Effectiveness of Pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) Shell Solution

as a Natural Preservative in Prolonging the Shelf-Life of

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)

A. Rationale

Food spoilage is a process that makes foods unwanted for human consumption

because of changes in sensory attributes (imedpub.com). Foodborne diseases delay

socioeconomic progress by stressing health care systems, damaging countries’

economies, tourism, and trade. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an

estimate of 600 million – about 1 out of 10 people – experience illness after consuming

spoiled food and 420, 000 die each year, producing a loss of 33 million healthy life

years.

The biggest and richest providers of local aquamarine products in the Philippines

are found in Western Visayas, Region VI (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2016).

However, waste shell recycling techniques are not well-established, and the shells are

frequently discarded with food waste (Chilakala et al., 2019). Most of these shells were

thrown in the oceans or landfills which contributes to the waste disposal problems of the

community.

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), locally known as ‘kamatis’ in Philippines, is one

of the most grown and profitable vegetable in the country (Sta. Iglesia, Quevedo and

Gonzaga, 2013). Tomato holds a bulk quantity of water which is the reason why they

are vulnerable to spoilage if acted by different microorganisms. This results to a not

easy storage and transportation of the vegetable (Ghosh, 2009).

 Based on several studies, Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shells, locally known

as ‘talaba’ in Philippines were known to contain Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3). The

presence of this compound in Pacific Oyster shells can be utilized in increasing firmness

and prolonging the shelf-life of Tomato. Besides, the use of a natural preservative as an

alternative to artificial ones are perceived to bring less damage to health plus safer for

consumption.

It is the objective of this study to evaluate and assess the efficacy of pulverized

Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution as a natural preservative in prolonging

the shelf-life of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

B. Research Question, Hypothesis, Scientific Goals, Expected Outcome

Research Questions

1. Will pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution prolong the shelf-

life of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)?

2. Is there a significant difference on the preservation activity of varying

concentrations of pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution in terms of

the number of days the Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) were rotten?

3. Is there a significant difference on the preservation activity of varying

concentrations of pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution in terms of

the difference in the peel appearance of Tomatoes ( Solanum lycopersicum)?

4. Is there a significant difference on the preservation activity of varying

concentrations of pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution in terms of

the physiological weight loss of Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)?

Null Hypothesis

1. Pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution will not prolong the

shelflife of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

2. There is no significant difference on the preservation activity of varying

concentrations of pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution in terms of

the number of days the Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) were rotten.

3. There is no significant difference on the preservation activity of varying

concentrations of pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution in terms of

the difference in the peel appearance of Tomatoes ( Solanum lycopersicum).

4. There is no significant difference on the preservation activity of varying

concentrations of pulverized Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell solution in terms of

the physiological weight loss of Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum).

C. Procedure

The following will be the venue of the different tests to be conducted in the study:

New market of the Municipality of Buenavista, it will be the site where Tomatoes

(Solanum lycopersicum) will be collected.

 Oca Talabahan, it will be the site where Pacific Oyster ( Crassostrea gigas) shells

will be collected.

Barangay Bacjao, Buenavista, Guimaras, it will be the site where the

experimentation will take place.

Collection of Test Samples. 15 fully ripe Tomatoes will be gathered at the new

market of the Municipality of Buenavista. 2 kilos of Pacific Oyster shells will be gathered

at Oca Talabahan.

Preparation of Tomatoes. Tomatoes gathered will be washed thoroughly using

clean water, put on a container, then left untouched until the application of treatments.

Preparation of Pacific Oyster Shell Powder. The collected Pacific Oyster shells

will be washed using detergent until clean, then rinse. The shells will be dried under the

sun for 3 days. Using the mortar and pestle, the samples will be pounded. The pounded

shells will be filtered using cheesecloth, the remains will be disposed, and the finely

pulverized shell powder will be separated.

Preparation of Containers. Plastic containers will be prepared to match the

indicated number of replicates in each treatment, and each will be labeled to the

corresponding treatment and replicates.

Randomization. The Tomatoes will be randomly assigned and divided into five

blocks each consist of 3 Tomatoes. Three blocks will be assigned to the experimental

group, one block will be assigned to positive control and the last block will be assigned

to negative control.

Preparation of Treatments. The pulverized Pacific Oyster shells will be measured

according to the indicated grams using a weighing scale, a beaker will also be used to
measure the indicated amount of water and glycerol to attain the following: Treatment

one with 20 grams of pulverized Pacific Oyster shells+500ml water+5% glycerol,

Treatment two with 40 grams of pulverized Pacific Oyster shells+500ml water+5%

glycerol, Treatment three with 60 grams of pulverized Pacific Oyster shells+500ml

water+5% glycerol, Treatment four (+) control will be refrigerated , Treatment five (-)

control will be untreated.

Application of Treatments. The treatments will be placed in a plastic container

and one Tomato will be soaked into each container of pulverized Pacific Oyster shell

solution in 20g, 40g, and 60g with 500ml water and 5% glycerol in comparison to

positive control- refrigerated and negative control- untreated Tomatoes. The Tomatoes

will be soaked for

12 hours, then will be transferred to another container, left untouched and observed for

30 days.

Disposal. The pulverized Pacific Oyster shell solution will be poured down the

drain to mix with other liquid waste. The plastic containers will be collected and

disposed in a garbage bag.

Data Gathering Procedure. The results will be based on the number of days the

Tomatoes were rotten after applying various treatments. The difference in the peel

appearance of Tomato from Day 1 to Day 30 will be recorded every 72 hours using the

following rating scale:

Table 1.

Peel Appearance Index of Tomato

 Scale Description

1 Half ripe

2 Fully ripe

3 Peel with small brown spots

4 Peel with big brown spots

5 Completely brown peel

6 Peel with a sprout of fungi

The physiological weight loss will be calculated every 5 days using the formula

below to measure the successive weight loss as a percentage for the corresponding

treatments.

Physiological weight loss (%)

initial weight of tomatoes − final weight of tomatoes

= × 100
initial weight of tomatoes

Interpretation of Results. The number of days in which the Tomatoes were

rotten will be recorded. The solution will be considered efficient if there is an extension

on the shelf-life of Tomato. The solution will be considered inefficient if there is no

extension on the shelf-life of Tomato.

Statistical Data Analysis Procedure. The statistical tools that will be used in this

study are mean, standard deviation, and analysis of variance. The mean will be used to

calculate the average scores of treatment outcomes. Standard Deviation will be used to
determine the dispersion between the mean. ANOVA will be used to determine the

difference of more than two means set at a 0.05 level of significance.

References

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as affected by different packaging materials. African Journal of Food Science,

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014

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IV Reflection
Complete the statement below

In this lesson, I learned that a research plan is a short document, which sets out
initial thoughts on a research project in a logical and concise manner. It gives the
investigator the opportunity to discuss proposed research, stating its importance and
how it will be conducted.

I realized that in writing a research plan, you must develop your ideas clearly and
logically. This will help the reader understand not only what you wish to do, but why.

I will apply the information I have learned in writing my own research plan and utilize
the given standards (criteria or checklist) in evaluating a research paper.