If
pomegranates are to be stored in packages, its storage capacity of totally
dependent on proper peeling or pomegranate and quality of the arils. Storage
becomes difficult if the arils/seeds are damaged during the process of peeling.
There are various machines available in the market which helps in peeling and
sorting pomegranate seeds. To continue with processing on such seeds, it is
vital to disinfect pomegranate with the help of hydrogen peroxide.
Ready-to-eat packages of pomegranate:
To
prepare ready-to-eat packages of pomegranate, it is important to choose good
quality fruit. They should be washed in clean and sterile water using chlorine. The
seeds must be soaked in water with 100ppm chlorine and should later be cleaned
in normal clean water. Chlorinated
water used to clean seeds must have pH between 6 to 7. Usage
of disinfected gloves during handling and entire process is recommended.
Method:
Gently
peel the pomegranate. Another enhanced option is to peel the seeds in clean and
disinfected water. Keep aside broken or damaged kernel. Since
pomegranate is acidic in nature, it is vital to remove broken or leaking seeds.
In a package, acidic sap from such broken seeds can infect and rot other
kernels resulting in foul smell. Transparent
and turgid looking arils in good condition should be picked away. Stainless
steel table or plastic containers disinfected by Food grade Hydrogen Peroxide
should be used for sorting and collection. Pomegranate
seeds should be disinfected by soaking for 5 minutes in a solution of 100 to
150 ppm sodium hypochlorite. Thus processed arils should be washed in clean
water and then carefully be passed on a muslin cloth spread on a stainless
steel table to dry the water. After
the water is dried, they should be processed in a solution of lemon juice and water
for 30 seconds. This solution should have 5% lemon juice extract. Lemon
juice works as an antioxidant. It can be replaced by solution of ascorbic acid
(5 gram per liter) or citric acid solution (5 gram per liter) or a mixture of
both. If processed in these solutions for 30 seconds, they also work as
antioxidants.
The
seeds after this process can be removed from the solution and they should be
kept under cold blower (6to 8 degree Celsius) or high speed fan until all the
water has dried out. The time required to drain the water depends on the blower
speed and the thickness of layer of pomegranate arils. Depending on these
factors, seeds are properly and completely dried out in 30 to 60 minutes. There
are also machines available in the market to accelerate this process. Thus
processed seeds can be packaged domestically. Packed
ready-to-eat seeds stored at cold temperature which are suitable to launch in
market. 4 to 6 degree Celsius is the ideal temperature to store such packed
pomegranate seeds. Cold-chain plays an important role in increasing the
shelf-life of processed arils.
Packaging:
Pomegranate
arils packed using domestic machines and stored at 4 to 6 degree Celsius are
edible for 3 to 4 days while those packed at 1 degree Celsius can stay till 6 days. Antioxidants
and sanitizers used to process pomegranates should be checked for approval by
the export countries. Generally used and almost globally approved chemicals are
lemon juice, ascorbic acid, sodium hypochlorite and citric acid. The
shelf life of these ready-to-eat pomegranate arils can be increased
exponentially up to 14-16 days with the help of Modified Atmosphere Storage
(MAP) by regulating the amount of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere in which these packages are to be stored. This
technology also maintains the desired microbial count for 14-16 days.
Other natural substitutes like honey, lemon
juice can also be used for processing which help in preserving the taste and
turgidity along with increasing its shelf-life. Also, Food grade certified
nano-silver and Hydrogen Peroxide along with MAP packaging help in maintaining
the desired microbial count. Honey, citric acid and ascorbic acid work as
antioxidants, increase product shelf-life and help in maintaining the medicinal
value of the product thus increasing its market value.
