Effect of post-harvest treatments, packing type and storage time on conservation and quality of garlic

Abstract

The present work aims to determine the effect of post-harvest treatments, packing type and storage time on conservation and quality of garlic. The garlic bulbs of Gigante de Lavínia variety were treated with 4000 ppm garlic extract and 1% sodium hypochloride solutions and after treatments they were packed with PVC films and cloth bags and stored under environmental conditions for five to eight months. It was concluded that: a) The bulbs treated with 4000 ppm of garlic extracts and 1% sodium hypochloride presented highest essential oil contents and the lowest weight lost values. At the eighth month of storage bulbs treated with 1% hypochloride solution presented the lowest pyruvic acid and total solids contents; b) the packing type did not influence weight lost which increased with storage time; c) the total solids values decreased with storage time; d) at the fifth month of storage the control presented lower essential oil and pyruvic acid values than packing treatments (PVC and cotton bags), but at the eighth month the control presented the highest values.