Development of shelf-stable watermelon juice: a proactive measure for income generation and minimization of post-harvest losses.

Watermelon production in Nigeria increased significantly in the last one decade with the major area of production located in the northern part of the country. The increase or surplus in production could be meaningfully utilized by processing them into value-added products because of the high perishability nature of the crop. In the production of shelf-stable watermelon juice, fresh and healthy matured fruit were peeled, juice extracted and pasteurized at 80-85 for 25 minutes after bottling. The process held the juice for 3 months at room temperature. The taste panelists preferred the juice to be served when chilled. Evaluation from the study revealed that to produce one create (24 bottles)of 33cl watermelon juice, 17.5kg of fruit were required. Also, an estimated cost and selling price of products per crate were found #1,639.45, and #2,400, respectively.nit could be deduced therefore that processing of watermelon into juice could generate good income and reduce waste.