Rattanawan Jansasithorn

Citation

Thesis Title
Managing chilli (Capsicum spp.) quality attributes: the importance of pre-harvest and postharvest factors

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Commercial chilli fruit production currently results in a crop that varies in size, colour, and heat. Ms Jansasithorn investigated the effects preharvest and postharvest factors had on chilli quality. She found that postharvest storage and management was not enough to obtain high quality consistent products because of the significant variation in size, colour, and phytochemical compounds at the time of harvest. Preharvest factors (such as growing conditions and plant position) influence fruit size, colour, and ascorbic acid concentration. Manipulating properties by altering crop load was found to have little influence on chilli fruit quality attributes. The study identified factors that contribute to variability in chilli production and manipulate growth management methods to achieve consistent and superior quality fruit.

Supervisors
Professor Andrew East
Professor John Mawson
Mr Errol Hewett
Professor Julian Heyes