STUDIES ON PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CUSTARD APPLE FRUIT PULP FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

Custard apple (Annona squamosa L.) is nutritional rich and largely valued for its taste. Majority of fruits are cultivated in unorganized sector around the hilly areas while some organized farmers also grow custard apple. The investigation was carried out to find the suitability of custard apple fruits for organized farming on the basis of different physical and chemical characteristics such as fruit weight, number of seeds, seed weight, rind yield and pulp yield, TSS, pH, acidity, total sugar and ascorbic acid. The results revealed that custard apple growth in organized orchards resulted in comparatively higher pulp yield and better chemical properties, justifying its suitability for commercial exploitation.