KAMDA SILAPEUX ARISTIDE GUILLAUME1,*, BOLDA ESTHER MARALOSSOU1, TIENTCHEU BERNARD2 and PONKA ROGER3.
1 Department of Social Economy and Family Management, University of Buea, P.O Box 249, Buea Road, Kumba, Cameroon
2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O BOX 63, Buea, Cameroon
3 Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Derived Products, National Advanced School of Engineering of Maroua, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 48, Maroua, Cameroon
*Corresponding author: silapeuxkamda@gmail.com
Received: 07 Sep 2025, Reviewed: 06 Nov 2025, Revised: 17 Nov 2025, Accepted: 15 Dec 2025, Published: 30 March 2026.
https://doi.org/10.63342/cjbbs2026.34.25-O28.en
ABSTRACT
Post-harvest loss of fruits, particularly pineapples are a matter of concern for countries with agriculture-based economies. Therefore, developing and implementing treatment methods to extend the shelf life of pineapples by reducing post-harvest decay and maintaining the physicochemical qualities of the fruit is of prime importance. We aimed to investigate the effects of different post-harvest treatment methods on changes in the physico-chemical and sensory properties of pineapple fruits during storage at room temperature. The experiment comprised three post-harvest treatments: Control (Untreated samples), NaCl solution (immersion in a 10% NaCl solution for 3 min), Citric Acid solution (immersion in a 10 mmol/L citric acid solution for 3 min) and Hot water treatment (immersion in hot water at 54°C for 3 min). The fruits were evaluated for physiological weight loss, decay percentage, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, shelf life and ascorbic acid content every 2 days. Sensory analysis was performed on the 4th day post-treatment. The experiment followed a completely randomised design with three replications. There were significant differences between the control and treated samples. Pineapple fruits treated with hot water exhibited the lowest weight loss (9.2 %) and the lowest decay rate (11.11 %) after 14 days of storage at ambient temperature (25°C ± 3). The maximum shelf life (10.1 days) was observed in fruits treated with hot water, followed by those treated with citric acid (8 days). Although hot water treatment significantly reduced vitamin C content (25.32 mg/100 ml), its effects on sensory attributes were not significant. Principal Component Analysis indicated a positive correlation between NaCl treatment, no treatment, physiological weight loss, and fruit decay rate. Hot water treatment of fresh pineapple fruits can be applied on a large scale as it is low-cost and improves the product’s marketability.
Keywords: Pineapple, hot water treatment, citric acid, shelf life, Vitamin C, sensory properties.
RÉSUMÉ
Les pertes post-récoltes des fruits en général et de l’ananas en particulier sont une préoccupation pour tous les pays dont l’économie est basée sur l’agriculture. Il est impératif aujourd’hui de développer et de mettre en œuvre des méthodes de traitement pour améliorer la durée de conservation de l’ananas tout en maintenant ses propriétés physico-chimiques. L’objectif de cette étude était d’étudier les effets de différentes méthodes de traitement post-récolte sur les propriétés physico-chimiques et sensorielles des fruits d’ananas, conservés à température ambiante. La méthodologie a consisté à mettre en œuvre 3 traitements post-récolte: Immersion dans une solution de NaCl, 10 % pendant 3 min, immersion dans une solution d’acide citrique, 10 mmol/l pendant 3 min et immersion dans de l’eau chaude à 54 °C pendant 3 min. Une fois traités, les fruits ont été entreposés à température ambiante dans la chambre de séchage. Tous les 2 jours, 2 fruits ont été prélevés aléatoirement pour évaluer la perte physiologique de masse, le taux de pourriture, la totalité des particules solides solubles (STS), l’acidité titrable, la durée de conservation et la concentration en acide ascorbique. L’analyse sensorielle a été effectuée au 4e jour d’entreposage après le traitement. L’expérimentation a été réalisée selon un plan randomisé complet (CRD) avec trois réplications. Les résultats ont montré qu’il y avait une différence significative entre les échantillons témoins et traités. Les fruits d’ananas traités avec de l’eau chaude ont montré la plus faible perte de masse (9,2 %), le taux de pourriture le plus bas (11,11 %) après 14 jours d’entreposage à température ambiante (25 °C ± 3). La durée de conservation maximale (10,1 jours) a été observée dans le cas des fruits traités à l’eau chaude, suivie par les fruits traités avec de l’acide citrique (8 jours) par rapport au témoin (4,3 jours). Le traitement à l’eau chaude a réduit significativement la teneur en vitamine C (25,32 mg/100 ml), mais l’effet sur les attributs sensoriels n’était pas significatif. L’Analyse en Composantes Principales (ACP) a indiqué une corrélation positive entre le traitement au NaCl, le contrôle, la perte physiologique de masse et le pourcentage de décomposition des fruits. Le traitement à l’eau chaude des ananas frais doit être appliqué à grande échelle car il est facile à mettre en œuvre, et a moins d’impact négatif sur la qualité marchande du produit.
Mots-clés: Ananas, traitement à l’eau chaude, acide citrique, durée de conservation, Vitamine C, attributs sensoriels.
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