials i.e. (polythene and jute sack bags) 2 sachets (one at each end of the packaging materials), 3 sachets (one in the centre and one at each end of the packaging materials). The fruits were stored for seven (7) days and were observed after every two (2) day. Data were collected on percentage ripening and intensity of ripening. Percentage ripening = number of ripe garden egg in the unit total number of garden egg in the unit x 100 1 Intensity of ripening; the following grading system was used to access the intensity of ripening: Extremely ripe - 4 Very ripe - 3 Moderately ripe - 2 Slightly ripe - 1 Not ripe - 0 The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA). Genstat statistical package 6th edition, where significant difference existed between treatments, least significant difference was used to separate them at 5% probability level. 3. Results and Discussion The study revealed that packaging materials significantly (p ≤ 0.05) influenced the intensity and rate of garden egg ripening at 4 and 6 days of storage (Table 1and Table 2). However there was no significant (p < 0.05) difference at 2 days of storage, hence packaging material has little or no effect on ripening. Polythene bags at 4 and 6 days (Table 1and Table 2) of storage significantly (p < 0.05) affected ripening rate and intensity. This can be due to reduced temperature and oxygen in the packaging material. Ferris [7] reported that reduced fruit respiration causes decreased ripening and increases storage life. Packaging material also significantly (p < 0.05) influences shrinkage after storage (Table 3). Garden egg packaged or stored in polythene bags did not record any shrinkage, however jute sack recorded some level of shrinkage. This study was in conformity with the work reported by Forney and Lipton [8] that polymeric films influences the development of chilling injury on fresh produce by creating a modified atmosphere around the commodity and by slowing loss of moisture. Intensity and rate of ripening of garden egg stored with different rates of potassium permanganate did not differ statistically throughout the period of the storage (Table 4 and Table 5). However, there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) effect at 6 days of storage in respect to potassium permanganate on ripening rate. Jobling [9] reported that sufficient potassium permanganate should be made available and sprayed over a large surface area for proper reaction with ethylene, hence an increased rate of potassium permanganate may possibly show a significant effect on both ripening intensity and rate. Garden egg ripening intensity and rates was not significantly influenced by the interaction between packaging material and potassium permanganate at 2 days of storage (Table 6 and Table7) in this study, but recorded significantly (p < 0.05) interactive effect between the packaging materials and potassium Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 2022, 9(1): 39-43 41 © 2022by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group permanganate on the intensity and rate of garden egg ripening, with garden egg stored in polythene bag treated with 3 and 9 grams of potassium permanganate showed delayed ripening intensity at 4 and 6 days of storage as compared with others. This revealed that garden egg stored on or before 2 days using the packaging materials and treated with potassium permanganate does not influence the fruit ripening. This could be probably due to the fact that no active physiological activities at the early time of fruits under storage condition. This is in line with [10] on their work to evaluate the effects of KMnO4 on the extension of postharvest life of 'Sunrise Golden' papaya reported that at 4 days after bag sealing, carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration was higher in bags without KMnO4 and was stabled in those treated with varying rates of KMnO4. A B C D A B C D Garden egg fruits treated with 0g of potassium permanganate Garden egg fruits treated with 3g of potassium permanganate Garden egg fruits treated with 6g of potassium permanganate Garden egg fruits treated with 9g of potassium permanganate - - - - Figure 1. Illustrates garden egg fruits in polythene bag, treated with different rate of KMnO4. at 6 days. 3g of KMnO4 sealed in polythene bag after 4 and 6 days (Figure 1 and Figure 2) show significant reduction in the rate and intensity of ripening, and weight loss when compared to that of jute bag. This is because KMnO4 is efficient at lower concentrations (1.5g - 3g) in polythene bag irrespective of the thickness, in delaying ripening of fruits, extending shelf life and improving textural quality under ambient temperature (26 - 28 ºC). This agrees with those reported by Silva, et al. [10], Wabali and Esiri [11], Azad, et al. [12], Anyasi, et al. [13] and Wabali, et al. [14] that bags with lower concentration of KMnO4 reduces the concentration of CO2 after 2 days of storage. The oxidation of ethylene by KMnO4 leads to the formation of water (H2O) and CO2, but in jute bag the water may have been absorbed by the bag resulting into significant deterioration of garden egg fruit after 2 days and above. A B C D Garden egg fruits treated with 0g of potassium permanganate Garden egg fruits treated with 3g of potassium permanganate Garden egg fruits treated with 6g of potassium permanganate Garden egg fruits treated with 9g of potassium permanganate - - - - Figure 2. Illustrates garden egg fruits in jute bag, treated with different rate of KMnO4.at 6 days. Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 2022, 9(1): 39-43 42 © 2022by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group Table 1.Effect of packaging materials on intensity of ripening with increasing days to storage. Packaging materials Days of storage 2 4 6 Polythene bag 0.500 0.840 1.525 Jute bag 0.833 1.650 2.019 LSD(0.05) NS 0.55 0.359 Table 2. Effect of packaging materials on the rate of ripening with increasing days of storage. Packaging materials Days of storage 2 4 6 Polythene bag 11.30 23.50 54.20 Jute bag 22.20 48.20 69.80 LSD(0.05) NS 16.98 15.58 Table 3. Effect of packaging materials on shrinkage and weight loss after storage. Packaging Materials Shrinkage Weight loss Polythene bag 0.000 4.200 Jute bag 1.880 7.800 LSD(0.05) 0.280 NS Table 4.Effect of KMnO4 on intensity of ripening with increasing days of storage. Packaging materials Days of storage 2 4 6 0 0.833 1.500 2.015 3 0.667 1.100 1.545 6 0.500 1.230 1.725 9 0.667 1.050 1.803 LSD(0.05) NS NS NS Table 5. Effect of KMnO4 on the rate of ripening with increasing days of storage. Packaging materials Days of storage 2 4 6 0 23.40 46.20 80.90 3 14.30 27.00 57.10 6 12.70 41.70 57.50 9 16.70 28.60 52.40 LSD(0.05) NS NS 22.03 Table 6. Interactive effect of packaging materials and KMnO4 on intensity of ripening with increasing days of storage. Packaging materials KMnO4 (g) Days of storage 2 4 6 Polythene bag 0 0.667 1.500 2.093 3 0.333 0.667 1.083 6 0.667 0.860 1.600 9 0.333 0.333 1.333 Jute bag 0 1.000 1.667 1.947 3 1.000 1.533 2.007 6 0.333 1.610 1.850 9 1.000 1.777 2.273 LSD(0.05) NS 1.030 0.719 Table7. Interactive effect of packaging materials and KMnO4 on the rate of ripening with increasing days of storage. Packaging materials KMnO4 (g) Days of storage 2 4 6 Polythene bag 0 21.40 40.00 77.80 3 4.80 11.10 42.90 6 14.30 33.30 48.40 9 4.80 9.50 47.60 Jute bag 0 25.40 52.40 84.10 3 23.80 42.90 71.40 6 11.10 50.00 66.70 9 28.60 47.60 57.10 LSD(0.05) NS 33.96 31.15 4. Conclusion Base on this study, packaging materials influenced post harvest ripening of garden egg, with polythene bag reducing the rate and intensity of ripening and significantly reduce the shrinkage of garden egg fruit. Potassium permanganate in this study showed very little effect in its ability to absorb ethylene released from ripening garden egg fruits which was due to the rate or quantity used, however the interaction of polythene bag with 3g and 9g of potassium permanganate delayed the ripening of garden egg. Agriculture and Food Sciences Research, 2022, 9(1): 39-43 43 © 2022by the authors; licensee Asian Online Journal Publishing Group 5. Recommendation Further studies are thereby recommended to validate these findings and to also identify proper or other suitable package that will absorb moisture in packaging potassium permanganate to avoid dilution. Egg fruit borers (Darabalaisalis and Sceliodeslaisalis) should be effectively controlled on the field as their activities affect the post harvest life of garden egg. References [1] R. R. Schippers, African indigenous vegetables: An overview of the cultivated species. Chatham UK: Natural Resources Institute/ACP. EU. Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, 2000. [2] National Research Council, Lost crops of Africa: Vegetables vol. 2. Washington, D.C: The National Academies Press, 2006. [3] F. M. Arshad, A. Radam, and Z. Mohamed, "An economic analysis of the Malaysian fruits industry," in Proceedings of the International Seminar on Post-harvest Handling & Processing of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. & TFNet General Assembly Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., 2003. [4] J. M. Harvey, "Reduction of losses in fresh market fruits and vegetables. In: Vegetable productivity: The role of vegetable in feeding people and livestock. C.R.W. Speeding (1981)," Proceedings of a Symposium Held at a Royal Geological Society, London, 1978, pp. 139 – 172. [5] FAO, "Post harvest handling losses," presented at the Committee on Commodity Problems: Intergovernmental Group on Bananas and Tropical Fruits (4th session) Guayaquil, Ecuador, 2005. [6] D. Horna and G. G., "Marketing under utilized crops for biodiversity: The case of African Garden egg (Solanum aethiopicum) in Ghana," presented at the 8th International BIOECON Conference on Economic Analysis of Ecology Biodiversity. Kings college, Cambridge, 2006. [7] S. R. B. Ferris, Improving storage life of plantain and banana. Research Guide (62). Ibadan: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, 1997. [8] C. F. Forney and W. J. Lipton, Influence of controlled atmosphere and packaging on chilling sensitivity. In: C. Y. Wang (Editor), Chilling Injury of Horticultural Crops. Boca Raton, Fla: CRC Press, 1990. [9] J. Jobling, Post harvest Ethylene: A critical factor in quality management. Australia: Sydney Post harvest Laboratory Information Sheet, 2000. [10] D. F. P. Silva, L. C. C. Salomão, D. L. de Siqueira, P. R. Cecon, and A. Rocha, "Potassium permanganate effects in postharvest conservation of the papaya cultivar Sunrise Golden: Pesq. agropec. bras," Brasília, vol. 44, pp. 669-675, 2009. [11] V. C. Wabali and A. Esiri, "Effect of potassium permanganate on colour and textural characteristics of tomatoes at ambient temperature storage," European Journal of Agriculture and Food Sciences, vol. 3, pp. 60-62, 2021.Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/ejfood.2021.3.2.263. [12] M. Azad, G. Mortuza, A. Nahar, S. Huq, and A. Alam, "Effect of potassium permanganate on physicochemical changes and shelf life of mango," The Agriculturist, vol. 6, pp. 54–59, 2009. [13] T. Anyasi, C. Aworh, and O. Jideani, "Effect of packaging and chemical treatment on storage life and physicochemical attributes of tomato," African Journal of Biotechnology, vol. 15, pp. 1913–1919, 2016. [14] V. C. Wabali, A. Esiri, and L. Zitte, "A sensory assessment of color and textural quality of refrigerated tomatoes preserved with different concentrations of potassium permanganate," Food Science & Nutrition, vol. 5, pp. 434-438, 2017. Asian Online Journal Publishing Group is not responsible or answerable for any loss, damage or liability, etc. caused in relation to/arising out of the use of the content. Any queries should be directed to the corresponding author of the article. http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/ejfood.2021.3.2.263