Effects Of Botanical Extracts on The Shelf Life and Quality of Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.)

Chilli (Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most important spice crops worldwide, valued not only for its spicy flavor but also for its nutritional and medicinal properties. However, chilies are highly perishable and spoil quickly due to microbial infections, moisture loss, bruising, and natural aging processes. In Bangladesh, the situation is exacerbated by hot weather, limited cold storage, and rough handling, resulting in losses of up to 40%. The present study investigates the efficacy of botanical extracts in extending the shelf life and preserving the postharvest quality of chilli, with the aim of identifying sustainable postharvest management practices suitable for chilli. The experiment was conducted at the Horticulture Laboratory, Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Bangladesh, following the Completely Randomized Design.  Seven treatments were applied, including tulsi, thankuni, garlic, neem, marigold, and a combination of turmeric powder (4%) with vinegar (2%), alongside a non-treated control. The treatments were replicated three times, with 200g of fruits in each replication. Chilli fruits were treated via dipping and stored under ambient laboratory conditions. Physico-chemical and microbiological parameters such as weight loss, firmness, color metrics (L*, a*, b*, C*, h°), disease incidence, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity (TA), and vitamin C content were monitored throughout the storage period. Significant variations were observed among treatments. Tulsi and thankuni extracts demonstrated superior performance in minimizing weight loss % compared to the control, maintaining firmness and color, reducing disease incidence, and extending shelf life up to 7.0 and 6.67 days, respectively, more than doubling the longevity compared to the control. These findings underscore the potential of botanical extracts as effective, eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic preservatives. Tulsi and thankuni, in particular, could be recommended for sustainable postharvest application in chilli preservation. Further trials are warranted to validate these results across diverse cultivars and storage conditions.

Keywords: Chilli, botanical extracts, postharvest management, postharvest quality, shelf life.

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