The Preservation Techniques of Onion

EasyChair Preprint 6561

Abstract

Onion storage is widely practised worldwide in accordance to their cultural and economical practice. In India, method of storage adopted mostly depends on the traditional knowledge and commonly practised methods are bag, pucca/room, tat storage, bamboo, chawl structure and the losses associated are quite higher. Sprouting, desiccation and microbial spoilage are often observed in Storage and it compels to choose advanced techniques like modified ventilated structures. Modified Atmospheric (MA) and Controlled Atmospheric (CA) storage.

The CA and MA storage reduces the application of chemicals for sprout inhibition by manipulating the gas composition to extend the storage period of the onions. Onion is stored at ambient storage condition in most of the tropical countries where the storage losses are very high. It is estimated that 40 to 50% of the stored onion never reaches to the consumers because of various types of losses. Steppe (1976) estimated that 16 to 35% of onions were lost as post - harvest spoilage. In tropical countries, such losses may be higher than the estimates (Salunkhe and Desai, 1984). These losses are comprises of physiological loss in weight (PLW) i.e. moisture losses and shrinkage (30-40 %), rotting (10-12 %) and sprouting (8-10 %).The higher storage losses were due to physiological loss of weight occurring during the drier months when mean temperatures are high with lower humidity. The rotting losses are high in the high humid months. The sprouting of onion starts in later part of storage when the bulb dormancy is over and temperature dips below 20°C .

Keyphrases: Dry-food, atmospheric, microbial, moisture, sprouting

@booklet{EasyChair:6561,
  author    = {Sudarshan Bhalshankar},
  title     = {The Preservation Techniques of Onion},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 6561},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2021}}