3.2.4 Determination of shelf-life parameters
3.2.4.1 Physicochemical Analysis
3.2.4.1.1 Determination of brix content
A hand held refractometer (OTANGO manual Model, Japan) was used to determine the total
soluble sugar (TSS) content as described in 3.2.2.1 earlier (AOAC, 2000).
3.2.4.1.2 Determination of moisture content
Two (2) g of samples from both treated and untreated pineapples were weighed in a crucible
using an analytical balance (OHAUS AS260D Model, NJ/USA). The weight of the crucible and
each sample was determined and recorded. The crucible and its content were placed in a dry
oven at a temperature of 105 oC for three hours after which the difference in weight was
determined using the appropriate formula for calculation (Appendix A3) (AOAC, 1992).
The procedure was repeated for each sample and the determinations were carried out every other
day for twenty (20) days on samples in refrigeration storage condition and eight (8) days for
samples in ambient condition.