Efficacy of wood ash and Moringa leaf powder on the shelf life of fresh beefsteak tomato

Abstract

Background: Major challenges along tomato value chain in Nigeria had been identified to include among others high postharvest losses. However, common materials that can be used by farmers in preserving their grains are wood ash and Moringa leaf powder.

Objective: The study determined the efficacy of Wood ash and Moringa leaf powder on the shelf life of fresh Beefsteak tomato.

Methods: The experiment was conducted at Biochemistry Laboratory section of National Root Crop Research Institute, Umudike; Abia State, Nigeria. The design adopted for the study was complete randomized research design experiment. Beefsteak tomatoes were bought from Dokwa West Local Government Area Market of Delta State, Nigeria using a basket. From the tomatoes gotten, 75 firm Beefsteak tomatoes were selected for the experiment. The treatments used for the study were 600grams of Moringa oleifera leaf powder and Wood ash. The treatment was replicated three times with each replicate containing eight (8) tomatoes that were observed for 24days. However, the data collected were analyzed using mean and percentage with SPSS version 21.0.

Results: The wood ash gave a better preservative effect when compared with Moringa oleifera leaf powder during the experiment. However, the findings further revealed that Moringa oleifera leaf powder preserved tomatoes fresher when compared with the group preserved with wood ash that has shrunk pericarp and other spoilage features.

Conclusion: Tomato farmers and other consumers should preserve tomatoes with wood ash and Moringa oleifera leaf powder so as to enhance and promote health and shelf-life of their tomatoes.