Quality Evaluation of Fresh Fluted Pumpkin Leaves Stored in Evaporative Coolers

A study was conducted to evaluate the quality of fresh fluted pumpkin leaves stored in two different types of evaporative coolers- aluminum-cladded burnt-clay-brick evaporative cooler (ABBEC) and non-cladded burnt-clay-brick evaporative cooler (NBBEC) compared with ambient storage as control. The evaporative coolers consisted of double walled rectangular brick construction (1.29×2.55×2.56) m external and (1.13×1.27×2.08) m internal, (length × width × height) with the inter-space filled with riverbed sand saturated with water. Physiological weight loss, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, ascorbic acid, beta carotene, microbial load and organoleptic qualities of the leaves were the parameters determined. Ascorbic acid, beta carotene and titratable acidity decreased while TSS, pH and microbial load increased with storage duration. The shelf life of fluted pumpkin leaves increased to four days in ABBEC from only two days in ambient storage. ABBEC stored leaves retained its freshness better than leaves in NBBEC and ambient storage.