Abstract

In agro-processing, inputs prior to processing the final products had been associated with product losses, which could be traced to degradation of various active chemical compounds. Since most plants produce is highly perishable, storage in various forms prior to processing is necessary. In the production of Nemafric-BL phytonematicide, dried Cucumis africanus fruits were stored in powdered form, with scant information on how storage affected concentrations of cucurbitacin B and therefore, quality of the final product. Mealed fruits were stored for five months in hermetically sealed and unsealed containers at room temperature. Sub-samples were collected monthly to quantify the concentration of cucurbitacin B using HPLC. Storage over five months resulted in quadratic increase in cucurbitacin B. The model explained the total treatment variation of cucurbitacins in sealed and unsealed containers by 98 and 95%, respectively. In conclusion, storage of mealed C. africanus fruit would improve the quality of Nemafric-BL phytonematicide and other products from dried fruit of this plant species.