Processing and preservation of homemade tomato, pepper, and onion paste for combating household food wastage and economic sustainability

Abstract

Tomato, pepper, and onion have been widely used for meal preparation and consumption. However, post-harvest loss is a significant obstacle to the production of tomatoes, onions, and peppers in Nigeria. The shelf life of these veggies has to be extended in a secure and affordable method. Any technique for product storage and preservation that promotes the use of affordable, locally accessible materials and ensures that product quality is unchanged for a long time should be used. This paper examines the processing and preservation of homemade tomato, pepper, and onion paste for combating household food wastage and economic sustainability. Specifically, this study aimed at processing tomato, pepper, and onion into a paste, preserving the paste for 7 months at room temperature, preparing stew from both fresh and preserved paste, and also evaluating the sensory attributes of both fresh and preserved paste and stew. Two research questions and two hypotheses served as the study’s guidelines. A total of 35 lecturers made up the population, and 15 lecturers were chosen as the sample. Data for the study were gathered using a nine-point Hedonic Scale rating questionnaire. The findings were presented as mean values, and the hypothesis was tested using the t-test. The significant differences were accepted at P ≤ 0.05. Sensory evaluation revealed that there were no significant differences between the preserved and fresh paste and also no significant between the preserved paste stew and the fresh paste stew at P ≤ 0.05. Processing and preservation of homemade tomato, pepper, and onion paste should be practiced in Nigeria, especially by homemakers. This will reduce the amount of domestic wastage of vegetables and reduce the amount of family resources spent on these vegetables during scarcity.