Effect of Ripening Degree of Sepestan Fruit on the Quality of its Pickle during Storage Period

After harvesting of Sepestan (Cordia myxa) fruit, it immediately undergoes the physical and chemical spoilage. Therefore, Sepestan fruit has a limited shelf life and some procedures should be considered so that it could be stored and consumed for a longer period of time. One of the practical methods to enhance shelf life of the fruits and vegetables is their conversion into various products such as pickles. In this study, the effect of ripening extent with three different ripening degrees: unripe/green fruit, semi-ripe and ripe were evaluated on the quality of Sepestan pickles during 90 days of storage at the ambient temperature. For pickle preparation, an identical amount of 6% vinegar solution (about 25% of fruit weight) was used and physicochemical, textural, microbial, and sensorial properties of samples were evaluated during the storage period. The results showed that during the storage period, amounts of pH, hardness, cohesiveness, and all the sensory attributes of all the pickle samples decreased while acidity, adhesiveness, and the counts of lactic acid bacteria and molds and yeasts increased. Furthermore, the lowest number of lactic acid bacteria and molds and yeasts count at the end of the keeping period was related to the unripe sample and the highest amount was related to the ripe sample. Throughout the storage period, particularly at the end of 90 days, pickle sample prepared from unripe fruit had significantly (P<0.01) the highest acceptance. According to the findings of the present study, the unripe Sepestan fruit can be well used for pickle production.