Preservation and Storage of Perishable Fresh Fruits and Vegetables in the Lowlands of Papua New Guinea

The temperature and humidity is very high in most part of the country except in the highlands. As a result vegetables and fruit loose their freshness very quickly. An evaporative cooling system, (ECS) was developed at the Agriculture Department of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology, Lae, which is very humid with high temperature throughout the year. Three kinds of fruits namely pawpaw, banana and oranges and other vegetables like cabbage, broccoli and lettuce were stored in the ECS and subjective measurements were taken. Chemical analysis were conducted in the lab on the stored produce to determine vitamin A and C. The self-life of cabbage was observed to be nine days while broccoli and lettuce maintained their shelf life for four and five days, respectively. For the samples left outside at the prevailing ambient condition, cabbage remained good for four days and broccoli and lettuce for two and three days, respectively. The ECS system maintained 2 to 5 C lower temperature compared to the outside temperature. A regression analysis showed that as the independent variable increased, the shelf life of the produce stored in the ECS was reduced. When the temperature in the model was increased to a higher level, it gave a negative value. This meant that at that temperature produce will loose its marketable value. The same was true for humidity. It was anticipated that if this technology was applied in rural areas at a larger scale, it would go a long way in enhancing the shelf life of fruits and vegetables in the lowlands of Papua New Guinea.